As a sixth-generation farmer, it was special for me to be able to intern at my family's grain and poultry operation, where we farm around 3,000 acres of grain and raise 175,000 broiler chickens, right in my hometown of Sudlersville, MD. The most constructive part of my internship was being able to do something different every day, whether that was working on equipment in the shop or running equipment in the fields.
To start my summer off, I “picked up” 2 out of our 4 chicken houses, where I walked the houses to check everything, making sure there were no leaks or deceased birds. My favorite part of my internship came in the middle of the summer, the wheat harvest! We had around 750 acres of wheat to harvest this year. I started with running the combine the first few days, which is the machine that threshes the grain off the head of the plant. It is then loaded onto trucks and hauled to local grain mills owned by Perdue or Mountaire, where it is stored and used for their operations. Some interesting things that we were able to do were experience the Farm Credit field day, where they had a plot for field corn and other salesmen to walk around and check out the new hybrids and tests. As well as being able to sit in on some knowledge sessions on the grain market and upcoming fertilizer products that are shining across the states.
When it comes down to career goals, farming is something that is in my future. I've already started a few years ago renting my first farm and growing a crop of soybeans. I've always set my career goals very high and work hard to achieve them, and this internship gave me a broader outlook on what I want my career to look like. Some of the skills I was able to gain were setting up my own account at Nutrien Ag Solutions, as well as connecting with managers and salesmen to learn more about products and services, so I would say I was able to gain more business communication skills. A quote from my supervisor, “You have to love this lifestyle because it's never going to be easy, but it teaches more lessons than most jobs in the world”. To me, that was something I'll never forget. All I've dreamed of growing up was continuing the farm, which this internship gave me very useful insight and knowledge on how to carry on the legacy.
