Through the Eyes of an Intern

This summer I have had the amazing opportunity of working for MaxYield Cooperative as their communications intern.  As an agronomy major, I was a bit nervous! 

I am not the best writer or speller (just ask my mom about that one!) But with an open mind I went into the internship and have loved my first month, even if there are quite a few blue pen marks on my rough drafts!

 The 2015 tractor calendar is one of the main projects that I will be working on throughout my internship. While working on the tractor calendar, I am able to visit with the owners of the tractors and listen to them tell me about the details of their tractor.

  By visiting with owners, I have been able to expand my knowledge on the older models of tractors, which I find very interesting. I almost always find myself looking at my watch an hour later and wondering where the time has gone.

 MaxYield also produces the My Solutions magazine multiple times throughout the year. I have had the privilege of working with Greg Latza, Free-Lance Photographer, who works with MaxYield. Greg has been a great resource for me to ask questions, and also to learn more about photography. 

 I have also gotten to present multiple 4-H counties money donated from MaxYield to help 4-Hers pay for their annual dues. This has been an awesome experience for me, as a past 4-Her.

Interviewing the other interns has also been a highlight for me. All seven of MaxYield’s interns this summer attend Iowa State University. Throughout the intern events that we have had, all of the interns seem to blend together to form an awesome group. I have been blessed to meet these amazing people and look forward to running into them across campus in the fall. 

Internships are a key tool to having a successful future career. They allow you to have hands on experiences to find out what you want your future career to look like. 

I am truly blessed to have this opportunity, and look forward to the rest of the summer!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Here are a few photos from the Intern photo shoot last week! Greg Latza does a fantastic job capturing the perfect photo and is awesome to work with! 

Greg Latza
Sioux Falls, SD
greg@greglatza.com

More Than Just An Industry

Call me crazy, but I love pigs…well most days!

Show pigs, where does a person even start!? Since sixth grade I have spent my summers in the barn with the pigs. Looking back, I can remember the first year we had pigs in the barn, when we only showed at the county fair. Today between Brielle and I, we travel to 10+ Jackpots across the state of Iowa, and participate in the county fair and State Fair. Which sounds like a lot, but in reality is a very minimal about compared to others involved in the show industry!

Over the years I have met incredible people throughout the show industry, and for the past two years I have been involved in the Iowa Swine Jackpot Series. ISJS is a swine jackpot series that allows youth to take advantage of opportunities and create friendships throughout the state of Iowa and other surrounding states, while also competing for points in different categories.

I won’t lie and say that the Jackpot series isn’t about winning and trying to get the most points, because it is, but in between competing for points there is always time for building friendships that will end up lasting longer than the grand champion hog payout!

The opportunities within the world of agriculture seem endless for our youth today. As young agriculturalists we are learning how to become leaders to the younger members of ISJS and also how to advocate and educate the public on today’s agricultural world.

Now, as a student at Iowa State University I have been able to make so many more connections, because I have been involved with ISJS. The amount of familiar faces that are at shows each weekends never ceases to amaze me.

This year has been the first year that Brielle and I have gotten very involved in the jackpot series, and we couldn’t have done it without papa Todd helping us load up the trailer full of pigs and driving three hours at 3 and 4 in the morning every weekend.

As I sit and take in the past two months and the past years that were filled with hours of driving and showing, it’s becoming a reality that the years I have left to enjoy this amazing organization are rapidly getting less and less. 


I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities and friendships that I have been given through showing, and wouldn’t change those memories for anything. 

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” 

― Gandhi