Welsh posing in front of the farm stand on Shawan Road.
Image Credit: Kenny Ingram
While most college students spend their summer relaxing, Grayson Welsh spent his summer overcoming new challenges and acquiring as much knowledge as possible in farm management. Welsh, a second-year student at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) majoring in Agricultural Business Management, spent the summer of 2021 completing his internship at Misty Valley Farms located in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Growing up in Phoenix, Maryland, Welsh did not come from an agriculture background, so completing his internship at Misty Valley Farms left him with an unforgettable farm experience and new farm management skills.
While completing his internship, Welsh faced challenges unlike ever before. He was expected to drive to different farms for produce, consolidate the walk-in cooler when needed, and make sure the food trucks were loaded with the correct amount of produce for operations. The produce that Welsh helped grow on the farm was held in the walk-in cooler, and he praised the walk-in cooler, saying, “the walk-in cooler was nice on a hot day.” Welsh spent time in the cooler consolidating the produce to make room for other produce to come in.
During his time at Misty Valley Farm, Welsh learned how to operate and drive a manual vehicle. “It is always something I knew I needed to learn eventually,” said Welsh.
These experiences helped Welsh expand his knowledge of operating a farm. He worked with Ryder Fleischmann, also a student at the IAA, whose family owns Misty Valley Farms.
“I was happy to work with a friend,” said Fleischmann. Welsh and Fleischmann had been roommates before they completed their internship together.
Welsh is unsure of his future career plans currently; however, he is exploring the option of managing a farm as his future career. After spending his summer at the farm, he acquired knowledge of farm operations and other unforgettable skills and experiences. This opportunity provided Welsh with the hands-on experience needed to gain knowledge on how to properly manage and operate a farm, ultimately revealed farm management as a future career option.
