Advocate, educate and serve. These are the three pillars of Kansas Farm Bureau. I was able to intern with Kansas Farm Bureau for the past two years as a Communications Intern, actively engaging in all three pillars. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences serving the state’s largest farm organization.
With headquarters in Manhattan, Kansas Farm Bureau serves over 90,000 members across the state, representing their interests on the state and national level. Although the majority of our work focuses on farmers and ranchers, the organization also focuses on rural life and member services. Because of the breadth of KFB’s activities, the communications division has to work with each area to correctly communicate their goals and mission.
As a KFB intern, I have been able to work on a variety of projects in many different communications outlets, such as writing, graphic design, radio and more. My favorite projects include those I was able to accomplish for county Farm Bureau organizations. Because each Kansas county has a Farm Bureau organization, many will need communication projects for their events and programs. They are able to submit requests to the state organization, and I am able to provide them with needed materials.
It is great as an intern to see your materials being used in real world situations. I was able to see works be used at the Kansas State Fair, at the Kansas Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and even at local county fairs through county Farm Bureau programs. Kansas Farm Bureau also has done an excellent job of making interns feel a part of the company culture and providing educational opportunities with agriculturists, as well as service opportunities, like packaging over 10,000 meals for food banks across Kansas.
Kansas Farm Bureau searches for interns who are available for multiple years and can grow in their skills during their time interning with the organization. KFB accepts interns during the school year as well as the summer. If advocating for agriculture, educating consumers about food or serving the state’s largest farm organization sounds interesting to you, I would recommend searching for opportunities at Kansas Farm Bureau (and even if you can’t intern, be sure to join Kansas Farm Bureau for all of the great benefits!).