MSU Extension

Ionia County Extension Office
Community, Food, and Environment Educator

Area of Expertise:

Katie Ockert is a seasoned educator in animal agriculture and wildlife, with over two decades of experience serving Michigan’s agricultural communities. She holds a bachelor's degree in Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications from Michigan State University, where she also specialized in animal science. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration with a focus in Homeland Security from Penn State University, broadening her expertise in emergency preparedness and policy. Katie has been an MSU Extension Educator since 2005. For the first fifteen years of her career, she served in Michigan’s 4-H program, fostering youth development and community engagement. She now leads programming efforts in small farm management, animal disease outreach and education, biosecurity, and safe food supply initiatives. Her work focuses on practical outreach and supporting resilient agricultural and natural resource systems across the state. In addition to her Extension role, Katie is an instructor in the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Department, where she leads a course on hunting and wildlife conservation.