Cultivating Opportunities. Shaping Influence.
Cultivate Advisory offers a distinctive approach to government relations, blending trusted relationships, rigorous analysis, and strategic communications to deliver tailored solutions that produce measurable results.
Whether you're building relationships, optimizing your business, managing stakeholders, or influencing an audience, Cultivate Advisory brings the expertise, precision, and responsiveness that turns challenges into opportunities.
We don't just advise — we deliver.
cult·i·vate
To prepare and work (land) for the raising of crops; to till and enrich soil to promote agricultural growth.
To foster the growth or development of; to nurture, encourage, or refine.
To seek or cultivate the company of; to make friends with or deliberately develop social relations.
Work with cultivate
Government Relations
Navigating Washington, D.C. can be challenging. Build purposeful relationships with policymakers that create concrete opportunities to advance your goals.
Political Strategy
Policy and politics are complex and rapidly evolving. Develop a strategic, results-driven plan tailored to your business that leverages political opportunities and anticipates future changes.
Public Relations
Your goal is better supported when it is understood. Ensure that you are influencing a targeted audience while also protecting your reputation.
From field to final product
Cultivate crafts bespoke strategies that combine on-the-ground insights, rigorous analysis, and targeted advocacy to drive measurable policy results.
About Cultivate
Kelsey Barnes
Founder and Principal
Kelsey is a policy professional with more than a decade of experience advancing agriculture, energy, national security, and rural development initiatives in Washington, D.C. Her work focuses on enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of American agriculture while improving the livelihoods of rural communities.
As a Senior Advisor to Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke L. Rollins, Kelsey developed and authored major policy frameworks, including the National Farm Security Action Plan, the Rural Veterinary Action Plan, and the Great American Cotton Plan. Previously, Kelsey also served Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, within the Office of Congressional Relations and Rural Business-Cooperative Services. As a former advisor to Ambassador Kip Tom, Kelsey elevated the farmers perspective to influence political affairs.
A Tennessee native, Kelsey was raised on a diversified row-crop and cattle operation in the Crystal Community. She served in the Army National Guard and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Mississippi State University. While completing graduate studies at Texas A&M University, she spent a year in Ghana as an agriculture advisor through AgriCorps, an experience that informed her interest in agricultural development and policy.
Kelsey’s professional background spans public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She has worked for agricultural companies, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, two presidential administrations, and has frequently engaged with Congress on behalf of agricultural stakeholders. These experiences position her to deliver strategic counsel to clients working at the nexus of agriculture, energy, and rural policy.