Katie Laird was born and raised in East Texas in a tiny town called Arp. She graduated from Arp High School in 2019 and afterwards attended Tyler Junior College as a member of the Presidential Honors College and studied Biology. After completing her basics, she transferred to Tarleton State University and graduated with her Bachelor’s in Animal Science in 2023.
Her very first job was being a kennel technician at a veterinary clinic, working with all animals small, large, and exotic. During college, Katie interned for Texas A&M AgriLife in Stephenville, TX, where she helped on a research project testing new alternatives to alfalfa hay, as well as sampling bermudagrass.
After graduating, her first professional job was with Texas A&M AgriLife in Overton, TX, working for a conservation grant focusing on incentivizing farmers and ranchers to implement NRCS practices. Thanks to her time working at AgriLife, Katie was able to learn much about agriculture through numerous field days, educational programs, extension agent trainings, and more.
“My college experience focused heavily on the specifics of livestock animals, but after broadening my horizons and realizing all the different avenues that agriculture has to offer, I am excited to see where my career takes me,” said Katie. “I hope I can someday own and operate my own farm too!”
When Katie was younger, her family raised chickens and as she got older, her family continued to expand the farm, adding turkeys, guinea fowl, rabbits, cattle, and horses. While the family farm is primarily a cow-calf operation, there are definitely enough animals around to keep everyone busy outside of calving season.
“We also grow a large seasonal vegetable garden every year,” said Katie. “To say that I grew up around agriculture is an understatement!”
Although she does not have any personal military experience, it does run deep in her family. Below is a list of her family members and their military experience:
- Great Grandfather, A.D. Shores – Army Air Corps, deployed to Guam to destroy leftover ammunition from the Battle of Guam.
- Great Granduncle, Denzil O. Shores – Army Air Corps, was a POW and was forced to build the Burma Railway, successfully survived and was rescued.
- Grand Grandfather, Thomas Lewis Laird – Drafted into the Army, was a Golden Glove Boxer selling War Bonds.
- Great Granduncle, James Melvin “Farmer” Laird – Army Air Corps aerial gunner, died in the crash of a B-24 bomber.
- Uncle, Mathan Allen – Marine Corps Veteran, stationed in Okinawa, Japan.
- Mother, Toni Laird – Started as a volunteer for Soldier’ Angels sending care packages overseas to active-duty military, then accepted the position of VA Representative and was in charge of assigning volunteers to VA hospitals nationwide.
At FVC, Katie works as Program Manager, managing federal grants given to FVC, specifically the 2501 AgroBridge grant. She has also been tasked with developing a Mentorship Program for FVC.
During her time so far working at FVC, Katie has enjoyed connecting with Farmer Veterans. She has been conducting interviews for FVC’s Mentorship Program, and it’s been very inspiring for her to see how passionate FVC’s members are about agriculture and their military service.
“It really helps me see the impact that we’re making,” said Katie. “I also have enjoyed ‘putting the puzzle pieces together’ and learning all about the different resources we have in the FVC network.”
During her free time, Katie enjoys spending time out at the family farm and gardening. She also likes to bake her own sourdough bread, going to concerts, two-stepping, reading, and volunteering.
She has two younger twin sisters, Halie Laird and Billie Laird. Katie works in agriculture, Halie is a marine biologist, and Billie is a pilot – those three girls are literally land, sea, and sky!
“I would like to give a shoutout to my dad, Bryan Laird, for pushing me to pursue a strong career and helping me to never accept failure as an option,” said Katie. “I would also like to thank my mom, Toni Laird, for helping me stay strong and follow my heart and passions.”
