Alpha Zetans intern across country in a variety of industries
We reached out to several Alpha Zeta actives to find out how they prepared for their future careers in the agriculture field by completing internships this past summer.
J. Luke Salter
Hometown: Mars, Pa.
Q. Where was your internship and what was your role?
While working with Wenger Feed Mills, Inc., based out of Rheems, Pa., I held the title of Sales and Marketing Intern out of their corporate office. I worked with the sales team in order to better customer relations, update current field data, research growth and tonnage possibilities, and survey customers and producers.
Q. What were your internship duties?
Concurrently, I worked with the service department for approximately half my time, servicing a number of cage-free and caged layer hen houses in the central PA area, in order to help better prepare the company for the threat of avian influenza (AI). Working independently with producers and growers, I was able to utilize my flock management knowledge and skills to increase the service coordinators ability to create response plans for an AI outbreak.
My biggest responsibilities as a service man was to properly record and advise growers on house function, feed recommendations, bird health and diagnosis, and sample taking and submission. On the sales and marketing side, I worked hard to put out our customer satisfaction and service surveys in order to better everyone’s Wenger experience. I worked under each different member of the sales team to learn different parts of the business and increase my knowledge of the feed industry.
Q. What was the biggest thing you learned from your internship?
The multitude of ways in which one can successfully handle customer relationships and make certain a positive experience for them were some of my biggest takeaway’s from my time spent with Wenger’s this summer. From the large, high tonnage companies that purchase our feed, to the small independent growers that we work with, one must be extremely flexible and versatile in order to be successful in the sales world.
When working with flocks and growers, being able to keep an open mind and notice the small things about an actual operating layer house is key to being a successful service man. No two offline producers are the same, and one must be able to properly and effectively provide service to all of our producers.
Q. How did your internship prepare you for a future career?
Working with two different departments afforded me the opportunity to be exposed to many different aspects of the feed industry, poultry production/egg marketing, and corporate management. With this new knowledge and skill set, I think it has given me even more to offer to a future employer in the poultry production industry, as well as opened my marketable abilities to a more diverse set of possible employers.
Q. What else would AZ alums like to know?
I was directed toward Wenger’s this past fall by a fellow Penn State AZ alum, Michael Hess, who is the company’s Egg Marketing Service Manager. He has been a big help in my success as a team member at Wenger’s and represents Alpha Zeta in the PA agriculture industry extremely well, and helped to guide me to becoming a successful agriculture professional.
Alli Hartman
Hometown: Turbotville, Pa.
Q. Where was your internship and what was your role?
I served as a public relations intern with Charleston|Orwig in Hartland, Wis. C|O is a marketing-communications agency specializing in clients across the food system.
Q. What were your internship duties?
I assisted the PR and account service teams with a variety of initiatives for clients including Zoetis, Illinois Soybean Association, and Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition. My daily duties included writing and distributing press releases, monitoring and tracking media mentions and pickups, and writing online blog posts, weekly event updates, and full-length feature stories for clients.
Q. What was the biggest thing you learned from your internship?
I got to work on a variety of accounts and see the different needs and environments surrounding each, which was great experience. I was able to write frequently and across multiple styles, and strengthened my writing skills in the process, which is critical for the public relations field.
Q. How did your internship prepare you for a future career?
This internship cemented my desire to work in the ag communications field post-grad. It also increased my confidence in my work, my contributions to projects and my ability to work independently.
Greyson Smith
Hometown: Palmyra, Pa.
Q. Where was your internship and what was your role?
I spent my summer working for Agri Basics Inc. in Elizabethtown, Pa.
Q. What were your internship duties?
A big project involved me planning a training day for the whole company to come and analyze both a dairy and beef farm then come up with some ideas to help improve the farms. I also spent time weighing animals on farms so the nutritionists could see how all the animals were doing.
Q. What was the biggest thing you learned from your internship?
My favorite parts of the summer where when I got to attend industry events and meet new people. The biggest takeaway from this summer would be to take care of the customers so they will take care of you.
Q. How did your internship prepare you for a future career?
This summer prepared me for the future by allowing me to take charge of my schedule and have me plan most of the days that I have to work. It also taught me how to work with other people especially farmers who are busy and sometimes don't even want to talk with you.
Chris Toevs
Hometown: Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Q. Where was your internship and what was your role?
I was an intern with the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, a non-profit arm of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau focusing in promoting agricultural education in the Commonwealth.
Q. What were your internship duties?
My duties fell into a standard career with the Foundation. I crafted curriculum extension sheets that accompany our mobile agriculture lab lessons. In addition, I made contributions to a new mobile ag lab trailer through creating ag career posters to show students the diversity of careers in agriculture. Furthermore, I coordinated PFB's Beef commodity activity that was used at Ag Progress Days and will be re-used by PFB at events like Farm City Days in Harrisburg, Pa., and the PA Farm Show in January.
Q. What was the biggest thing you learned from your internship?
The most valuable lesson I learned from my internship is the ability to network outside of my comfort zone. PFB had internship experience days where we traveled to Washington D.C., the State Capitol, and meetings with officials like the Secretary of Agriculture. By being put in these positions, I learned how to promote myself and network with others in the agriculture community when I would not normally have the opportunity.
Q. How did your internship prepare you for a future career?
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has a network of more than 60,000 members in the state of Pennsylvania. By understanding how PFB functions and their outreach in the agricultural community, those connections will last a lifetime no matter which field I go into. It's not always about how much you know, but who you know.
Emily Shaw
Hometown: Williamsburg, Pa.
Q. Where was your internship and what was your role?
My internship was with Schaapman Holsteins in Abbeville, Georgia. I worked on their farm and assisted with various chores and duties around the farm.
Q. What were your internship duties?
My responsibilities varied from milking, running the scale for corn silage, checking the springer lot for newborn calves and feeding them colostrum, keeping track of inventory of the young stock and milk cows for PC Dart, moving animals to their age appropriate groups, forage management and preservation, and other general management duties.
Q. What was the biggest thing you learned from your internship?
The biggest thing I learned while working was herd health; I administered various types of shots and learned the proper protocol for administering an IV. Something that I found most interesting while working this summer was learning the process of how to artificially inseminate a cow.
Q. How did your internship prepare you for a future career?
This internship supported my passion of wanting to work within the dairy industry in the future, showed me how to work with and manage various types of employees, and the importance of hard work and consistency for a profitable result in a business.
