Dr. Katie Payne is a native of Century, West Virginia, where she was actively involved in Barbour County 4-H and FFA. Her early experiences working with beef cattle and participating in 4-H land judging helped shape her lifelong passion for agriculture. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Soil Science from West Virginia University in 2012. Dr. Payne continued her education with a Master of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences from the University of Georgia (2014), followed by a Ph.D. in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Kentucky (2019), focusing her research on forage agronomy. Before returning to West Virginia University in July 2025 as the Forage Agronomy Extension Specialist, Dr. Payne spent six years as the Applied Forage Systems Specialist at the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Education Center in Blackstone, Virginia. She enjoys working closely with extension agents and producers to help improve the production, profitability, and sustainability of their forage and livestock systems.