Virginia agriculture’s ‘chief hype girl’ finds her place promoting the industry she loves

Sarah Jane Thomsen M.S. ’19 grew up as a forester’s daughter in Southwest Virginia, surrounded by agriculture and natural resources. But it was through a series of hands-on experiences — working at a university dairy, interning with Virginia Cooperative Extension, conducting field research, and eventually developing public agricultural programs — that she found the role she wanted to play in the industry.

In August, Thomsen became domestic marketing manager for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, helping Virginia producers and agribusinesses find new market opportunities, connect with buyers, and promote their products. She joined the agency after five years at Meadow Event Park and the State Fair of Virginia, where her work centered on connecting agriculture and the public.

While earning her master’s degree in agronomy and crop science at Virginia Tech, Thomsen combined her interest in livestock with a new focus on crops and soils. She researched integrated grazing systems for beef cattle at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Blackstone, studying cattle performance, forage nutritional value, and shade.

Her Virginia Tech connections have grown along with her career. Thomsen serves on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Dean’s Advisory Council and is president-elect of the CALS Alumni Organization. She also participated in Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results, or VALOR, Virginia Tech’s agricultural leadership program.

We recently spoke to Thomsen about finding her place in Virginia agriculture, the professor who challenged her to ask hard questions, and why staying curious has taken her places she never expected.

What are you up to these days? Tell us about your work and what a typical day looks like.

In August, I left my job as manager of agriculture education at the State Fair of Virginia and Virginia Farm Bureau after five years and started as the new domestic marketing manager for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

While I am still navigating my day-to-day activities, I have found a renewed sense of energy working with an agency that cares deeply about Virginia’s farmers.

I used to say I wanted to be the “chief hype girl” for Virginia agriculture, and I believe that, once I get settled in my role, I am in a place where that is possible. My job revolves around people — listening to Virginia’s producers and agribusinesses and figuring out how VDACS can help connect them with market opportunities and buyers to promote their products and flourish.

One of the fun parts of joining VDACS has been learning about the many different careers that support Virginia agriculture — from food safety and plant pathology to food grading and more. There are so many ways to build a career in agriculture that people may not always think about.

Looking back, what’s one experience from your time in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that has stayed with you?

More than an experience, it’s a relationship that has stayed with me and continued to transform me — Professor Ozzie Abaye. Miss Ozzie took me under her wing during a winter session study abroad to South Africa during graduate school.

That trip is still one I reflect on frequently because I believe travel and immersing ourselves in the ways of others is an indispensable experience that opens both our minds and hearts. But it’s Miss Ozzie who challenged me to ask the hard questions and believed in me to follow my heart. I always encourage students to study abroad if they have the chance.

What keeps you busy when you’re not at work?

Outside of work, I play on a women’s competitive recreational volleyball team at Richmond Volleyball Club and am active at local aerialist studios. When I’m not hanging upside down or digging volleyballs, I’m usually trying to plan a trip with friends, taking every opportunity to spoil my nephews, or spending time with my crazy boxer-lab mix, Luna, ideally on the river.

On the side, I’ll foster bottle-baby lambs when it works with my schedule, and I’m always happy to pour wine at a local agritourism event.

How do you stay connected to Virginia Tech today?

I don’t think I expected to stay as connected with Virginia Tech as I have, and I feel more connected now than I ever did in graduate school. I cannot thank Elizabeth Galbreath ’17 enough for encouraging me to join the CALS Alumni Organization.

Through my participation with the alumni organization, I have had the opportunity to get to know other alumni, go back to Blacksburg, interact with CALS leadership, and offer support through exciting transitions, like all the growth in the Agricultural Technology Program.

Being a Hokie and working in Virginia agriculture is symbiotic; it creates a connection point and an automatic community of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve.).

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Stay curious, ask questions, and be willing to adapt to change. Learning does not — nor should it — stop when you leave school. Learning can take many forms — experiences, interactions with people, places you go, new hobbies you try, and more.

There are aspects of my life that didn’t happen on the “desired timeline” I thought they were supposed to, but because of that, I’ve gotten to have so many incredible and special experiences that have helped me become a better version of myself and opened doors I never could have imagined.

My parents always told my siblings and me that they wanted to give us roots and wings: roots to know where you came from and wings to take you where you’re going. That ability to open those wings — even when I didn’t know where I was going — to stay curious, fluid in motion, and try new things is what has allowed me to soar.

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