From dairy to trailblazing career in public service: Ashley Randle ’11

In March 2023, Randle became the first woman appointed commissioner in Massachusetts. The path to that groundbreaking moment started during her semester with the Cornell in Washington program when she first considered a career in public service. 

After graduation, she earned her law degree from Western New England University, focusing on environmental and sustainability law. She then began her career at the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, where she created a statewide sustainability recognition program. She later worked for the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA) before returning to Massachusetts, where she rose through leadership roles in the state’s Department of Agricultural Resources. 

Today, Randle oversees an agency that supports around 7,000 farms, working across areas such as animal health, crop services, land preservation and climate resilience. “It’s a very diversified agricultural sector — from aquaculture to cranberries to dairy,” she said. “We have about 95 dairies in the state. It’s much smaller than New York but still an important part of our agricultural economy.”

“Every day, whether it’s a large problem or a small one, we get to help a farmer. That’s what I really enjoy.”

Randle stays closely connected to the farming community through regular site visits, virtual stakeholder calls and chairing the state’s dairy promotion board. “I love working with farmers — being able to problem-solve one-on-one,” she said. “Every day, whether it’s a large problem or a small one, we get to help a farmer. That’s what I really enjoy.”

A major focus of her work is land protection. Massachusetts runs the country’s first Agricultural Preservation Restriction program, which permanently protects farmland from development. Randle’s department recently introduced a new pilot — Whole Farm Protection — that also preserves barns, housing and other on-farm infrastructure.

“Recently, there was a farm looking to transition to the next generation but financially couldn’t do it,” she said. “We stepped in and protected the land and infrastructure — and made it affordable.”

Farmers in Massachusetts are also facing increasing climate volatility. A drought in 2022 and a combination of frost, freeze and flood events in 2023 caused significant crop losses. To support adaptation, the state is investing in high tunnels, greenhouses and season-extension systems. “We work with farmers to be resilient — to think about long term plans for infrastructure and growing conditions of crops, which are all affected by climate change,” Randle said.

Another growing concern for Randle is the pressure of housing and renewable energy development on farmland. “We know we need more housing in the state,” she said. “But we want to make sure that if land has prime agricultural soils, it’s protected and preserved for agriculture.”

Looking ahead, one of Randle’s top priorities is ensuring that Massachusetts agriculture is more resilient, inclusive and adaptive than when she stepped into the role, she said. Her department will soon incorporate findings from the 21st Century Agriculture Commission, which is expected to shape new policy proposals related to labor, land access, energy, climate adaptation and technical assistance.

When thinking about her career, Randle stresses the importance of relationships. “Networking has helped me tremendously — being open to people from different backgrounds has given me a broader perspective on agriculture, both in the U.S. and internationally,” she said. “Those connections have opened doors, created opportunities to support others and to build lifelong relationships that I truly value. 

“Public service really is a privilege,” she added. “I don’t have to do this job; I’m grateful I get to do it. That’s how I know it’s right for me.”

Caroline Stamm ’24 is a former communications assistant for the Cornell CALS Department of Animal Science.