Our people: A life in agriculture

My name is Janelle Duffey. I was born and raised in Rosewell and have lived in Clovis for the past six years. I have spent my entire life involved with agriculture. I grew up on a large farm east of Roswell where my family raised sheep, grew alfalfa, corn, cotton, barley and pecans, and still do to this day. I was very active in 4-H and FFA in high school, and it was these organizations that led me to pursue a degree in animal science from New Mexico State University. I have both a bachelor's of science and master's of science from NMSU specializing in animal science and endocrinology. I worked in industry for a while but I soon realized my true passion was teaching. That led to my career in extension. I have been with the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service for 11 years.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I never could decide if I wanted to be a teacher or a veterinarian. When I was in elementary school, I always looked up to my teachers and I thought it would be so much fun to be just like them. As I got older, veterinary medicine piqued my interest and I seriously contemplated being a veterinarian. But looking back, I realize the job I have now basically allows me to do both in a way. I am able to teach both youth and adults the value of agriculture to our society. I am able to share my knowledge of basic animal husbandry to the 4-H youth in my program while also teaching not only the kids, but their parents, the value of raising a quality product that the U.S. consumer knows is safe and wants to buy.

What are you reading?

I am one of those who has a lot of books going at one time. Currently I am reading: "Girl, Wash Your Face" by Rachel Hollis, "The Best Yes" by Lysa TerKeurst and "Killing the SS" by Bill O'Reilly. I also read my Bible daily, as well as my devotionals.

What is your most prized possession?

I wouldn't say that I have a most prized possession outside of my Bible. However, I do have some unique possessions. My kitchen table was my grandparent's table when they got married. My granddad was in the Army and somehow they obtained a table with only three chairs. No one in the family can remember the set ever including the fourth chair. Another interesting possession I have is an old oil barrel from 1912 that belonged to Triangle Oil Co., Clovis. My brother found it at an estate auction in Texas and brought it back for me.

If money were no object, what would you do to make eastern New Mexico a better place?

I think I would try to make people more aware of what the Cooperative Extension Service is and just what all it can do to make peoples' lives better. We are funded three different ways (county, state and federal) and our mission is to bring land-grant research to the people. But what we really do is teach people life skills. We have classes on quilting, canning and gardening. Our agriculture program offers classes for our producers on beef quality assurance, estate planning and emergency preparedness. In 4-H, our members have over 200 different projects to choose from. They learn citizenship and leadership through club involvement. I would just like people to know more about what we have to offer.

How would you like to be remembered?

I really hope that when people remember me, they would smile. I would hope they would remember something funny that happened or just a time that brought them joy and happiness. But I really hope they laugh!

Tell us about your pets:

I have a dog, Colt, and a cat, Tiger. Colt is a blue heeler and he is an absolute mess. He's rather independent and manages to get in to everything. He also loves water! No matter the season or temperature, he will find water and play in it. Tiger on the other hand is extremely needy and feels the need to be in the middle of whatever I am doing.

What's an accomplishment you're proud of?

Any time you watch someone finally understand a concept or watching a kid finally understand how to do something, that's always something I am proud of. Like I have said before, I'm a teacher. It's such a rewarding experience to watch that lightbulb click and you know they get it! And once they understand, they know the sky is the limit and they can do anything. That's something that stirs my soul.

Favorite quote?

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." - Thomas Henry Huxley

I think this quote pretty much sums up how I live my life. Life is all about learning. If you're not learning, then you're dying. There's always something new to learn. Sometimes it might be useful, sometimes it's hurtful, and sometimes you realize you could probably use that particular brain cell for something else. But there's always something to learn.

Another good one is "Those who complain the most, do the least. Which are you?" I don't know who actually said it but I saw it hanging in an office one time and it really stuck with me.