Jessica Yanis
Jessica (Jessawick) Yanis is a student at the University of Arizona, currently studying Environmental Science while also continuing her long-standing work in agriculture and animal care. Based in West Liberty, Kentucky, she runs a small, diversified farm called 15 Star Farm, where she raises heritage livestock and focuses on sustainable, small-scale farming practices. Her academic interests align closely with her hands-on experience, particularly in finding ways to connect environmental stewardship with practical agricultural methods.
For the past nine years, Jessica has worked extensively with Southeastern Llama Rescue, where she fosters elderly, medically fragile, and unadoptable alpacas and llamas, providing them with lifelong care and a safe environment. Her farm also includes Icelandic sheep and heritage pig breeds, and she has experience in animal husbandry, farm management, and sustainable livestock production. She is deeply involved in agricultural education and youth development through 4-H programs in Kentucky.
In addition to her farming and rescue work, Jessica is a certified NASP archery instructor and shooting sports coach, having coached at multiple schools and currently mentoring both students and homeschool participants. She is pursuing her degree with long-term goals of advancing into graduate studies, including a master’s and PhD, with the intention of becoming a professor and conducting research that bridges environmental science and agriculture to address issues such as land degradation and ecosystem health.
• 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator
• 4-H Archery Coach
• 4-H Rifle Coach
• Moravian University- B.A.
• University of Arizona- B.S.
• Southeastern Llama Rescue
• 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator
• 4-H Archery Coach
• 4-H Rifle Coach
• 4-H Skillathon Volunteer
• 4-H Ham Project Volunteer
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to learning by doing, mentorship from experienced professionals in my field, and the support of community-based knowledge sharing that has helped me grow both practically and academically.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to get hands-on experience whenever possible, seek out mentors who can guide your growth, learn to recognize animal health issues early, and be proactive about building strong practical, real-world skills.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I definitely have is finding farmhands - finding people that allow me to do other things. Right now we have a person that is fantastic, I really trust him, he does a fantastic job, he works really hard, and he does exactly what I want. He spots problems before they become real problems, because I can only spot so much. With sheep, the saying is 'sheep seldom survive,' so as soon as you see a sheep sick, you have to be right on top of it or they're just not going to live because they hide it - they're both a prey and a herd animal, so they hide when something's wrong really, really well. Same with the alpacas - they hide things until all of a sudden they're losing weight, and if you don't notice it because they're super fluffy, that means you have to literally put your hands on the animal to keep them healthy. Another challenge is that there's not a lot of emergency vets that are available for livestock animals - for goats, for sheep. You have to go to a university veterinarian hospital and they're a long way away, and some people just can't make that drive. The opportunity I see is in merging agriculture and environmental conservation - I'm looking at problems like stream erosion and land masses sliding, and thinking about how we can do things that can mesh agriculture and the environment together where we're both helping the environment as well as helping the farmer, instead of one being destructive and the farmer trying to fight against the inclusion of nature.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are animal welfare, responsible land stewardship, hands-on learning, and strong family and community support.