Planting a Path: Wright keeps passion for ag going as field seed rep

Don Wilkins, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
Updated ·3 min read

Oct. 29—As a seed rep for Bayer, Shelby Wright now spends her time traveling in her pickup truck to farms and agricultural retailers.

While growing up on a livestock farm in Greenfield, Indiana, Wright developed a love of agriculture by raising show goats, pigs and horses.

"I had animals in my backyard," said Wright, who now makes her home in Owensboro. "So my passion for agriculture definitely came at a young age."

Her passion was also fueled while attending Eastern Hancock School— a k-12 school — in Hancock County, Indiana. She was an involved member of the FFA and 4-H chapters.

Wright said her school's FFA chapter, in particular, often competed for state and national titles.

Wright estimated she missed 35 to 40 days of school her senior year to participate in FFA and 4-H events.

"I would say we had one of the best FFA programs in the state of Indiana," she said. "...We were blessed to have several agricultural teachers. We could literally walk out of the building and we would have a greenhouse; we had a barn that housed livestock. So it was just an extreme hands-on program."

Prior to graduating, she started looking at Kentucky colleges, as it became more apparent that she would pursue agriculture as a career path.

Wright said her mother, Susan, is a Lexington native, which added to the bluegrass state's appeal.

"I always had a fondness for the commonwealth of Kentucky growing up," she said.

Wright enrolled at Murray State University where she pursued an ag-business degree.

Wright said she thrived at Murray as part of the rodeo team, became an ag ambassador and was named homecoming queen representing the ag school.

"Murray was just like my high school — extremely hands-on and extremely fond of the agricultural program," she said. "So it was the best college I could've imagined going to."

Wright, 24, is now seeking a master's degree online in ag communications from Texas Tech University.

She said strong communication skills have always been stressed throughout her agricultural education, and that it will not only help in her current position as an Asgrow and DeKalb seed field sales rep for Bayer, but also in future endeavors.

"It's going to be especially important more and more going forward to be able to communicate the message of agriculture and the stories of these farmers," Wright said. "There are so many people out there who just don't realize what we do as agriculturalists."

And when it comes to working with other women in agriculture, Wright, who covers a territory of 10 counties in Kentucky, said it's still uncommon for her to encounter a woman running a farm or any other ag-business.

"I still feel like, even though we're moving in the right direction of females being more on the farm and in more positions like me, it's still definitely not where I want to see it yet," she said. "I still get comments like, 'This is the first time a female has ever stepped foot on my operation,' especially a young one."

Along with both of her parents also being sales reps in the agriculture chemical industry, Wright said her family is doing its part in bringing women into ag-leadership roles.

Her mother, Susan Wright, was the first female FFA president for Kentucky.

"She was just able to influence me so much, and I think there are still a lot of women out there who may not have that influence," Wright said. "So it's awesome in my position that I can be that advocate for women in any ag-related field."