Our work at Cornell Ag Workforce Development is mainly with current farm employers and employees. Occasionally, however, we interact with the college students who will be the future of our industry. I asked Cornell senior, Avery Pound, to share his thoughts about his recent internship. Employers should pay special attention to his observations about successful internships and overall employee recruiting.

Richard Stup

In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education and career development, Avery Pound’s journey represents a bold deviation from the traditional path. For most students, the thought of taking a semester off to intern might seem daunting, but Avery’s decision to spend the spring semester of his junior year immersed in the dairy industry of the Texas Panhandle was anything but conventional. Utilizing spare credits and a winter term, Avery chose to embark on a six-month internship at a large, modern dairy farm, an opportunity that not only saved on tuition costs but also offered invaluable experience in agribusiness management. In this post, Avery delves into the unique insights gained from this extended internship, shedding light on the advantages of long-term internships and the multifaceted approaches to employee recruitment. From the hands-on experience of working within a booming dairy industry to the strategic benefits of extended internships, Avery’s reflections provide a compelling case for thinking outside the box in the pursuit of career and educational growth.

Avery reflected on his experience below:

Avery Pound
ajp299@cornell.edu

Avery is an Agricultural Sciences senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

Many people would argue that I have chosen a very non-traditional route to my senior year by utilizing spare credits accumulated in high school, a winter term, and throughout the semesters. I decided to take a leap from traditional studies and spend what would have been the spring semester of my junior year at Cornell interning in the Texas Panhandle for a large dairy farm. Six month internships are generally rare, with few college students opting for them due to the opportunity cost of missing out on a semester of college or losing the chance to study abroad.

For me, the decision was simple. Without adding any time to my four year undergraduate college experience, I could forego tuition costs for an entire semester, earn money, live in a unique area outside of rural New York or my home state of Illinois, and most importantly, gain a  unique perspective on agribusiness management. Texas recently passed New York as the 4th highest state in milk production in the nation, producing over 16.5 billion pounds in 2023. After performing two three-month internships with both my family’s farming operation and a corporate agricultural manufacturer, a six month internship at this large, modern dairy business provided a couple of unique takeaways regarding internships.

One major takeaway was the power of a six-month internship. These internships are beneficial because interns start to gain a clearer understanding of the entire operation after one or two months. During this time, they are being acquainted with different executives, managers, and employees, enabling them to communicate effectively within the organization. After discussing my projects and week-to-week responsibilities ahead of time, the first few weeks shed light on aspects I wished to learn more about. The latter months allowed me to delve deeper into specific projects and embed myself further into the company. For an employer, this type of internship allows them to identify and develop talent before the student graduates. In my case, I could now seek work with the company post-graduation and transition smoothly into many different roles due to my familiarity with the organization.

Another takeaway is the power of utilizing multiple forms of employee recruitment. The recruitment process begins in the community by prioritizing factors that make locals appreciate businesses, such as donations to charitable and public groups, on-time payments to vendors, and a positive presence by owners, managers, and employees. The next step includes utilizing tools like H2A labor, TN visas, and local ads for open positions. Finally, the use of interns still in college to perform a myriad of tasks generally centered around data collection, management, and analysis provides many opportunities to employers. Interns are exposed to all aspects of the business, with six-month interns being involved in a wider variety of tasks. Having multiple enterprises and managers/executives willing to provide resources for interns to learn, perform meaningful tasks, and ask questions creates a positive experience that is attractive to return to post-graduation.

Internships are often what students make of them and must be invested in by the supervisor for the employer to benefit. The primary reasons employers offer internships are to give back to aspiring students in their field, complete projects that might otherwise go unfinished, and recruit future talent. Both parties can prosper from a positive internship experience, providing significant utility to employers looking to recruit young talent.

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The post The Power of 6 Month Internships – A reflection by Avery Pound appeared in The Ag Workforce Journal.