Building the future

By Melissa Woeppel, Communications Intern

Every day the agriculture industry continues to change and adapt new technologies and improvements. Because of this it is vital for young adults to be actively involved in agricultural processes. MKC is doing its part to help prepare the next generation of agriculturalists through the internship program.

This summer MKC hired ten college students to complete internships at various locations and within a number of departments. According to Brett Myers, Director of HR and Development for MKC, most interns were recruited from their university of college career fair. "Others were either referred to the company or had previously been summer employees," he said.

As has been done in the past, each intern is assigned to a supervisor. In addition, interns are assigned goals to be completed prior to the end of the summer and tasked with completing a special project.

One unique project is being done by Jeff Graber, a senior at Wichita State University studying industrial engineering. His project involves creating flow diagrams for various MKC locations. While he doesn’t have a background in agriculture, Graber says he appreciates the experience he has had with MKC. "It has been very beneficial. I feel like most everything I have learned will end up having ties to any industry I end up working in," he stated.

Other interns have more experience in the agricultural industry. For Sarah Unruh, senior at Kansas State University, farming is part of who she is. Growing up near Durham, KS, she was riding in combines and helping with harvest at a young age. Working at a scale during wheat harvest has given her a new perspective of the whole process.

"It’s been a worthwhile experience to work at the scale. Seeing the pressures on the co-op helped me to understand how hard they work to meet customers’ needs," she explained.

A new aspect to this summer’s program was an overnight trip to Topeka to attend the "Co-ops 101" seminar presented by the Kansas Cooperative Council (KCC). The two-day seminar is designed for students attending college and interning at a KCC member cooperative during the summer. Presenters covered a range of topics important to cooperative business including guiding principles, benefits, viability and legislation. The conference also included tours of the Capitol in Topeka, as well as The Merc, a cooperatively run grocery store, located in Lawrence.

The interns all agreed the "Co-ops 101" sessions were the best part of the seminar. Ryan Clark, sophomore at Bethany College, enjoyed the educational aspect of the sessions. "Learning about the financial side of cooperative business gave me a better idea of the decision-making processes the board of directors’ use to keep a co-op successful," he commented.

Furthermore, all believed the best part of the trip to be spending time with each other and networking with other interns in the area. Brad Taillon, a graduate student at Fort Hays State University, added he enjoyed getting to know the other interns at MKC. "Because I don’t have a background in agriculture, the insight from my peers was invaluable. They really know their stuff," he stated.

When asked why MKC has an internship program, Myers responded, "MKC uses our internships as a two-month (plus) job interview. We get to check out the intern as a prospective employee and the intern also has a chance to check out MKC as a perspective employer." In addition, MKC’s internship program offers other benefits for the intern. "It serves as a life learning experience" that can be applicable in other employment and career fields, Myers said.

Shannon Blaes, a senior at Kansas State University, has found her internship experience to be very rewarding. "I’ve learned so many new things in my time with MKC. It has given me the opportunity to see a variety of different careers that I could pursue with a degree in Agricultural Economics," she said.

Agreeing with Blaes is Nick Wineinger, also a senior at Kansas State University. His internship focused on agronomy and sales. "Both of these areas were fairly foreign to me, especially sales," he explained. "I am truly thankful to have had these experiences. My knowledge has greatly expanded in these two valuable areas of agriculture."