Officer Profile – Kelsey Vance
Hello! My name is Kelsey Vance, and I am the current Illinois Agri-Women Vice President of Education.
I grew up on my family’s grain and specialty crop farm in Central Illinois. I now live seven miles from the farm and help my Dad and Mom as much as I can! My roles on the farm range from picking up parts to running the combine. My Dad claims that farmers and coaches end up with all daughters and he was no exception! I have a sister, Jessi, who is also very involved on the farm. We have two farm dogs, Diesel and Chesney, and of course some good old farm cats. We raise corn, soybeans, seed corn, seed beans, popcorn for Weaver Popcorn, green beans for Del Monte and Seneca and pumpkins for Nestle/Libby’s. Some of our ground is very sandy and requires irrigation which allows us to raise the specialty crops! We find growing the specialty crops very rewarding. The crops that we grow in our fields may very well end up on your dinner table! Popcorn is my favorite snack; green beans are my favorite vegetable and I have no shame in admitting that I am one of those crazy ladies that puts pumpkin in everything from Labor Day Weekend through Thanksgiving!
Off of the farm, I work for Syngenta as a Retail Sales Representative. I thoroughly enjoy partnering with the retailers in my area to help provide the farmers with the best crop protection products on the market, yes, I am a little bias! I also work with the aerial applicators in Central Illinois. They are extremely talented, and I will never get tired of watching them make the last pass on our crops to maximize yields before they go into the bins! I started my career with Syngenta in Nebraska where I became a Huskers Football fan! I then moved to Southern Illinois. I fell in love with Southern Illinois peaches, the St. Louis Cardinals and a little ice cream stand. A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to move back home. While I knew a part of my heart would always be in Southern Illinois, I was so happy to be closer to my family, friends and the farm. I am extremely blessed to have learned and continue to learn this business from amazing coworkers that have become family!
I love to spend time with my boyfriend, Jared, and our pup, Gabi! We enjoy spending time with our families, fishing, hiking, riding our side by side, watching movies, working out, cooking and traveling! I also need my girl time! My Mom, Jessi and I enjoy going to the local Farmers’ Markets, Garage Sales and soaking up the sun whether it is at the lake or in the Mackinaw River! My friends and I love to go shopping, visit wineries and get pedicures!
I attended Women Changing the Face of Agriculture as a college senior and I have been a member of Illinois Agri-Women ever since! As the Vice President of Education, my primary role is to plan quarterly events for our organization. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this amazing group and being surrounded by so many outstanding women!
