Hear Her Story: Drea Starch

Imagine this photo of Drea Starch here with big hair and lots of rhinestones.

In fact, “being LeAnn Rimes” was one of her lifelong goals — when she was 9, or maybe 10. Another was being a livestock veterinarian.

That one stuck.

“I've always been drawn to the intersection of animal welfare and science,” she says now. “Once I was old enough to show 4-H animals it became clear to me that agriculture wasn’t just an interest, it was a passion.”

Starch has built a career at that crossroads, from designing a better feeding system while still an intern at Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, to a succession of positions at meat producers that herald animal welfare first among their priorities: SunFed Ranch, Perdue Farms, Tender Belly, and now Niman Ranch.

Even so, Starch has learned that living one’s passion is not the only building block to career success. Cultivating relationships is just as important.

“You can have the best product, the best data, the best pitch, and still lose if the relationship isn't there. But if it is (there), you can weather almost anything,” she says.

After all, your work life will bump over some potholes, even as the trajectory overall is up and to the right.

“I’ve learned to invest in people and partnerships genuinely. Then, if hard times happen, you’re already standing on a foundation of integrity, trust, and respect. And that changes everything,” Starch says.

What hasn’t changed, nearly as much as it should have, is the challenge of being a woman in leadership in the meat industry.

“There have been moments when I had to work harder to be taken seriously. When the assumption in the room was that my employees were actually my managers. When, instead of a handshake, I’m asked to take notes, find the bathroom, or grab waters for the room,” Starch says. “It’s a particular kind of invisible tax that still happens today.”

For her part, Starch prefers to focus on the gifts that come with her position.

“Being underestimated creates a certain freedom to blow the roof off, rewrite the narrative, and exceed expectations.”

Starch’s climb up the career ladder has not been without its sacrifices, mostly of time: the travel, late nights, “mental bandwidth that doesn’t clock out at 5pm or leave you alone on vacation.”

Attitude is the difference between those difficulties being a “cost” or an “investment.”

“What's made it worth it is purpose, and the opportunity to have an impact beyond myself. I believe in the work I do, the teams and solutions I’ve built, and the values we represent.

“The other part that’s been worth it is the network I am honored to have,” she adds. “The people in this industry who have held doors open ahead of me, and the women who are rising alongside me, are some of the most impressive people I've ever worked with. The connection, wisdom, and levity I get from communities like WMIN are some of my greatest sources of strength and motivation.”

Starch is a founding member of WMIN and sits on our Board of Directors. She has also served as chairperson of WMIN’s Mentoring Program.

Ultimately, Starch says, what sustains her day-in and day-out is a focus on the fundamentals.

“Over the last 15 years there have certainly been seasons when the pace, the pressure, or the politics made me take stock. But when I stripped away the noise, the work itself still felt right.”