Rachel Barker
Lead Precision Agronomist
Sometimes You Need The Tall Boots: From Lab Technician to Lead Precision Agronomist
Specialty Farming
Rachel grew up in the Pearl City area where her parents dairy farmed. When Rachel was six, her parents sold the dairy cattle and, from then on, their farm raised sheep & puppies. She was very involved with 4-H and 4-H Federation once she was old enough. Rachel showed livestock at 4-H shows as well as in the local open shows. She enjoyed working with her livestock throughout the year to get them ready for shows in the summertime. This is where Rachel’s love for livestock likely sparked.
Education
Through high school and into her time at Highland Community College, Rachel worked part-time at the Lena Veterinary Clinic as well as at the Stephenson County Fair Office. She graduated from Highland Community College with an Associates of Arts degree and transferred to UW-Platteville. There, she majored in Animal Science with minors in microbiology and genetics.
Into Her Career
After graduation, Rachel was accepted into a veterinary school program but decided to take a different pathway. She instead began to work at Foremost Farms in Lancaster, WI. There, Rachel processed milk samples and performed quality control within their laboratory. Later, the facility expanded to include a water treatment plant where Rachel also took part. She enjoyed the scientific focus involved with her day-to-day work.
A PCE Career
Moving closer to home, Rachel began her career with PCE and has been with us for 16 years! She started out and was largely an assistant to a few agronomists on staff. Rachel would also help load feed for customers, answer phones, run the grain scale, assist with insurance, and led the Preferred Payment Option (PPO) program for propane customers. Later on, she began working with precision technology and it was soon discovered that Rachel had found her niche! For 8 years, Rachel has been leading precision technology at PCE. Rachel loves that her job allows her to help farmers of any scale to find the right precision technology for their operation.
Crops, Cows, & Chickens Galore
At home, Rachel and her husband farm around 300 acres. 50 of which is hay and 250 is row crops. Currently, they have 25 head of beef cows and some chickens that Rachel absolutely adores. Some days, she wishes she would have gone through with her vet school plans, but she is satisfied with being able to get her livestock fix at home. Rachel also reminds herself that livestock tend to be more unpredictable and a higher risk than crops. She is able to apply the same scientific principles and thinking into her agronomy work as she would with the livestock work. She is truly happy with where she is in life and her career.
Abundant Influencers
Like many, Rachel has many influential people that have had a large impact through her life. Her advisor and agriculture teacher at Highland was an integral part in encouraging Rachel to pursue a 4-year degree. She had a lab professor that she worked for as a lab assistant at HCC that gave her a great amount of responsibility that helped her to grow. She notes that Dr. Price at UW-Platteville was an influential individual during Rachel’s independent study course. She and Dr. Price worked on research concerning genetic progression of hogs and diary cows in relation to high production management situations. Out of school and into her time at PCE, Rachel has felt strong encouragement and been provided with learning opportunities from a number of fellow employees. In particular, she appreciates the knowledge gained from Tom Wells, Ken Vandeberg, Dawn Kielsmeier, and Butch Drane. These individuals helped Rachel to find her footing in the world of agronomy, taught her the “why” behind many agronomy practices, showed her the way as a woman in agriculture, and assisted her with weed ID projects throughout the years. Without each of these entities, Rachel’s path may not have led her to the same place she is today.
Gardens & Crafts
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys caring for her chickens and cows at their home farm. In the summer, she can be found tending to her gardens around the farm as well. She is known to be a great cook and baker and often has upwards of 10 people at her dinner table on the weekends. She loves to entertain and host people at their home. Rachel spends a lot of her time outside of work with her 3 children and their family dogs. When she has time, she enjoys getting crafty with personalized hand lettering and chalkboard crafts.
Life Lessons
Some of the most important life lessons that Rachel has learned is to be flexible with the journey of life and to remind oneself that everything does not always go as planned. She also shared one of her favorite sayings which is, “enjoy the space between where you are and where you’re going.” Rachel appreciates this quote because it reminds her that happiness is built in today not tomorrow. It reminds her to be okay with where she is in that moment even while working towards her future goals.
All of the Boots
For women in agriculture, Rachel advises them to know their specialty better than anybody else. Knowing more only makes a better, more helpful individual than a teammate. She also shared that it is important to have ALL of the boots in your vehicle. You never know when you’ll need that pair of tall rubber boots! To thrive in the industry, ask questions and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Overall, Rachel encourages women in the industry to work hard and prove their capabilities. In order to make the industry better for women coming in behind her, Rachel has had the opportunity to mentor a number of interns within the precision technology field. She believes that by being a hardworking mentor, she is able to show younger women what they are capable of achieving in this industry.
Pioneer Woman
When asked to describe herself, Rachel noted that she is a hard worker that knows a lot of things and a lot of people. She sees herself as helpful and as a “yes” person. Rachel will extend a helping hand to a teammate whenever possible. If she had to be anyone else in the world, she would be the Pioneer Woman. Rachel would love to be able to cook all day on a beautiful ranch while wearing cute outfits. Regardless of how dreamy that sounds, Rachel does love who she is and where she is at in life today. Ultimately, she would prefer to simply be herself.
The #PCECommunity would like to thank Rachel for all her hard work and for being such a positive and strong role model for young women in agriculture. You are appreciated!
