Joshua Baker and his family own a farm located in Dickerson, Maryland. Baker grew up on this farm his whole life. Their family farm is called Deere Valley Farm, where Baker decided to do his internship. Every day he would wake up at six in the morning to start work and finish up at seven in the evening. He continued with this routine for three months (May-August). Baker is in his 2nd year at the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland and is an Agricultural Business Management major. Interning at the farm helped him view how it is managed and gain more insight into its operations.
Baker was able to do many skillful things such as building fences, working with cattle, doing concrete/electrical work, planting crops, harvesting hay, and doing equipment maintenance and repair. Baker was able to do various hands-on work, but what he was most interested in was helping to put up electrical outlets and wiring for new barn lights. He applied what he learned in Agricultural Mechanics and Power Machinery courses in the IAA to put up the new lights. Baker chose this internship because he really wanted to help his family this summer. Baker, along with his co-workers, Zack and Tom, helped their boss, Rob with tasks needed to sustain daily operations during the summer.
Baker continued his interest in this field because of his involvement in his family’s operation, and the excitement of the career of being a farmer. Baker’s future goal is to return to his family farm and use what he learned to improve it. This internship was very meaningful to him and helped him be more exposed to the responsibilities of running a farm. Baker will continue studying in the IAA and will take full advantage of the Agricultural Business Management courses they provide.
