Next Gen Ag is a year long series that will run on our In The Field blog, Facebook page, Instagram page and Twitter account. Each Wednesday, we will highlight a young person pursuing a career in the agriculture industry. Individuals can be in high school, college, or recent graduates who are working to establish a career in agriculture. Stay tuned each week to meet some of our industry’s future leaders!
Growing up in Greensboro, Madelyn Young was not surrounded by nor immersed in agriculture at a young age but dove headfirst into the industry once she started attending N.C. State University in 2021. As a rising senior at N.C. State, Madelyn is working hard to establish her place in the veterinary field.
Since the time she was six years old, Madelyn has always known that she wanted to be a veterinarian. “I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember,” she said, “and I always knew that I wanted to work with them for a living. For many years I thought about being a small animal vet, but all of that changed for me when I hit high school and started working at the Greensboro Science Center.” The Greensboro Science Center is an AZA accredited zoo, aquarium and museum that showcases a variety of animals, including goats, birds, tigers and fish. Madelyn started working there at fifteen years old and continues to do so on the weekends or breaks when she is not at college. “Through my job at the Greensboro Science Center, I had the opportunity to not only work with a variety of animals, including some livestock animals, but also educate museum attendees on the purposes of those animals,” she said. Although she learned a lot at her job with the museum, it wasn’t until she attended a veterinary camp at N.C. State University that she fell in love with agriculture and changed her career path to focus on livestock animals. “I had never worked with small ruminants, equine and swine before I attended the camp at NCSU, but I immediately fell in love with them,” Madelyn said. “I knew in that moment that I wanted to be a large animal veterinarian.”
Madelyn is currently finishing up her junior year of college at N.C. State University where she is majoring in Zoology and minoring in Animal Science, Sports Science and Nutrition. Once she graduates in 2025 with her bachelor’s degree, she plans to stay at N.C. State University to obtain her master’s degree in Poultry Science or Animal Science before moving on to vet school. “My end goal is to be a Farm Animal Vet and work with livestock all across the state, including cows, horses, goats and turkeys,” she said. “I love being a part of agriculture and I can’t wait to start my career in this industry because of how vital it is to North Carolina and the world. Everything in life comes back to agriculture and it’s an honor to be a part of it.” Throughout her college years thus far, Madelyn has not only worked hard at her studies to learn all that she can about agriculture, livestock, and nutrition, but she has also taken many hands-on experiences and opportunities to further her industry experience. She volunteered for a while at the N.C. State Dairy where she was responsible for feeding and caring for the cows. Last summer, she worked with our Tidewater Research Station at the NCDA&CS where she gained more experience working with swine and assisted with a heat check genetic trial as well as a few nutrition trials. Today, she volunteers at the Butner Beef Cattle Unit, shadows a farm animal vet, and helps with swine nutrition research at the N.C. State Swine Barn. “I love to take any opportunity that I am given to learn and grow further in my skillsets and experience,” she said. “Each connection and experience will help me down the road to be the best industry professional that I can be.”
Madelyn’s passion for the industry, eagerness to learn, leadership and communication skills, hard work ethic and determination are all factors that drive her towards her agricultural goals each day. She not only wants to be a large animal veterinarian in the future, but she would also love to one day own her own farm where she can offer agritourism events and educational opportunities to members of the community. “I would like to have my own livestock animals, but interact with them,” she said. “The education gap across the agriculture industry is still extremely wide. Agriculture touches our lives every day and takes a lot of hard work. I want to do my part to continue educating people about where their food comes from and why farmers are important.” More than anything, she wants to work with livestock animals in a way that will not only further the N.C. Agriculture industry, but garner more of an appreciation for the hard-working farmers across our state.
Although she loves working with livestock animals, especially cows, Madelyn’s favorite part of the agriculture industry is the people within it. “People across this industry are so down to earth and willing to help you at the drop of a hat,” she said. “Even though there is some competition, at the end of the day, the heart of a farmer just wants to see everyone in agriculture succeed. The community of agriculture is unmatched in other areas and corporations.”
For those seeking a career in the agriculture industry, Madelyn reminds you that you didn’t have to grow up in agriculture to have a spot in the industry. “Don’t let people who have always been in agriculture tell you that you aren’t worthy of a place in the industry,” she said. “I’ve faced a lot of stigmas through the years because I didn’t grow up in agriculture but desire a prominent place in the industry one day. Everyone and anyone are welcome in this industry, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” she said. “Don’t give up. Try new things. Even if you come across something that you don’t like, the opportunity will still open doors and build connections for you in the future.” We are so proud of Madelyn and everything that she is seeking to do for our state’s livestock industry. We look forward to seeing the difference that she will make and the mark that she will leave on N.C. Agriculture in the future!
