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Agricultural Communication & Journalism Internships

Category: Communications

Kansas 4-H Foundation Intern- Janae McKinney

Posted on October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 by kmtully

As a freshman it was a bit of a struggle to find an internship which was welcoming and inviting to underclassmen. However, I found my perfect fit at the Kansas 4-H Foundation where I worked with two other interns, Mikey Hughes and Ben Yarnell. I started in April, where I tried to help complete as many projects as possible before I left on my Italy study abroad trip. In May, I would be gone in the thick of the foundation’s event planning. Luckily my trip finished just two days before the first event I helped with, the 4-H Emerald Circle Banquet.

I had attendee the banquet before but I had never seen the ins-and-outs of the operation. After helping with both the banquet and Friends of 4-H Day, I discovered my passion for event planning which has led me to dual-major in Hospitality Management and Agricultural Communications.

Throughout the summer I was able to work well with different mentors in various areas of the foundation. I started with events, completed writing and press releases, made donor contacts and finished the summer with a well-rounded experience. I loved getting to dabble in multiple areas of communication and work with a team. Coming to work and catching up with everyone in the office was always fun.

I would highly recommend this internship to anyone interested in communications, agricultural or otherwise. This internship would also work well for a person with a background in 4-H since I worked with 4-H projects and donors all summer. For a first-time interning opportunity, I loved getting to see how a great team works together and communicates effectively. It created a high standard of a working environment for me to work in one day.

My Summer Working for Monsanto- Danielle Comstock

Posted on October 16, 2017 by kmtully

Oh, the sweet silence of the office at 7 a.m. This is my favorite time at work because it is the time that I leisurely check my email, sip on my coffee, and mentally prepare what I need to accomplish for the day. However, today I am reflecting on my summer at Monsanto because today is my last day.

I first heard about this opportunity when my little, Kaylyn, sent me a screenshot of the job posting. “Corporate Employee Communications Intern,” it said. I’m not going to lie, my heart dropped a little when I read the job description and found out that the internship was doing internal communications. I said “Thanks, but no thanks,” and moved on with the job search. But something kept tugging at me to give it a second thought. Internal communications was something I’d never considered, but it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself and grow professionally.

I opened my laptop and applied. Weeks later, Dierdra Yates, my future manager, offered me the job. She gave me three days to accept, but me, being the eager student I am, asked if I could accept the job right then. After Dierdra said “of course” she gave me all the specifics of the job. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t listening. I was already out the door and walking to go tell my best friend the good news when she got out of class.

I began the internship on May 15, where most of the interns gathered in a room for our orientation. There, I met some really cool people. Monsanto hired interns from many different backgrounds. Some who came from farms, and some who didn’t know the difference between a corn plant and a soybean plant. There were interns from all over the globe, and interns who I consider to be way smarter than me. There were science and research interns, finance interns, even legal interns. And then there was me, one of the communications interns.

At orientation, University Relations encouraged us to begin networking right away. One of my favorite things about Monsanto is that no one is too good to talk to you. I met with several people from all over the company. It didn’t matter to them that I was only an intern. Everyone was willing to share their knowledge and experience with me. Whether they gave me an hour or 15 minutes, they took time out of their schedule to learn about my career goals and offer their insight.

During my internship, my two main responsibilities were to manage the weekly St. Louis Scoop newsletter that went out to the 4,000+ employees in St. Louis, and help with planning and promoting for the company Ambassador program.

The Ambassador program trains employees to have meaningful and informed conversations about Monsanto and modern agriculture. Working with the Ambassador program was a great experience because, if you haven’t heard, Bayer is in the process of acquiring Monsanto. A lot of employees were asking the question “Why do we need to talk to people about Monsanto if Monsanto isn’t going to be a thing anymore?” The thing is, agriculture is going through a lot of changes right now, and the Bayer deal is just one of them. It was my team’s job to show ambassadors why we needed them now more than ever.

My main project with the program was to create and implement a campaign to recruit employees to the program. My team also just created a survey for members to fill out that would help them personalize the program to each individual ambassador, which I also promoted. With this project, I learned how to create a campaign using goals, strategies, and tactics.

Kristen, the person I worked most closely with on the team, challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone while we were running the campaign. When we were promoting at the Chesterfield campus, we were having a hard time getting people to stop at our booth. Kristen made me leave the booth, *gasp* and go talk to people while they were eating lunch. *bigger gasp* I felt terribly awkward the entire time but it worked! After employees finished their lunch, they came to our booth.

We didn’t meet all our goals for the project, but that is another thing I learned. It’s okay to not meet every goal you set. When you don’t meet a goal, it gives you an opportunity to learn from it and try again with new strategies. I have struggled with this personally my whole life. It becomes easy to feel less of yourself and grow weary when you fail. But the path to success isn’t all green arrows. As our CEO, Hugh Grant, might say, red arrows are okay sometimes. They motivate us to improve.

Monsanto evaluates all employees on five core competencies: Relationships and Networks, Courage and Candor, Agility, Initiative and Foresight, and Results Orientation. Three times this summer, we were asked to evaluate ourselves on these competencies. At the beginning, where we identified which ones were our weaknesses and strengths; halfway through, where we reflected on how we had progressed on each one; and last week, our final evaluation of how we had grown in each competency. While Dierdra and Kristen told me that I possessed courage and candor on my first day, I know differently.

When UR told us that we would be evaluated on these, I knew my weakest one would be courage and candor. I often am self-conscious and afraid to share my ideas. So, during orientation, I made it my goal to be courageous and confident this summer. At the beginning, it was definitely me putting on a lion’s mask and pretending with all that I had. However, now, I feel confident and courageous. This is where I grew the most this summer and I can’t wait to carry it with me in my future.

In closing, Monsanto has been an amazing company to work for. Not only because I am passionate about everything the company stands for, but also because the people here are amazing. They are all caring, whole-hearted, passionate people who work diligently to pursue agricultural innovation and each person knows the value of investing in people. I am so grateful for the people who chose to invest in me this summer. I would recommend this internship to anyone, and you can apply for this internship and many more here when they start recruiting!

With that, I’m off to my last newsroom meeting. *sobs quietly*

Kansas Wheat Commissions – Hannah Schlapp

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Courtney Boman

Since October of 2016, I have had the pleasure of working at the Kansas Wheat Commissions office as a communications intern. Working at the wheat office has given me a completely different perspective on the wheat industry, and for the better. Coming from northern Illinois, wheat is not something we typically see, so even though I was the communications intern, I have learned a manifold of information about wheat and the industry surrounding it.

Kansas Wheat’s main goal is to produce profitable innovations in wheat. They are in a cooperative agreement with Kansas Association of Wheat Growers to help fund research projects to get new wheat technology to the producer’s hands more quickly.

Since working here, I have had the opportunity to write articles, help design monthly magazines in InDesign and design ads. I also had the opportunity to help with the National Festival of Bread competition by interviewing all competition finalists and writing a bio.

Working for Kansas Wheat has been a huge benefit to me in terms of knowledge and growth. I have learned so many things about the communications side of a business, that there are multiple different types of wheat (because I really had no idea), and I have even had some of my articles get published in the High Plains Journal and other sites.

Since I had recently switched my major, I had very little experience with most things in communications and journalism going into my internship. While interning I have grown my writing skills and design skills, including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.

The Kansas Wheat Commission is an internship I would suggest to anyone who is looking for a communications job. Between the great people who work there, a snack table with goodies, and the work required, you are able to learn so much and have fun at the same time.

Department of Agricultural Economics – Jamie Morrissey

Posted on April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 by Courtney Boman

When I came back from my semester abroad in the spring of 2016, I was looking for an on-campus job that would help further my career and give me the experience I was looking for. A friend of mine told me the communications coordinator in Kansas State University’s Department of Agricultural Economics was looking for a student and that I should send him my resume. I did, had an interview and got hired on the spot.

Even though I was in college, I never considered working in communications in academia. Working in this capacity in academia can be very comparable to working in an agency but not all departments are like this.

The ag econ department is quite large compared to Communications and Agricultural Education, not only in faculty size but in the number and size of business units as well. The research that goes on in the ag econ department is interesting and diverse and the business units range from risk management to local government.

I compare working for the department to working for an agency because there are multiple points of contact throughout the department and we must work with the various programs and business units to create the content they want and the content that fits with our branding.

When I first started, I did not know how big the department was. One of our biggest challenges was figuring out how we would manage all the different aspect of the department under one umbrella and one message. This is something that my boss and I are continuously working on a year and a half later.

My primary responsibilities include social media management, website management, design and writing. I have also gotten to learn quite a bit about how to edit videos in Premier and After Effects.

Throughout my time with the ag econ department, I have been able to take what I learned in the classroom and apply it to really world situations. I have built so much on top of the excellent foundation I got in the ACJ program and I will be able to apply these experiences to what every profession I end up in after graduation.

Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement – Anissa Zagonel

Posted on January 3, 2017January 3, 2017 by Courtney Boman

At the end of May when I pictured my summer internship working for the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement, I never imagined the variety of experiences I would end up with.

To begin, I should explain the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement. Drum roll please!

The Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement is an organization dedicated to generating research-based knowledge related to new-media technologies and rural enterprises. As I like to put it, we strive to make life easier for rural businesses by researching, teaching and analyzing new-media and its methods.

I began my communications intern position with the Center starting in June and currently still work for them. During the summer, I worked via distance, and I visited Manhattan several times during the summer to attend team meetings and participate in brainstorming activities. Since I worked from home this summer, I don’t have many pictures to share besides the ones I’ve taken this semester. Enjoy these funny gifs and photos instead.

“Don’t let this picture fool you. I cleaned my desk for this picture. Usually it’s cluttered with coffee mugs.”

Starting out, my duties included scheduling social media content to our Facebook page and writing blog posts. Quickly that spiraled into more responsibilities, which is something I am very grateful for. In my position now, I handle our Facebook page, where I create a social media calendar for the month and schedule content. Within this task, I get to test and analyze different post times and conduct A/B split testing for successful posts.

Another one of my biggest time commitments is blogging. (You’d think I would’ve been quicker and better at this blog since I’ve been doing it for six months now… Nope!) For my blogging duty, our team would create a blogging calendar of ideas to write about. It was then my job to research and carry out the post. This could consist of researching on my own or conducting an interview. We write about new technologies, how-to’s, advice, spotlight stories, etc. Producing blog posts has been a great outlet for honing my writing skills, while also keeping the creative juices flowing.

via GIPHY

Most recently, my responsibilities have encompassed some aspects of event planning. We have been bustin’ tail this summer and semester to host a New-Media Marketing Bootcamp. For this event, I’ve worked with a team to create a logo and conference pamphlets, find a consistent brand theme, contact companies for partnerships, develop sessions, reach out to potential attendees, teach sessions (eek!) and market the conference on social media. This undertaking has given me such an insight to event planning elements I never would have thought about if it weren’t for this position.

Looking back on this internship, my favorite part of the internship was adding my own flair to my work. As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoy incorporating memes/gifs/pictures/personality to the content I publish. It’s been incredible to work for an organization that allows your imaginative spirits to flow. I don’t think there was a “least favorite” part of my internship for me. Although working from home greatly improved my communication skills and online task management with others, I would’ve enjoyed working in an office with people. As much as I treasured working from home, I’ve realized there are always people to meet and connections to make. Since I’ve been back in school, I’ve been working in the main office, and it’s been such a privilege to get to know everyone. I only wish I could’ve done it sooner.

This is the part where I tell you my dream job and want I want to do when I grow up. Well, I’m here to say, I don’t have that answer quite yet. What I do know is that all of these skills and resources I’ve become proficient in are highly versatile and will be useful in any communications position I find myself in. Through this internship, I’ve discovered traits about myself and learned about tasks I find a little less enjoyable than others. All these concepts will help me in my future job-hunting endeavor.

Since the Center is fairly new, I have been the first student intern they have hired. I previously worked as a student researcher for Dr. Lauri Baker, and I was lucky enough to obtain this position through her since she was one of the founders of the Center.

If you’re an agricultural communications and journalism student looking for a multitude of opportunities to experience and add to your resume, this is the position for you. There is so much room for personal growth and to grow the Center’s following. It’s exciting to be the driving force of an up-and-coming organization. Side note: If you’re at all interested in new-media marketing (which all communicators should be!), you should go ahead and give our Facebook page a like. Ready to apply yet? Interested applicants can contact Courtney Boman, Interim Manager, at cdboman@ksu.edu or myself at anissazagonel@gmail.com. I may even let you write a blog post… or two.

Kansas PRIDE- Madison Blevins

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Courtney Boman

I worked for a non-profit organization known as Kansas PRIDE, which is located on K-State’s campus. This organization strives to promote an enhanced quality of life for citizens of Kansas communities through education, leadership development and recognition. My responsibilities included daily tasks such as answering phones, customer service, attending meetings and other jobs.

My responsibilities included daily tasks such as answering phones, customer service, attending meetings and other jobs. My main responsibility, however, was to use my major of Agricultural Communications and Journalism to write press releases, create documents and write newsletters.

My most exciting moment while working with Kansas PRIDE was when I got my first article published in the High Plains Journal. I was able to build a great portfolio by working with this organization and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a friendly environment and utilizing their writing skills.

9 things you learn as a KWO intern – Amanda Sales

Posted on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 by Courtney Boman

After three years and three summer internships, here I am entering my final year as a K-State student. It’s a crazy thought! To sum up my most recent intern experience at the Kansas Water Office (KWO) in Topeka, I created a list of 9 takeaways from my time there.

9. You will inevitably have to explain what the Kansas Water Office is.

The KWO office gets myriad calls per day from people seeking the City of Topeka’s Water Office. Our receptionist is a pro at fielding these calls and directing the callers to the right place.

Example: Saying “I work for the Kansas Water Office” is usually followed by a load of questions. We’re the state’s water planning, policy coordination, and marketing entity. Imagine that we are an umbrella over the Kansas Department of Agriculture-Division of Water Resources and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s water bureau.

8. People will be people.

One of the most undervalued skills, in my opinion, is people relations. I learned a lot about people and personalities at KWO. In a realm where situations fringe around politics, you see many types of people.

7. Some people are really passionate about water.

I’m one of them now. I cringe when I see inefficient irrigation systems and I’m thankful for the conservation technology and research of this technology that KWO is funding to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer rather than deplete it. One major event over the summer was a field day for one of KWO’s three Water Technology Farms. The event showcased a combination of soil moisture sensors and mobile drip irrigation to help dictate when to start irrigating, when to stop, and most importantly, if it is even necessary at all. On the flip side of irrigating, it also frustrates me to see lawns being watered after a rainfall event. Save your water, people!

6. Working for the government is exactly what you would expect.

KWO interns are lucky to be paid, for one, as I know many state intern counterparts who are not. There’s also the importance of watching what you say and picking which political debates are safe to join. Usually it is better to stay neutral while in the public eye, because your actions represent the state government as a whole.

5. Being an intern for the state can lead to cool adventures.

KWO interns are allowed the opportunity to participate in the Governor’s Intern Program, which consists of six professional development sessions with fellow state interns. We covered the basic professional development topics like resumes, politic-related careers as a young professional, interviews, and how to act like an adult. We also participated in a lot of fun activities. For example, Wildlife, Parks and Tourism hosted us for a fun day at the Shawnee State Fishing Lake. The day included wingshooting, archery, kayaking and fishing. When was the last time you fished during a work day? KDA also led an agriculture-related tour to exhibit the facets of our state’s economic driver. In addition to these fun field days, we visited Cedar Crest and were presented networking opportunities.

4. There are still Kansans that believe water conservation is not their concern.

These people are quite the opposite of the water-passionate people discussed in number seven. It’s too bad there are still individuals unwilling to re-evaluate their water consumption because fear of risk outweighs the prospect of having water for future generations. Did you know that the Ogallala Aquifer, at current depletion rates, will be 70% depleted by 2064?

3. The optimal size for a Facebook graphic is a 470×470 pixel square.

This is the height/width size that appears on timelines. A major portion of my role at KWO included developing social media graphics, so I used this size standard to dictate my setup for creating the graphics we shared. In addition, I really enhanced my Adobe Illustrator skills when it came time to create engaging infographics that were worth sharing or retweeting. My advice for any students with interest in design—grab an easily portable notebook and every time you learn a new tool, technique or shortcut, write it down so you’ll easily know how to do it for future applications. I have one of these books and it helps immensely to speed up the design process.

2. Talking on the phone never gets easier.

No matter how much intern/job experience I have had, talking on the phone still gets me. There was one afternoon during the summer I was in charge of answering the phone while several staff members were in a meeting. Ironically, the first call was a person asking for the City of Topeka Water Office (see number nine). Soon after, a gentleman called asking for one of my co-workers. After accidentally hanging up on him twice, I finally figured out the correct way to transfer the call (#internfail). I suppose I am doing all right, though, if the hardest task of the summer was figuring out the phone system.

1. Real-life journalism isn’t like what they teach you in school.

Another part of my intern role included assisting with press releases. I came to discover that writing releases doesn’t always follow the clear cut rules taught at college. Call the source and ask for a quote? Writing something he/she would say and running it by them is perfectly acceptable. Write according to inverted pyramid style? Sometimes the person of most stature actually gets the first mention and quote block regardless. And like many places, gubernatorial entities follow their own style when it comes to writing. There were a few examples over the summer that in some way contradicted what professors taught me.

KWO was great to me and I now have the opportunity to extend my full-time summer internship into a part-time work-from-home job during the fall semester.

Overall, I recommend this internship to someone with an interest in politics, or someone looking to expand his or her knowledge of our state’s resources. Water is actually fascinating, and I encourage you to pay closer attention to it.

Mid Kansas Cooperative – Braidyn Rucker

Posted on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 by Courtney Boman

Merriam-Webster defines the word Co-op as, a business or organization that is owned and operated by the people who work there or the people who use its services. I jumped into the true meaning of being part of the cooperative system this summer.

This was my third summer working for Mid Kansas Cooperative (MKC), but my first in the internship program. Based out of the Haven, Kansas location I spent most of my time under the direction of many leaders within one of the most progressive cooperative not only in the state but in the nation as well.

Going into the internship, I thought I knew exactly what to expect. The keyword here was thought. Throughout the summer I was pushed to think outside the box and to go beyond my comfort zone. I was introduced to areas within agriculture I never dreamed of entering and now never want to leave.

Coming from an animal science background, I was nervous about spending time in agronomy. Having had very little experience working with crops and chemicals before, I was forced to ask questions, and communicate with my mentors often to make sure that the tasks were getting done correctly and in a timely manner.

I started out nervous, not knowing much about the basics within the area of agriculture in which I had been placed. I was however blessed to have mentors and leaders in the agronomy and agricultural industry who were patient, took the time to teach, and explained their knowledge and experiences to help me have an overall better understanding.

As I hit the midway mark of my internship, I continued on the agronomy path and strived to achieve as much information about crop production, the products that helped increase growth and yield, along with the skills needed to make the growing season successful. Along with these duties, I was honored with the opportunity to connect with other producers and employees within MKC and share my experiences through the company’s social media page.

Along with gaining a broader knowledge in agronomy, I increased my customer service skill set and worked in collaboration with the Groveland MKC intern Cody Seiler on a customer service survey.

This project was the base of the whole summer and was created by the two of us and presented to the CEO, the board of directors, and managers. This survey brought many trials but allowed us to interview many influential producers all over the south central and southern region of Kansas.

Although the project was challenging, we were able to bring information to the producer about the progressiveness of our cooperative system, while receiving feedback to bring back to the leaders that run the company. Across the board, producers were excited to talk us, and about the cooperative system in which they trusted and used so often for their agricultural services.

I am so incredibly thankful to have been a part of the MKC intern program. It was wonderful to be a part of a company that takes such pride in taking care of their employees and ensures that each one is allowed the numerous opportunities, each day to grow in knowledge and be to be successful.

As I look forward to the future I am excited for the opportunities that a career in the cooperative system could bring. Working with producers in this great state is something I live for, a hope to continue to do after graduation. Overall, I was blessed for the internship in which I had this summer, the company I worked for and the individuals in which I met along the way, and for that, I will be forever thankful.

United Braford Breeders – Kaitlyn Alanis

Posted on October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 by Courtney Boman

Just as all responsible agricultural communication students should do, I began searching for the perfect internship just as my sophomore year had begun. I was committed to my internship by early March, my housing arrangements were finalized by April and I had an internship start day of mid-June. Everything was going according to plan, or so I thought.

Since I had a few weeks before my internship officially started, I decided I would go back home to California and visit family. As fate would have it, I broke my ankle a mere two hours before getting to the airport, and my first stop home was the beloved emergency room.

This put quite the wrench in my summer plans, and due to not being able to drive, I was no longer eligible for my internship that I was counting down the days for.

I am sure you can imagine the stress I was in trying to find a new internship that typically takes months to find.

I turned to my trusty friend, Facebook, for some help. After posting my situation to two professional agriculture groups on Facebook, I received over 15 messages from different organizations willing to help me out. This was a solid reminder on just how grateful I am for the agriculture community; there is always someone willing to lend a helping hand.

I ended up interning with United Braford Breeders (UBB) as a remote communications intern under the direction of UBB Executive Director, Hannah Wine. I could not be more grateful for how my summer internship went, even under what had originally seemed as unfortunate circumstances.

My internship consisted of writing news and feature stories for the UBB magazine, Braford News, designing advertisements and tradeshow materials, creating a media kit and developing content and design elements for promotional and marketing materials.

Since this was a remote internship, I was worried I may lose out on the valuable feedback and critiques that come from working in a professional office setting. However, this could not have been less true, and I would strongly recommend this internship to anyone. This was actually UBB’s first try at hosting a communications intern, and it went so well they will be continuing the internship program this fall.

Working for Hannah was a true pleasure, and I learned more than I could have ever hoped for. While building a work portfolio I learned about developing feature stories, designing advertisements and structuring newsletters to the way people read best.

If I had to pick the most valuable piece of information I learned this summer, it would be to be flexible. Be flexible when you break an ankle, be flexible when you don’t get your dream internship, be flexible when the editors don’t like the format of your first design piece; just be flexible. It all happens for a reason, you just have to learn from it.

I would have never thought working remotely would turn into what I now call a perfect summer internship. As luck would have it, I am almost grateful to have broken my ankle because without it I would not have had the opportunity to work for United Braford Breeders this summer.

Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom – Jena Ernsting

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

Agriculture and children, a combination I never imagined myself being so invested in. Since starting work at the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC) in September 2014, I have grown even more invested in implementing agriculture in the classroom. I was notified of this job position through K-State Career and Employment Services.

KFAC is a non-profit with a mission of “Connecting classrooms to Kansas agriculture.” KFAC provides materials and lesson plans to Kansas teachers, as well as providing educational institutes and credit opportunities for Kansas teachers.

My official job title is correspondence and database manager; however, as I grew to know my position my responsibilities and duties grew with me. What started as imputing donations into the donor database developed into helping create and develop donation campaigns.

From there I was recruited to develop and design brochures, graphics, posters and additional materials. My writing skills were put to use with writing some news releases and a feature article on a Kansas teacher who was using agriculture in their classroom.

I was also recruited to be the face of KFAC during an AGam in Kansas segment focusing on a Kansas teacher that was integrating agriculture in her classroom exceptionally.

Throughout my year and a half at KFAC I realized that accidents happen and mistakes are made. The most important part of any written piece is to check it over and then check it over again. I have also learned that it’s okay to not know how to do something and the time taken to learn something new is valuable in itself.

I have been lucky enough to see where KFAC has been and where it is going. This job has helped me grow into a more professional and allowed me to see how a non-profit works.

Each year KFAC hosts a bookmark art competition for kindergarten to sixth grade students. I love seeing the creativity of the students and gaining an understanding of how young people see agriculture in their everyday lives. This position also allows me to work from my personal computer on design projects, which provides me the opportunity to help create my own schedule.

On the opposite side of things, I have found that although I have found a niche for writing letters asking people for money, that side of a non-profit is not necessarily my favorite.

I believe this internship has provided me a variety of experiences that are applicable in whatever area of communications I end up in. Understanding how to communicate and help distribute information to stakeholders will be valuable wherever I end up.

Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Applied Wheat Genomics – Malerie Strahm

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

Have you ever heard of an on-campus job turned internship? When I took a part-time job with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Applied Wheat Genomics in January 2015, I never would have believed how far it would bring me. What started out as doing odd communications jobs here and there for the lab turned into bigger jobs and some of the best experiences I’ve had so far!

The Innovation Lab for Applied Wheat Genomics is one of four Feed the Future labs housed here at K-State. I was hired to bring a communications aspect to the group and develop social media like some of the other labs had done already. Then, when I talked to my supervisor and academic advisor about doing a full-time internship over the summer, they said ‘Why not?’

Unique is one way to describe my experience. Unlike most internships, it felt more like an entry-level job rather than an internship, as I didn’t have much professional guidance at first. I feel like that really gave me an opportunity to grow by making me reach out beyond the office and figure things out for myself. It was also unique because I was able to work part-time for the new Wheat Genetics Resource Center Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (WGRCI/UCRC). Both Organizations share information and overlap with much of their research.

My main responsibilities for the Innovation Lab included writing press releases, developing print materials and posters, filming a short overview video, maintaining the two lab websites, and developing social media (Facebook and Twitter). For the WGRCI/UCRC I developed and implemented a new logo and color scheme for the organization and designed a poster and flyer to use at events. I also developed a new website using the K-State web server that was easier on the eyes and to navigate.

Seeing the work I’ve done go to places like Washington, DC and receiving emails that my work has been in the hands of people like senator Jerry Moran has definitely been a rewarding and a favorite part of my internship. Although not having a supervisor well versed in the world of communications was at times a challenge, I know that the experience I gained was valuable.

Much of my work in this internship was design-based because I was given jobs according to my skills and I was able to grow those skills. My future plans include a possible job opportunity connected to this internship that would give me even more experience in graphic design.

As you can see, this internship was a special case but the lab is hiring a new intern for the summer and would like that intern to continue in the fall. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in general communications because you will do a little bit of everything! You can also tailor it to meet your skill set and interest. To apply, email our program coordinator Haley Ahlers at halhlers@ksu.edu.

Kansas Wheat – Audrey Schmitz

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

Once a Wheatie, always a Wheatie! Who wouldn’t love to work in an office that smelled like fresh baked bread every day or a snack cubicle that is always stocked with donuts?

My summer internship at Kansas Wheat was definitely one for the books. I never imagined I would learn as much as I did or gain the experiences or mentors I had. The office environment at Kansas Wheat was so welcoming and entertaining with a fun side of pranks and inside jokes.

As the communications intern for Kansas Wheat I spent the past 11 months managing and designing the Rediscover Wheat monthly magazine. My duties included writing feature stories about wheat producers and bakers, press releases about events and new hires, and reports on policy, wheat diseases and harvest.

I assisted with e-newsletters using ConstantContact, uploading news content to the Kansas Wheat and National Festival of Breads websites and recording radio spots. I collaborated with co-workers in planning the 2015 National Festival of Breads and the Kansas Wheat Alliance summer meeting and created promotional banners, signs, and programs for the events.

The biggest skill I learned as their intern was how to navigate InDesign and Illustrator by using the programs daily. Equally, I learned more about writing feature stories and personality profiles. Email marketing, Adobe audio and iMovie were also a few new skills I tried out.

Through my many activities at Kansas Wheat I have grown as a writer, designer and overall communicator. I believe that my experience in this internship will allow me to bring many valuable skills to future assignments, internships and jobs. I am eager to continue using my abilities to contribute communications team.

My biggest area of growth that I realized about myself was my ability to work independently with minimal supervision. I also recognized my ability to communicate effectively with my employer by listening and relaying accurate information in my work and what they envisioned.

The reason why my mentors were so great at Kansas Wheat was because they would ask me if there was anything I felt I hadn’t learned or done yet that they could teach me. I truly felt like I could ask them anything no matter how small the question or if I didn’t know how to do something.

I heard about this internship via an email that my advisor Dr. Ellis sent out over the listserve. I knew Nicole Lane had interned there previously and I really looked up too her as a role model because she had a wealth of knowledge and organization. I figured she had gained those skills from her Kansas Wheat internship.

I worked from right after spring break till the end of February the following year. Because I loved my internship so much after working there over the summer I decided to stay and continue working there throughout the semester part time. Because I was learning so many applicable communications skills while working there and I missed the people I was working with I stayed.

I would recommend this internship to anyone. There are so many skills to learn here and great people to work with. I would especially recommend it to those who want to write about crops and wheat or are also minoring in Agronomy. To apply the application comes out during the spring semesters before spring break. If you have questions about the internship contact Marsha Boswell at mboswell@kswheat.com.

IGP Institute – Kylie Blythe

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

This summer I interned at IGP Institute as the distance education intern. I was located in Manhattan, Kansas so I was able to stay in Manhattan for the summer. I started this internship in May and ended it in August.

My roommate, Kelly Hannigan, had also interned at IGP Institute the previous summer and told me that they had an opening for this summer. I was able to contact my boss through email and had an interview the next day. The application process was pretty easy.

I was very excited to learn that I was going to have this internship for the summer. I worked for Brandi Miller, the distance education coordinator at IGP. My duties included organizing courses in Canvas online, organizing courses in K-State Pro, editing lecture videos using Camtasia and occasionally writing press releases.

One of the bigger projects that I got to work on throughout the summer was creating demonstration videos for a cereal science course. I got to work with Debi Rogers at AIB to renovate the grain science course that she taught. I worked with Debi to organize the order of the demonstration videos and plan the times to film, and then I was able to operate the video camera and record Debi while she narrated the demonstrations. After they were all filmed I used Final Cut Pro to edit the audio and lighting of the videos as well as adding in titles. There were a total of 24 videos.

Another big project I did was to take all the distance education course content and switch it from K-State Pro learning management system to Canvas learning management system. There were a total of 26 courses that I downloaded all the content for and reorganized into Canvas. I also had to create quizzes and message boards in Canvas so I got very familiar with how this learning management system works. I also used Mediasite to upload lecture videos for the courses.

IGP Institute was also invited by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service to conduct a grain and oilseed industry overview seminar. I was able to travel to Washington, D.C. with Jay O’Neil and assisted him with his presentation preparation and took photographs of the seminar. I was also able to meet with several different companies while I was there. I got to sit down and chat with their communications department and learn about their roles as communicators in the agriculture industry. It was a great insight into the communications side of agriculture, and a great networking opportunity for me. I was also in charge of writing the press release that covered the seminar in Washington, D.C.

Throughout the rest of the summer I was given a few miscellaneous projects that helped me build my experience. I got to work a little with InDesign and Photoshop as well.

This internship gave me several projects that I was able to add to my portfolio, as well as skills that I was able to add to my resume. I would recommend this internship to anyone looking to improve their communication skills and networking opportunities.

K-State Department of Plant Pathology – Lindsey Ashmore

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

Agriculture based communication was a great choice for me as an individual. I describe my career path as the endless possibilities career path. Generally students don’t go to college to graduate and still not know what they are going to do in life but, with the Agricultural Communications and Journalism degree in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University, you can do that with confidence!

For my summer internship, the responsibilities of my current job were increased and expanded. I am a student communications specialist under the supervision of James Stack PhD, at Kansas State University’s award winning Department of Plant Pathology.

The responsibilities are not concrete in this position, but they do accrue over time. Some examples are:

Social media management
Website building/management
Photography/Videography
International communication
Event planning
Journalism
Print creation
Lab work

When I started my internship this summer I had no idea what would further be instore for me. My very first day, I was thrown into a planning committee for a one-week international course to be held at the Biosecurity Research Institute Pat Roberts Hall at Kansas State University. The course would start in one week. It was my responsibility to catch up, and begin to contribute substantially. I was asked to create the attendee binders, be a chauffeur, tour guide, photographer, videographer, interviewer, communicator, hostess and more.

Post-global course, I was required to pool the material from the course and create a private website for attendees to visit and review. I was extremely proud to learn the cover of the attendee binder was showcased at a presentation given by the dean of the College of Agriculture.

Aside from the global course tasks, I was also required to keep up with the daily tasks. Before one of the lead researchers travelled to South America, I created social media business cards to help spread awareness about the wheat blast social media campaign. I then monitored the social media analytics compared to his location.

My supervisor and lab members travelled globally this summer leaving me with a good amount of alone time. It was spent planning and creating material for them to review and critique when they returned. I even created a surprise video for the lab group. Many of the videos I created were shown as the lab members travelled and even at the USDA headquarters!

This internship pushed me harder than any other communication position yet. I loved having the ability to step out of my communicator role at random times, and I loved being trusted to make things flow smooth. I was surrounded my amazing individuals with incredible passion for what they do. I learned about many cultures and how to interact with them. Most of all, I gained an experience worth looking back on and being proud!

American Angus Association – Sarah Harris

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

I interned this summer with the American Angus Association as the communications and public relations intern. The application process was very fast paced and I was not sure what to expect when I got to Saint Joseph for the first day.

The original deadline to apply for this internship was March 1, and though I had thought about applying I did not get an application turned in. Luckily, a few weeks after the deadline Dr. Ellis forwarded an email from Jena McRell at the American Angus Association looking for more applicants for the position. I jumped at the missed opportunity and sent in my resume, cover letter, and two writing samples on March 23. I was amazed to get a reply the next morning — then set up a phone interview for March 25. I traveled to the Association headquarters in Saint Joseph, Missouri for an interview on April 2.

A few days after the interview in Missouri I was offered the position and accepted. A few short weeks later, I packed up and headed to Saint Joseph for the summer. My internship lasted from May 18 to August 13, and was packed with a ton of experiences in a very short time.

Day one I was given a handful of assignments to start working on including putting together a media kit for the National Junior Angus Show, media releases to write and some design projects. It was almost overwhelming. I had never written a news release and I got lost looking for the office where I was conducting an interview; however, I did learn the layout of the Association building very quickly.

The American Angus Association was host to six interns this summer in different areas of focus — The Angus Journal, Angus Genetics Inc., events and activities, and Angus Media. I feel like I had one of the best experiences, as I was able to work in every area rather than just one. Going into the summer I was not sure what I wanted to do with my degree in when I graduate in December, but my experiences with the American Angus Association have given me a better direction.

My favorite part of the summer was by far working with the production team for The Angus Report. I got to experience everything from running the teleprompter to writing scripts for the show. It was very fulfilling to see videos that I had shot and interviews that I had cut be used for an actual television show.

Throughout the duration of my internship there was never a dull moment and the workload never slowed down, which made the summer fly by. The National Junior Angus Show in July was another one of my favorite parts of the experience. A majority of the work I had done in the summer was leading up to the show and it was inspiring to see everything come together. In addition to seeing my designs displayed around the show ring, barns and printed in the show book, I was able to get a years worth of experience in one week. While at the show in Tulsa, Okla., I gained experience with social media coverage, news releases on winners and events, video interviews to be used for The Angus Report television show, photography, and writing personal interest stories.

I would recommend this internship to everyone — especially those who are not sure of what path in communications they want to go down. This internship gives you experience in writing, design, photography, videography and social media management along with a chance to travel to shows, farms and ranches. I learned so much and cannot express how blessed I was to have this experience with the American Angus Association.

Kansas Department of Agriculture – Emily Writer

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

This past summer, following my junior year at K-State, I worked at the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) as a communications intern in Manhattan, Kansas.

KDA is a state agency that strives to serve farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses through its programs and divisions. Being on the communications team gave me the opportunity to develop my skills and expand my knowledge by working on a variety of projects.

When I started my internship, I had experience using the Adobe Creative Suite, some knowledge of how to write press releases, and no experience managing social media accounts for anyone but myself. Now that I have spent four months working for KDA, I am very comfortable using Adobe, can easily put together a press release, and I am still responsible for creating social media content.

The thing I respected most about being an intern is that from day one, my boss put trust in me and handed me responsibilities, including social media. While this definitely made me nervous, it forced me out of my comfort zone and became one of the most rewarding parts of my job. There’s nothing that beats the feeling of seeing your work shared because only you know the time and energy that went into creating it.

In addition to creating social media content, I also wrote press releases and designed handouts to be used by various programs. Like social media, these tasks allowed me to gain a lot of experience and helped me develop my skills even further.

Being an intern at KDA has been a great experience and I have learned so much, not only about agriculture and communicating, but also about myself. I’ve learned to trust in myself and my abilities, and I’ve learned that I am capable. Sure, I made mistakes, but I was able to learn from them, and that’s what’s important.

If you’re interested in working in a fun environment with people who are passionate about agriculture and will push you out of your comfort zone to help you become a better communicator, then you should consider applying to be an intern at KDA. Internships are available year round and KDA is a great place to work during both the summer and the school year as it is conveniently located close to campus.

The internship is offered through the Governor’s Office Internship Program, which you can learn more about here.

Kansas Soybean Association – Dana Schultz

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

As the summer after my sophomore year quickly approached, I realized my resume was seriously lacking in professional experiences. I needed a summer internship, but I was a little behind. Everyone else was already applying and interviewing for prospective positions. I scoured every website for potential summer internship. I found one on the Career Employment Services website in Topeka, Kansas for the Kansas Soybean Association and Commission. My family grows soybeans and I had a little bit of knowledge on commodity organizations. The post simply stated it was a summer internship with a variety of responsibilities and duties. During the interview, they decided I was the right fit for the position and we set a date for me to start.

One of my major projects was designing and collecting data for the Kansas Congressional Districts report. I used the United States Department of Agriculture’s website to gather statistics about agriculture. These statistics focused on quantity and dollar amounts of crops and livestock raised in the United States. The report was organized to show total production amounts in Kansas, total production amounts for Kansas counties, and where Kansas ranked among other states. The crops recognized were soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum and sunflowers, and the animal products included beef, pork, milk, wool, and honey. Once I had all the information, I designed graphics and illustrations to display this information. Once designed and thoroughly proofed, I presented the printed and electronic version to Kansas Senators and Representatives in Washington D.C. during the National Biodiesel Conference.

I was also in charge of planning the annual Corporate Tour. Each year, the Commission and Association board members travel to a different part of Kansas to tour local agriculture business and meet area members for a few days. During my internship, McPherson, Kansas, was the destination. I was in charge of contacting caterers, meeting venues, restaurants, businesses, and potential guests. I had to keep accurate records of all communication that took place and report all the options for everyone in the office to vote on. Once the itinerary was finalized, I designed and mailed invitations and personally contacted board members to gather a number of attendees. The trip included a tour of Lindsborg, Kansas, a tour of AgCo in Hesston, Kansas, a tour of McPherson’s oil refinery, a tour of PrairieLand Partners, a tour of the Hesston, Kansas lawn mower factory, a meeting at the McPherson Opera House, meals catered during lunch and dinners at local restaurants.

Among other smaller office duties, I created and mailed the annual Biodiesel Survey, traveled to farm shows to promote soy products, updated the membership data used in presentations, presented a soy products presentation to the Emerging Leaders Academy, and attended various conferences for soy products and biodiesel.

My internship started in May of 2014 and ended in August of 2014. This internship was a great opportunity to meet industry professionals, travel, boost communication skills and sharpen professional abilities. The people I worked with were great at finding the balance between a learning college student and a business professional. They were flexible with me and constantly pushed me to do my absolute best. I learned how to better connect my presentations and designs to the audience and to keep accurate records of communications while planning an event. This is a great internship for anyone who isn’t quite sure where they want to go in the industry. The supervisors easily tailor the internship to build your experience to fit your goals.

To apply for the Kansas Soybean Commission internship, visit http://kansassoybeans.org/forms/ or contact Kenlon Johannes at Johannes@kansassoybeans.org.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development – Jacob Pletcher

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

I interned with the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development May 18 through September 30, 2015. Luckily the USDA RD is very flexible with their Pathway Interns, so I had the opportunity to continue my internship during the first month and a half of school.

I learned about this internship through my wonderful mother who works on the business and industry side of USDA RD. The internship fit extremely well into what I wanted to do during the summer and it was geared mostly towards writing rather than design, which is what I was looking for. Another appealing part of the internship was the location: Topeka, Kansas. With the internship being located in Topeka, I was able to commute back and forth from my hometown with both of my parents, which was a blessing and a curse.

During the internship I was able to hone my writing skills with the help of a very understanding supervisor that was willing to give me thorough feedback. I did not know how to write a press release or how to send out a newsletter. However, with the help of my supervisor, I was able to learn and develop vital skills that a communicator needs.

A typical day at the office for me started around 7:30 a.m. where I would mostly write press releases, create inner office and statewide newsletters, design invitations for upcoming USDA workshops, and work on the Kansas USDA RD page. Office interaction was limited, but when the office was able to get together, we had a fun time. All four of the interns planned a social interaction event where we cooked food and played a life-size game of clue. This was a great way to interact with people in the office that I never had a chance to intermingle with.

My favorite part of my internship would definitely have to be the trips I made to grant/loan recipient sites to do success stories. All of the businesses or individuals that receive grants or loans were so grateful for the financing that they received and they opened their doors to pictures and my questions without hesitation. The personal interaction with these people made it easy to write about and highlight their operations.

I would recommend this internship to anyone who is wanting a communications experience that has more writing than design opportunities. I do not know if this internship will be available again next year. Since USDA RD is a federal agency, this internship heavily depends on the budget for the fiscal year. If you are curious about the availability of an internship with USDA RD, please contact Jessica Bowser at 785-271-2701 or Jessica.Bowser@ks.usda.gov.

Kansas Department of Agriculture – Dandi Thomas

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

This summer I interned at the Kansas Department of Agriculture as a Communications Intern. I was located in Manhattan, Kansas in the Manhattan office, which allowed me to stay in Manhattan for the summer. I started my internship at the beginning of May and am still holding the position.

I learned about this internship through the agricultural communications and journalism listserv and applied through the Governor’s Internship Program at the beginning of May. I applied for the summer internship, but they also have fall and spring internships as well.

Through college I had the opportunity to have several jobs, each one more pertinent to my major than the next. When I applied for this internship, I felt like it could suit me extremely well and get me moving in the direction I wanted to with my career and resume, more so than the campus jobs I had had in the past.

My internship was directly under Megan Macy, the Director of PR for the agency. My duties included graphic design, website design, social media management and content creation, as well as other communication duties.

In the beginning, I was assigned various projects for other departments at KDA and was told to work with their department heads. This proved to be very challenging for me. Though updating the documents and creating their web pages was fairly easy, teaching and helping the other departments about what communications does was very difficult. I found myself having to explain things many times and had to redo several pages because the communication between the department and myself was clouded and unclear. This first few weeks of my internship taught me a very useful lesson about working with people outside of communications, and how to help them create their vision even if they don’t know how to communicate what they want at first. This lesson will forever stay in my mind, helping me be more dynamic in the workplace.

Through the rest of my internship, I was given a few projects but was given the reins to make those projects what I wanted them to be. My passion is graphic design, so most of my projects were focused around becoming a better designer and creating pieces that can be transformed into other multi-media designs.

Another great experience I was able to have with KDA was the gathering of marketing materials for other departments. I was able to set up appointments with animal breeders and shelters across the state, and travel with Megan to take photographs of animals and facilities. This was a good experience to help me strengthen my photography skills and work with others while shooting photos.

To this date, I have created and worked on over 50 projects for the Kansas Department of Agriculture and have enjoyed the experience thoroughly. The networking connections and experiences that I have been able to have through this internship will be exponentially important to my career.

I would recommend this internship to anyone interested in creating great portfolio pieces and gain experience in social media, designing, and marketing.

The Nutrients for Life Foundation – Emily Velisek

Posted on September 20, 2016 by chantelles

Everyone at school thought it was awesome that I would be working in D.C. all summer, but for me it was almost what made me not want to take this internship.

This summer I was lucky enough to work for The Nutrients for Life Foundation (NFL). This is a not-for-profit organization that is within The Fertilizer Institute, which is the lobbyist group for fertilizer.

Since I lived in Maryland my whole life, D.C. was not as exciting to me as other students thought when I told them that is where I would be working for my summer.

I guess I did not realize how long it had actually been since I had made the trip down to D.C.. The first few weeks were great because I had the chance to go walk around during my lunch and remember so much from when I was a kid! By the end though I definitely remembered why I did not enjoy D.C.. A lot of it had to do with the commute, but also with how crowed it gets during the summer.

Anyways, once I realized that, I spent more time in the office. I started my internship on May 18^th and ended on August 14^th. Those 14 weeks flew by and before I knew it, my summer was over.

I could not be more grateful for this internship and lucky that my neighbor helped me get it. I learned a lot about fertilizer and soil, which is a different side of agriculture than what I am used to. I grew up on an Angus cattle farm and showed cattle all my life, so getting to see a different area of agriculture was great for me and I found it very interesting.

I started my internship off by getting asked if I support fertilizer. Not a typical question you get in an interview for a summer internship but I was happy to answer. I am lucky enough to have family that farms about 4,500 acres and have two uncles that work at one of the largest fertilizer companies in Maryland. So my answer was pretty easy: “Yes, I support fertilizer.”

From there I got a project assigned to me for the International Year of Soils, which just happened to be 2015! I started out by doing a lot of research on soil and learning as much as I could. After that I got to work, starting with writing an article for NFL’s Fall 2015 magazine. Once I finished that, I sent it to two of my superiors to edit. While they were editing that I started to work on a blog post and then a blurb for their newsletter. From that I went on to two of the harder parts of my project, making a Facebook cover photo and a video. The cover photo did not seem to take me too long but the video was a challenge. I got the video finished but it did not turn out exactly how I would have liked it.

Some of my other responsibilities were to clean out the database, which may have been the worst thing ever but I know it really helped them. I also did a few things in Excel for people that work at The Fertilizer Institute, which was nice since I knew how to use Excel and could get those done relatively fast.

Kansas Governors Internship Program- Dan Martin

Posted on September 15, 2016 by chantelles

Last summer I applied for a summer internship with the Governors Internship Program. I was hoping to work policy at the Kansas Department of Agriculture but considering it was summer and legislature was not in secession that option was ruled out. Instead I was offered to work with the Kansas Water Office as a communications intern.

The Kansas Water Office (KWO) conducts water planning, policy, marketing and coordination throughout the state. They also make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature for needed legislation to ensure water policies and programs address the needs of all Kansans.

The plan for my summer was to help with the 50 year Water Vision for Kansas regarding social media and anything in relation to social media. Also as part of the Governors Internship Program, we had the opportunity to see how other agencies conducted business.

Through out the summer I helped develop social media plans to promote the Kansas Water Vision tour that was taking place across the state of Kansas in the first week of June. Also a part of my job was to track news articles through google alerts that were in relation to the Water Vision and to collect them on a database. As the summer progressed, I was doing press releases for the Basin Advisor Committee Meetings (BAC) and the new members of the BAC. I also helped start the Water Wednesday this usually included a random fact followed by an info graph. At times I would ask Kansas Department of Agriculture for guidance with social media, so we could build a platform for our followers on Twitter and our Facebook page.

Another part of my internship was to attend different agencies and see how they were governed and to give us broader options if any of the participants wanted to continue working for the state government. The first agency we toured was Kansas Wildlife Parks and Tourism (KWPT), the attorney from KWPT explained the different areas of the agency, after the briefing we got to shoot archery, fish and shoot shotguns for the rest of the afternoon. The next agency we toured was the Department of Corrections, we went to a women’s prison outside of Topeka where they gave us tour of the prison then had a couple of the ladies their tell their stories of how they were locked up and what their plans were after they got out. This was very insightful not really knowing anything about the Department of Corrections. The last thing we got to do before the internship was over was go to the top of the Capitol Building. It was a neat experience to look out over Kansas that high up. To conclude the internship we went to Cedar Crest (the Governors home) where we talked about our experience as interns and what we did. We were handed a certificate as well for completing the Governors internship program.

Through my experience in the Governors Internship Program, I gained great knowledge about state government and what it takes to run an agency. Going through the program has also given me an insight for my future in state politics. I would highly recommend anyone interested in state government or politics to be apart of the program. It is a great opportunity to make connections in the state from across the country.

Certified Angus Beef- Nicole Lane

Posted on September 15, 2016 by chantelles

Honestly, I almost said no.

I came this close to turning the Industry Information Internship with Certified Angus Beef down. I thought there just might be something bigger and better out there when I hesitantly accepted the position as a sophomore last December.

I’m so thankful that I said yes because I couldn’t have asked for a better summer internship. I spent my summer writing about cattle producers who raise the best beef on the market. I got to tell the story of incredible agriculturalists. I expanded my writing skills by learning to write lengthy feature stories then tell the same story in blog and video form. I wrote a lot and absolutely loved it.

I learned to appreciate my days in the office and love the days out on the ranch. One of my most memorable adventures included a several day road trip with one of my supervisors visiting beef producers from Kansas all the way to Wyoming.

My summer at CAB (from about May-August) was spent not only becoming a better writer, but learning about the cattle industry. I went from a girl who didn’t know the difference between a stocker and a cow-calf operation to being able to read and write about beef research articles (Do you know what the Warner-Bratzler Shear Force Procedure is? Because I definitely didn’t!).

After meeting Steve Suther (my boss) when he came to speak to ACT last year, I decided to apply for the internship. Over a year later I’m still taking writing assignments from him as a freelancer.

Working for CAB is an experience I would recommend to anyone who can write and wants to become a better writer. If you don’t like to write, scratch that, don’t love to write, then it’s not for you. Truly, the hardest part of this internship for me was just simply battling writers block. Well that and learning the cattle industry.

However, it was all worth it getting to see my byline and story on the glossy pages of the Angus Journal. Even more so, getting to meet the people at American Angus who work daily on the media productions I got to create content for was an experience in itself. As a CAB intern I got a backstage pass to see the inter workings of the Angus Journal and the Angus Report both of which my work appeared in.

Above all, what made my experience at CAB so incredible was the people I got to work with. Though most of our communication was digital or by phone, the CAB’s company culture was (and still is) something that is fun to be a part of. Getting to work on a team that challenges each other, truly enjoys what they get to do and are very passionate about beef was an incredible experience.

This internship solidified my love for writing about agriculture and expanded my animal science knowledge. It was the perfect example of a career that I would like to pursue someday. So much so that when my internship ended, my work with CAB didn’t. I’m lucky to still be writing for the brand and learning that someday I hope to make work like this a full time gig.

Think this sounds like something you would like to be a part of? Check out CAB’s website or click this link to learn more http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/recruiting/Description.aspx?id=168&utm_source=Other&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=intern

Van Wall Group- Brooke Harshaw

Posted on September 15, 2016 by chantelles

I interned at the Van Wall Group Headquarters in Perry, Iowa from July 1 through August 15 of 2014.

I found out about this internship through a friend of my aunt’s. Her husband’s family owns Van Wall, and because I am a John Deere fan in a communications major, she reached out to me about potentially interning there.

I was expected to function as part of the marketing team, which included design work; writing copy for radio, web, and print advertising; coming up with ideas and problem solving for set up/take down for the Farm Progress Show and the Iowa State Fair. I learned that the marketing team does A LOT – from figuring out what we’ll be doing for employee and customer Christmas presents to putting together their Fall Catalog, working on videos, website, and more, they’re involved with just about everything that happens in the business.

Skills-wise, I think my biggest area of improvement was in using the Creative Cloud programs. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t use Photoshop, and most days I used Illustrator and InDesign, too. In other areas, I think my ability to prioritize and be flexible also improved tremendously.

My favorite parts of the internship were when I was doing things like cleaning out the toy trailer and re-organizing it, as well as when I got to see my finished projects! I’m a very hands-on, physically active person, so the few days that I got to go down and work on cleaning out the trailer full of toys, I was a pretty happy camper. However, I also really like to see finished products, therefore when the days when I finished a big or new project that I’d been working on (radio scripts and the Fall Catalog), I was ecstatic. It was really fun learning new things and working with a team that not only took the time to help me, but cared and appreciated my work. As I said before, I really enjoy physical work, so the least favorite part of my internship was sitting at a desk for an extended period of time.

Like most students, I’m not exactly sure where the road of agricultural communications will take me, but I definitely expect to use the CS6 and face-to-face communications skills that I learned from this internship in my future career.

I think this would be an excellent internship for self-motivated students looking to be thrown into the industry. They will need to have the CS6 or Creative Cloud skills to be able to put together a magazine-type publication. They will also need to be willing to travel to Iowa for the summer. If you feel like you’re one of those students who is self-motivated, willing to move, and be thrown into the industry, you can apply by emailing my supervisor, Matt Van Houweling at matt.vanhouweling@vanwall.com.

IGP Institute- Kelly Hannigan

Posted on September 15, 2016 by chantelles

As I was finishing up my junior year, it was finally starting to dawn on me that graduation was quickly approaching. Agricultural communications had always been my home and I was happy there but I knew that if I wanted to get a head start on my career, I needed to take the first steps in gaining professional experience.

I’m not entirely sure why, but I had always pictured internships as they were portrayed in movies. I assumed I’d be fetching coffee and making copies for eight hours a day, five days a week and if I was lucky, I might be able to write a news release once in a while. Thankfully, my internship at the IGP Institute was nothing like I had initially imagined.

After coming back from Christmas break when my parents so kindly urged me to make a career plan, I began searching the Career and Employment Services job board online. However, I ended up hearing about the IGP Institute communications internship through the ACJ listserv. What drew me to this position was the reputation that the IGP Institute possesses throughout campus. In all honesty, I wasn’t entirely sure what it was that they did but I knew that they were a very prestigious establishment and the students that had worked there before had wonderful things to say about their time there.

In the spring of 2014, I was offered the communications internship and I am still presently working there as a part-time communications intern and part-time distance education intern. As the communications intern, I was responsible for writing and editing press releases, updating and maintaining the social media platforms and updating the website. As a summer project, the associate director of the IGP Institute, Mark Fowler, also asked me to conduct social media research project to help improve their overall marketing efforts. The research included conducting five focus groups and then later creating a top line report to present to the IGP staff and advisory board members.

It’s incredibly difficult for me to narrow down a specific area that I feel like I’ve grown the most this summer. From a technical standpoint, I was able to refine my writing skills to create professional news releases. As far as personal growth, one of the most rewarding aspects of the internship for me was the involvement with the course participants. I had lived a fairly sheltered life growing up in Strong City, Kan. I had never really been around so many different cultures or experienced first-hand the diversity that the IGP courses had to offer. I think I learned more from the conversations I had with the participants than I ever did in a classroom. The interaction with the participants was by far my favorite part of the internship. I was able to develop networking relationships with industry professionals from not only Kansas, but from around the world.

If I had to choose any one thing that I least enjoyed about my internship at IGP, it would probably be the desk time. I’ve never been the kind to enjoy sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. Luckily, this internship provided many field trip opportunities where I was able to tag along and take photos so I wasn’t always in the office. It did teach me however, that when I look for a job after graduation, I need something that incorporates fieldwork into the communications position.

Taking this internship was easily the best decision I’ve made since attending K-State. I’ve not only grown as a professional, but as a person. I was incredibly lucky to work with such a talented group of people at IGP that were genuinely interested in teaching me. Even the staff members that weren’t involved with the communications department took the time to help me with any questions I had or involve me in each project. I may not have a lot of industry experience, but I do know that the IGP Institute team is one of the best work environments I will ever be in. They were always quick to congratulate me any time a news release was published and always wanted to see each other succeed. Just by being around this incredible group of people, I’ve learned what a professional team truly is.

To apply for internships at the IGP Institute, contact Lisa Moser at lmoser@ksu.edu. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone that wants to get his or her foot in the door with the agricultural industry. Even if you aren’t sure what it is you want to do after graduation, this is a great job to jump in to. There are all aspects of communications incorporated into this position ranging from video editing to creating news releases.

DuPont Pioneer- Marie Annexstad

Posted on September 15, 2016 by chantelles

This summer I worked for DuPont Pioneer as a Marketing Communications intern. My position was located in the Northern Business Unit office which is in Mankato, Minnesota and allowed me to live in my home state for the summer. I started in the middle of May and completed my internship at the end of August.

I found out about this job position through the Kansas State University Career Fair.

An internship’s outcome depends on what you make of the opportunities you have been presented with. When I began this position I had a set of tasks which I had to complete. While I was setting my goals along with my supervisor I asked if she would consider allowing me to take on a standing initiative in the business unit and create a marketing plan for it. She agreed and handed me the reins of the launch of GrowingPoint agronomy in the business unit.

Pioneer’s presence at trade shows provided opportunities to promote GrowingPoint using the already established channels. We ran a strong social media push beginning with our first trade show during the first week in August continuing through our last trade show that ended in the middle of September. Other methods of promotion included print, digital, and radio media. Creating this marketing plan was the favorite part of my internship.

In the beginning, I was immediately put to work on the design and launch of a brand new initiative. This initiative was the creation of digital sell sheets, for our business unit. I found this assignment to be the most difficult part of my internship as a lot of data had to be organized in Excel. I did, however, become proficient in using Excel more efficiently. Sell sheets have links to Pioneer.com product profile pages that display large amounts of agronomic information which assists sales representatives and growers to make informed decisions on the right products for their operations.

Next, it was my responsibility to choose an app which would be the best format to display the sell sheets in. Through much research I found the app Adobe Reader to be the most useful. I developed and presented a tutorial that would help guide sales representatives step-by-step through the process of how to use sell sheets effectively with customers throughout the business unit.

In addition, I was fortunate to have been given the job of organizing and planning trade shows. During the summer the Northern Business Unit attends four major summer trade shows: Minnesota Farm Fest, Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, Dakota Fest, and Big Iron. Planning of each show included opportunities to lead conference calls with different committees to make sure logistics were in order including graphics, giveaways, landscaping, promotional material, and workers. Each show hosted a different array of people, and required different tactics to market Pioneer® products. I traveled to and attended all of the trade shows and coordinated Pioneer’s presence at each show on-site.

I enjoyed being given the responsibility to design various graphics to market Pioneer’s new initiatives Pioneer GrowingPoint Agronomy and Encirca Services.

I also assisted with creating materials to help sales representatives with their responsibilities. These included corn and soy print sell sheets, forage print sell sheets, and handouts on various topics. Encirca Services was a new initiative for Pioneer this year, so I created a tutorial for sales representatives to aid them in understanding of the process of how to make an Encirca Note.

My experience with Pioneer as an intern this summer helped me to develop professionally. I was expected to work independently. As a result I learned to prioritize as I juggled many responsibilities. I learned to communicate efficiently and effectively with my superiors. The work environment was intense and professional. I learned to conduct myself in a similar manner. Overall, this was the best internship experience I have had thus far. I am confident that the after I graduate from college I will be pursuing a career in marketing and communications in a work environment similar to Pioneer.

I recommend this internship to anyone who loves design, event planning, and marketing. It was a great place for me to grow and develop professionally. To apply, visit the DuPont Pioneer Career Development Center.

Kansas State University

Agricultural Communication & Journalism Internships

Category: Communications

Kansas 4-H Foundation Intern- Janae McKinney

My Summer Working for Monsanto- Danielle Comstock

Kansas Wheat Commissions – Hannah Schlapp

Kansas PRIDE- Madison Blevins

Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom – Jena Ernsting

Kansas Wheat – Audrey Schmitz

IGP Institute – Kylie Blythe

Kansas Soybean Association – Dana Schultz

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development – Jacob Pletcher

The Nutrients for Life Foundation – Emily Velisek

Certified Angus Beef- Nicole Lane

Van Wall Group- Brooke Harshaw

DuPont Pioneer- Marie Annexstad

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