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Agricultural Communication & Journalism Internships

Tag: communications

Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement – Anissa Zagonel

Posted on 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.

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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.

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“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 Wheat – Audrey Schmitz

Posted on 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.

K-State Radio Network, Agriculture Today – Charlsie Craig

Posted on by chantelles

This past summer I served as the broadcast intern with Agriculture Today over the K-State Radio Network. This station is based out of Manhattan, Kan.

Agriculture Today is a broadcast show aired every week day at 10 a.m. The show is aired on KFRM 550 and live streamed on K-State Research and Extension wed page. The show, can reach not only to Kansas but surrounding states and with the live stream all across the United States. I work under the main broadcaster, Eric Atkinson.

The main purpose of this broadcast show is to keep producers, farmers, or advocates of agriculture in the know of what research and big things are happening in the world of agriculture. The show covers subjects that are spread all of agriculture from crops to Ag in the Classroom.

For the first couple of weeks it was a quick learning experiences of just learning how to edit material on Adobe Audition and learning how to set up the program to be aired. Although I was just getting my feet wet, within those first few weeks Atkinson ask me to contact someone for my first interview.

I thought that I wasn’t ready for my first experience, but Atkinson thought I was, and of course he was right. Currently I’m now up to doing five to six interviews a week but every time I still get the butterflies.

As the summer went on I had my first traveling experience at 2015 Kansas State FFA Conference. This experience brought a lot of first such as, using a hand held microphone and recorder. Also, I had the pleasure of being back stage during the last session when they announced the new state officers. My purpose of this event was to interview the winners of Kansas Star in Agribusiness and Farmer, and the new state officers. This was a very intense upbeat environment that I wasn’t use to. It ended up being a great experience and it made me realize how much I love broadcasting.

While realizing I liked that experience, at the station, my duties were routine. But I mean routine in the sense of having to conduct interviews. Every interview is different and the interviewee is always different. This internship has taught me many things and one of which is don’t be shy. When I listen to my interview at the beginning of summer compared to the end you can hear how by the end of the summer my interviews started to feel more relaxed and conversational. Every week I have to produce two network pieces that will be placed on the website for stations to use throughout the week. This piece can only be three minutes. Although it sounds easy sometimes it can be and sometimes you get 15 minute interviews that holds a lot of information. This experience taught me to utilize my time correctly.

Throughout the summer I learned many things but the two most important ones were deadlines and time management. In this communications industry time is based on time, wither that being interviews or producing a piece so it’s ready for the next show. Nothing has been more rewarding then having people call me telling me they heard me on the radio and ask me more questions about the interview. It gave me a humbling feeling of significance.

Atkinson has been a great mentor. I have learned so much from him and the staff at Agriculture Today. Atkinson brings a sense of importance and achievement on every broadcast show. Agriculture has a long road ahead of it and its people like him advocating it to help mend it together.

K-State Department of Plant Pathology – Lindsey Ashmore

Posted on 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 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.

American AgCredit – Jackie Newland

Posted on by chantelles

This summer I had the opportunity to be the communications and marketing intern for American AgCredit. I was located in their Heartland Region in Wichita, Kansas. American AgCredit is an Ag lending bank and part of the Farm Credit system. My internship started on June 1st and ended on August 14th. While I was there, I was given a variety of tasks. These tasks would range from everyday office work to helping create a marketing plan for the upcoming year. I was also in charge of finalizing ads to be sent out to local fairs, coordinating various events, and speaking with numerous customers in both person and over the phone.

I first heard about this internship at K-State’s All University Career Fair. My situation was unique because I did not meet the requirements for this job, and I also did not originally apply for this job. Usually, American AgCredit is looking for individuals with a major in agricultural finance or agricultural economics. I had stopped by their booth at the career fair and just started talking to the lady representing it. Little did I know, that lady, Jennie Bracken, would be my future boss. I had apparently made a good impression because about a week later I received an email about participating in a behavioral based interview with them. After that, I did a formal interview and actually filled out the job application. Less than a week after my formal interview, I was offered the position. It just goes to show that you never know who you are going to meet, so always make a good first impression.

My internship definitely helped me learn more about my working style. I learned that I like to be given tasks, but then be left with my own creative freedom. As long as I have a general outline, I like to then make a project my own. I also learned that it is okay to ask questions. As an intern, asking questions is one of the biggest components of your job; if you aren’t asking questions, you aren’t learning.

The best part of my internship was the amount of traveling that I was able to do. My second week into the internship, I was flown to our headquarters in Santa Rosa, California for intern training. While there, I was able to experience a large variety of agriculture, from vegetables, to almonds (which they pronounce as “aamends,” extra emphasis on the ‘a’), to vineyards, and more. I was given more information during those two weeks than I ever thought was possible. After that I traveled to Greeley, Colorado where another branch of American AgCredit’s is located. It was an unforgettable experience to learn how diverse this company is.

My least favorite part of the experience was probably when it ended. I had gotten so used to 40 hour work weeks within those few months that I was not ready to enter back in to a full course load. All good things come to an end though, and I am just thankful for the time that I had there. Getting used to that type of routine and number of hours has helped me prepare for what life will be like after college.

This job has certainly given me skills that I will utilize no matter where I am. I have expanded my knowledge of marketing, which is an area that I had previously not had a lot of experience in. I have learned how to be more independent and accountable for my work. I have also learned how to work under strict deadlines. Above all, I was shown how far doing your best and submitting good work can go in a person’s life. Overall this internship has given me the tools to be successful in my future endeavors.

If you are interested in applying for this internship I recommend applying on their website at: https://agloan.csod.com/ats/careersite/search.aspx?site=6&c=agloan.

I would recommend this internship to anyone within agricultural communications. It helps if you also have an interest in agriculture lending or appraisal. I would also recommend this internship to anyone with a background in agricultural economics, agricultural finance or business. Each year the company takes two interns, and one of those interns could be you.

Kansas Department of Agriculture – Emily Writer

Posted on 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 Department of Agriculture – Audrey Green

Posted on by chantelles

Why is there so much construction north of the Kansas State University Campus? What could that new, huge building possibly be? The Kansas Department of Agriculture has relocated to Manhattan, providing new opportunities for Kansas agriculturalists and Kansas State University students.

Spending my time in the innovative new building, the fall and spring semesters of my sophomore year I served as a Kansas Department of Agriculture Communications Intern. This internship came to me by way of Dr. Ellis, an Agriculture Communications professor at Kansas State University. After exhibiting interest in the position and receiving an interview, I began my internship at the beginning of September 2014.

“Back to the basics.” The foundation of this internship was to take the basic skills of communications and polish them. I began writing press releases almost immediately and was given feedback to improve my writing skills. Arriving at KDA, I had very limited knowledge of design software. Now, my design repertoire has grown immensely and I feel comfortable in the Adobe Creative Suite applications.

Playing a key role in the organization of Kansas Agriculture Month was by far my favorite part of this internship. A goal I had set for myself before coming to KDA was to network with as many Agriculture Communicators as possible. Meeting with the Agriculture Communicators and Educators group to plan Kansas Agriculture Month fulfilled that goal. With only a few planning meetings, the diverse group was able to advocate for agriculture throughout the month of March. Some of the highlights included: hosting the Neighbor to Neighbor Food Drive at Dillon’s stores, delivering cookies with customized agriculture statistics to members of the Kansas Legislature, conducting a photography workshop for Kansas agriculture photographers with National Geographic Photographer Jim Richardson and an evening lecture with Jim Richardson that was followed by an in depth agriculture panel.

Planning Kansas Agriculture Month was an eye opening experience. I was able to step into the shoes of an Agriculture Communicator in the real world. Learning responsibility, time management and effective communication, this event helped prepare me a future after graduation.

If I had to choose a least favorite part of my internship at KDA, I would have to rack my brain. Each and every day was filled with new twists and turns, giving a glimpse of what a communications specialist would do. The days I was not as busy, or did not have as many projects to work on, were my least favorite days. In saying that, sometimes a break is nothing to complain about!

Students can be selected for this internship, or other internships at KDA, by applying through the Governor’s Office Internship Program. The program is designed to give high-quality college students real world experience. A link to the program can be found here: https://governor.ks.gov/serving-kansans/internship.

Who would I recommend this internship to? Any student who is passionate about agriculture, driven and willing to put in hard work would be an excellent fit for this position.

KDA has a professional yet fun working environment, and its location is superb for Kansas State University students. Although avoiding the road construction on Manhattan Avenue can be a pain, the valuable experience I received from this internship made the bright orange cones seem much less troublesome.

Purple Wave Auction- Bridget Hoover

Posted on by chantelles

When beginning my freshman year at Kansas State University, I knew that agricultural communications and journalism was the major I wanted to pursue. It combined two things that I loved; agriculture and journalism.

During my sophomore year at K-State I decided to volunteer my time to Purple Wave Auction. Purple Wave hired me as part-time marketing administrative assistant during the fall and spring and as a full-time assistant during the summer. I’ve been working with Purple Wave for just over two years.

Purple Wave sells used agriculture and construction equipment as well as fleet vehicles and trailers.  I started my internship in May and continued through late August. My specific duties this summer included: syndication of items, management of 10 territory manager credit cards, sales tax for auctions and various tasks as assigned from marketing or accounting.

My biggest area of growth this past summer would definitely be in the accounting department. I learned a lot about setting sales tax, writing checks and using QuickBooks management system. I was definitely able to apply some of the terminology from my accounting course at K-State to what I was learning in the accounting department at work including terms such as net 10 and net 30.

My favorite part of my internship this summer was learning to set sales tax. For each location that we have items selling in we must set the sales tax according to where the item is located. I enjoyed learning about tax rules for each state and where tax rates were most expensive.

I can definitely take what I have learned at Purple Wave and apply it to any future career I may have. I have experienced accounting and learned a lot about sales tax, which could definitely benefit me in the future in other jobs. I think what I have gained knowledge from in the marketing department regarding terminology; customer relationship management and Google Analytics will aid me in any job, especially because most businesses have a marketing department associated with them.

I really enjoy working at Purple Wave Auction and plan on being full-time after graduating in December. I have learned so much from other employees and have had the opportunity to see how the business world works. I can’t thank my managers enough for allowing me this opportunity while in college.

DuPont Pioneer- Marie Annexstad

Posted on 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.

National FFA Organization- Logan Britton

Posted on by chantelles

6060 FFA Drive. An address I had studied for countless hours as a Greenhand member of my high school’s FFA chapter; I never imagined I would have the opportunity to work in the National FFA Center and have a significant experience.

When the American Agricultural Editors’ Association posting about its two summer internship positions came through the ACJ Listserv, I eagerly completed my application as soon as I saw the marketing communications intern would be placed with the National FFA Organization. The application included listing classes taken, essays with a 75-word or fewer limit, a letter of recommendation and submitting work samples. I received a congratulatory email in late February 2014

From June to mid-August 2014, I interned with the marketing, communications, branding and sales management division of national FFA as a marketing communication intern in Indianapolis. My supervisors included Julie Woodard, communications manager; Kristy Meyer, communications/media manager; Katy Mumaw, senior content writer; and Geoffrey Miller, digital media specialist.

In my role, I was in charge of writing stories to be used in new stories, press releases, social media and the organization’s blog. The publications and correspondence I worked with included FFA.org, FFA Pulse, FFA New Horizons, New Visions and Blue Jackets. Bright Futures! My other responsibilities included editing content. Other projects included developing content for the National FFA Convention & Expo and editing content for the future FFA.org site.

During my tenure in Indiana, I was able to develop a better concept of the organization, the National FFA Foundation and National FFA Alumni Association. I also learned more about myself and my skill set. I enjoy development and copy editing, and I was able to use my knowledge for a majority of my internship. Many staff members from other divisions would send me documents to edit because of the reputation I had created with members of my division. Additionally, I was able to branch out and work on a project with search engine optimization for the Shop FFA website.

My favorite project during the summer was writing an article for FFA New Horizons. Being a former FFA member that eagerly awaited each issue, I was thrilled to have the chance to contribute to the magazine. I ventured to Nashville, Tennessee with division staff to tour Journal Communications, Inc., the publisher that develops the magazine, and meet with their staff. I never imagined I would ever be in the magazine, let alone be a writer. Plus, the editor of the magazine usually critiques all articles during her round of edits. She didn’t have any edits for my article, and she said she really liked it. That made me feel pretty great about myself and my writing.

Being from a small Kansas town, it was difficult for me to adjust to city life. The traffic in Indianapolis and the commute to work were my least favorite things. On average, it would take me about 25 minutes to get to work and 45 minutes to get back. To avoid the traffic, I would go to work around 8:30 a.m. and leave 5:30 p.m. As for the internship, being in charge of my schedule was a challenge for me. I was able to work at my own pace, but I would get assignments done promptly and run out of projects for the week. To combat this, I would ask other staff members in the division if they needed assistance on projects.

Along those lines, being creative in my writing has been a struggle for me. Most of the writing I have experience in is informative and deliberative, such as press releases. My biggest area of growth was finding my creative side. Through projects such as the stories for New Visions, FFA New Horizons and the National FFA Organization blog, I felt more comfortable leaving my habit of the inverted pyramid.

From this experience, I definitely want to incorporate communications in my future roles. I really liked developing stories and writing for New Visions and FFA New Horizons. I also enjoyed writing stories for FFA Pulse and selected photos for the landing pages in the e-newsletter. Even as I pursue advanced degrees in agricultural economics and work toward academia, my hope is to use my knowledge of marketing communications in my teaching, freelance projects or any jobs I have in between now and being a professor. Also, I know that I am a people person. I want to work in an environment where I can collaborate and form relationships with others.
For any student interesting in writing and content development, I would suggest looking for the opportunities with FFA during convention as well as the internships sponsored through AAEA. These experiences will put your skills to the test with real-world situations, strengthen your writing, and create strong portfolio items. Due to funding, the marketing, communications, branding and sales management division does not host an internship every year; however, several internship positions are available during the week of national FFA convention including news room, social media and video internships. The AAEA internship positions are announced usually in December or January. Applications are due mid-February and can be found on AAEA’s website, www.ageditors.com.

K-State Department of Communications & Agricultural Education- McKayla Brubaker

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As a student, I had always thought internships meant traveling to new places, sometimes far away from home, slaving away fetching coffee and making copies, and hoping to gain experience along the way.  However, my internship this past spring could not have proved me more wrong.    This past spring, I interned with Deb Pryor from K-State’s Department of Communications and Ag Education, right here in Manhattan, KS.  At the time, I wasn’t really looking for an internship, due to my busy summer schedule.  Dr. Ellis recommended me for the internship and I found out that the project was just right for me!

The purpose of my internship was to help preserve the history, customs, and culture of the Kaw Indians for current and future generations, as well as promoting public awareness, through an e-publication and a hardcopy book (hopefully in the near future).  The project started out with a trip to Kaw City, OK to visit their tribal lands and powwow grounds, where I was responsible for taking portraits of the Kaw members in their regalia, or traditional clothing.  I also distributed interview surveys, assisted Deb with video interviews, and visited with the Kaw Nation and the public to promote the Kaw Heritage Project.  My favorite part of the project was getting to set in on interviews.  It was so captivating to see how passionate the Kaw members were about their heritage.  Some people would be in tears, others in anger about how their tribe was treated by the government in the past.  Each person reacted a little differently and had something unique and truly eye-opening to say.

When we returned from our trip, I analyzed transcripts from Deb’s video interviews, picking out the important parts to put in each interviewee’s biography.  This was probably the most difficult part of my internship because they all had so many good stories and things to say.  I used those details to write up a biography about the interviewee.  The e-publication (as well as the book) is a showcase of different traditions, family histories, personal testimonies, and the importance of the Kaw culture. I also gained editing experience from the biographies.  When the biographies were complete, I used Adobe software to design and layout the pages, using my photos and biographies I had written.  For the e-publication, Deb inserted her video interview clips so online viewers could actually see the people telling parts of their story.

From October to March, I had a considerable amount of time to grow as an intern.  I learned a lot about varying my writing style from third to first person and from news writing to a more creative, feature piece.  At first, it was difficult to switch gears from writing class papers, but it soon became second nature. During my internship, I learned the basic functions of using the Adobe Creative Suite Programs (Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.).  Using this software was one thing I really wanted to get out of my internship.   I also was able to practice and refine my interviewing skills.  This internship really allowed me to learn a lot about myself.  The biggest area of growth was my personality.  I had to work though being a little shy and further develop my brain to critically think and analyze details more than I normally would. This internship really showed me the importance of being passionate about the company/cause you work for. I will also be able to use this experience in layout and design to help me in my future careers designing advertisements and other items.

This internship has been a memorable experience! I would recommend this particular type of internship to those who aren’t quite sure about an internship experience.  Starting from the comfort of the K-State Campus and Manhattan area is a great way to begin in the internship world.  Manhattan has plenty of experts in a variety of areas that you can definitely gain experience from.    Students that are interested in local internships can visit with their advisors or campus professors for more information. If you aren’t sure about trying an internship, this is the way to go!

Kansas Wheat Internship- Nicole Stieben

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Kansas Wheat is the cooperative agreement between the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers. The Kansas Wheat Commission is an advocacy organization, which is funded by Kansas wheat growers. This group works to secure the future of wheat growth in Kansas through research, education and domestic and international market development. The Kansas Association of Wheat Growers is a member-governed organization responsible for representing wheat growers at a national level by providing grass-roots leadership to the U.S. wheat industry. Together, these two entities work through Kansas Wheat to make sure the importance of wheat is known to not only producers, but consumers and buyers as well.

As the communications intern at Kansas Wheat this summer, I had many daily responsibilities that included updating the computer database for the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, writing press releases on various wheat related issues or events and editing work of other staff members as Kansas Wheat.

I also had a few larger projects that I worked on this summer. From the very start of my internship I was put in charge of making posters, flyers and other forms of publicity for this year’s National Festival of Breads. This baking competition happens every other year and much planning is put into its success, so getting to play a role in this was a great experience. I also did daily harvest reports where I would call around to wheat elevators in Kansas, as well as wheat farmers, to find out the scoop of how their wheat harvest was going. I have previous experience with wheat harvest as I spent many summers working at the elevator in my hometown, so getting to hear from many elevator managers about the progress of harvest in their area was a highlight of this project.

I also had a couple of design projects that were assigned to me during the internship. After the National Festival of Breads was completed, I put together an annual cookbook of the recipes, which was handed out at the State Fair and distributed among nutrition educators around the state. In addition to the cookbook, I was also in charge of putting together the 2011 Kansas Wheat Annual Report. I was challenged with coming up with a fresh design scheme for the report and had fun using techniques I learned from previous experience and my classes at K-State.

During my internship at Kansas Wheat I learned valuable lessons and gained experience that I will use for the rest of my life. The sense of responsibility I was given as an intern helped me the most, as I was given the challenge of meeting deadlines, contacting sources, generating story ideas and being held accountable for my work. I also learned to not be afraid to make mistakes, because in fact that is when you will grow the most.

I have always been a bit reluctant to ask a ton of questions when I’m not sure of what I’m supposed to do. Usually I just try a bunch of different ways until I find something that works for me. But this summer I was faced with deadlines and time constraints that did not allow for this method, so I learned to ask questions and not be afraid of sounding stupid and it turned out to be the best way to show how interested I was in Kansas Wheat as an organization. As soon as I spoke up and voiced my opinion about projects or simple day-to-day tasks, the rest of the staff realized my interest in the success of Kansas Wheat and I was granted more responsibility.

3i SHOW Internship- Jennifer Ochs

Posted on by chantelles

The saying “time flies when you are having fun” is so very true. It seems like yesterday I was moving into the dorms and now I am about to graduate from college. Last spring I realized that I really wanted to get a summer internship to build my agricultural communications skills and prepare myself for the professional world outside of college. I was hoping to find something close to home in Jetmore, Kansas and I knew that there were not many if any established communications internships in the area. So I began to think about what I really wanted to do with my degree and came to the conclusion that I would be best working in advertising, marketing and sales.

Growing up I have always enjoyed attending trade shows, especially farm shows and luck for me one of the largest farm shows in Kansas is a short 30 minute drive from my house and is known as the 3i SHOW. I did some research on the show and then I sent a short email to the 3i SHOW asking if they have ever had a summer intern. I told them I felt it would be highly beneficial to have a summer communications intern to assist in the communications before, during and after the show. They replied shortly after and said that they did not have a program but would forward the email to the president of the 3i SHOW for consideration. A few weeks later I received a call from the 3i SHOW asking me to come in for an interview and to send my resume. The interview was in March and they offered me the position immediately after the interview.

My work at the 3i SHOW was to manage all communications. My duties included writing press releases, designing advertisements, working on the spring and summer WKMA Newsletters, taking pictures, updating Facebook and Twitter, working with logo designs, and sending out email blasts to exhibitors, volunteers and media about upcoming events and news regarding the show. I also spent some time doing general office work when needed.

The most difficult thing about my internship was trying to keep 500 exhibitors happy. Before the show I would assist in helping place last minute exhibitor requests in the available spaces, during the show I would talk to exhibitors about how the show was going for them and try to fix any complaints they may have.

My communications skills have improved because of my experience at the 3i SHOW, and I am now a better agricultural communicator because of this opportunity. I can now write a press release and feel comfortable about my writing, I am more knowledgeable about the Adobe Design Suite, I am more comfortable speaking in public, I enjoy working with social media for a business, and most importantly I am assured that choosing to be an agricultural communicator is what I am best at and what I love to do.

This internship has helped prepare me for my future careers in agricultural communications. Overall this experience has been great, and I am very grateful that they took the chance to hire me as the Communications Intern for the summer. The skills I have gained will be valuable for the rest of my career and the people I met will be great contacts to help me land jobs in the future. While I was not paid for this internship, I was honored to receive the 2013 WKMA Scholarship. I truly enjoyed my time spent at the 3i SHOW, and I would encourage anyone interested in farm shows or communications in southwest Kansas to contact the 3i SHOW for a potential internship opportunity.