Pig Nutritionist

Rachel Cole imagines agriculture when looking back on her childhood. She was the third generation to grow up on a grain and livestock farm in Indiana, and stayed interested in ag through programs like 4H and FFA. 

“Ultimately, I knew I wanted to pursue a degree in agriculture and have a career in the industry that raised me,” she says. 

Rachel went on to get a Bachelor’s Degree in animal science from Western Kentucky University, and then to graduate school at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she received a Master's degree in animal science with an emphasis in commercial swine nutrition. Now she works as the Swine Account Manager at the KENT Nutrition Group. 

This position is a new venture for Rachel. She previously worked as a breeding project manager for a global swine genetics company and as an account manager for a dairy by-product manufacturer which helped to create piglet feed. 

Rachel describes for us her current duties: “As a Swine Account Manager on the Innovative Solutions team at KENT FEEDS, I represent a portfolio of specialty ingredients for multiple species, but focus on swine. While I do focus on sales, my team also manages research projects for product development.” Her favorite part of the job is when she gets to provide on-site technical support. This is when she is interacting with livestock and offering nutritional solutions directly to producers. 

Looking back on her career, Rachel’s only regret is that she didn’t find her passion for pigs sooner because she grew up mostly with cows. However, she quickly shares that all agriculture experience is good, as she enjoys working with cows with her husband on their farm today. 

Ultimately, Rachel leaves aspiring agriculturalists with these words of wisdom, “Have an open mind. There are endless opportunities to work in ag or have an impact on the agriculture industry through other non-traditional ag careers. For example, careers in logistics, supply chain, pet food, and marketing/communications may not be directly ag related like animal science or agronomy, but they play a huge role in the grand scheme of many ag companies. People with unique skill sets in areas adjacent to ag are in high demand.”

Rachel is currently in the Kentucky Agriculture Leadership Program.