Meet One of Ohio State ATI’s Equine Entrepreneurs                                        Written by Hana Wagner

Ohio State ATI alumna Cory Boliantz grew up on her family’s farm. They had a wide variety of animals, but Cory spent most of her time with the horses. She was involved in 4-H growing up and would show her horses at the county fair. She graduated from Mapleton High School in Ashland, Ohio, and eventually majored in Horse Production and Management at Ohio State ATI. Right after her college graduation in 2009, she started her own business, Cory Boliantz Performance Horses.  

Since 2009, Cory has had many young and upcoming riders in her program who have shown and trained horses under her influence. Since I have trained under Cory for the past 7-8 years, I decided to ask Cory a few questions about what her experiences were like at Ohio State ATI and how she has become successful in the equine industry:  

What exactly got Cory into the equine industry? 

Since her family has had horses for many years, Cory says it just became second nature. She has a deep passion for training and caring for horses, and she wanted to be able to make a professional—and a successful—career out of it! 

How did Ohio State ATI influence your future business? 

“ATI helped me by building a foundation of knowledge and experience to be able to work professionally with the people and animals in the industry,” she explained. 

What’s your favorite memory of ATI? 

Cory’s favorite memory is working in the equine breeding lab with Dr. Karen Wimbush as her professor. Along with making lifelong memories and friendships, Cory also made some very meaningful connections in the equine industry that she still uses.  

What are things you learned at ATI that you still use today as a professional in the equine industry?  

“A lot of stuff!” Cory continued: “A lot of the knowledge that I gained during my time at ATI, like daily care, health care, nutrition—it all plays a specific role in my daily life at the barn. I’ve incorporated a lot of that knowledge into my program.” 

Andrew Baker: Walker Farms Inc.

This week’s In the Field Friday features second-year student Andrew Baker. Originally from Maineville, OH in Warren County, Baker is completing his internship with Walker Farms Inc. Like many Agricultural Systems Management majors, he chose to work with a commodity farm. While he does operate machinery and learn about agricultural logistics, there are a couple unique aspects to Andrew’s job that not many ASM interns get to experience.

One of Andrew’s passions both in and outside of work is drone piloting. His love for agriculture and photography pushed him to incorporate the hobby into his career this year. Andrew recently completed the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, which qualifies him to be able to operate on the farm. He is currently working towards the next certification for drone application of chemicals, which he stated was for “…pretty much crop dusting, but with drones.”

Another unique aspect to Andrew’s internship, and a large part of his personal brand, is his YouTube channel called OhioAgVideos. Part blog, part videography page, Andrew displays his drone photography skills through independent projects and collaborations. He also manages a Discord, Instagram, and TikTok page linked to the OhioAgVideos campaign. His experience with drone photography and videography is what ultimately inspired him to transfer his skills into the workplace.

When asked what advice he had for incoming students, Andrew said: “If given an opportunity to do something that could be big for your future, don’t wait, go for it!”