INTERN SCOOP
VOL. 2 | JULY 2024
OVERVIEW
Trainings 3 & 4
Intern Career
Developoment Day
Intern Updates
TRAININGS
JUNE
14
The third intern training was held at the Farmamerica plots in Waseca, MN. Crystal Valley’s Ag Technology Manager, Jason Leary, gave an overview about what research is done on the plot throughout the year and what Farmamerica’s purpose is. The plot is used year around for various research and data collection that gives valuable insights for Crystal Valley to use. The intern group heard from Bayer, who partners with Crystal Valley and its growers to be on the cutting edge with the latest products and the best traits. The two representatives explained how their seed business works and what you must do to make it successful. They also gave an overview of the products they offer, focusing on corn root worms. The group also heard from Tony Jacobs - Sales Agronomist, who went over several different corn and soybean diseases as well as more valuable crop science knowledge.
JUNE
28
The last training in June was moved indoors to the Mankato office because of the forecasted rain but that did not stop the learning opportunities. Jason LearyAg Technology Manager talked about controllable yield factors, soil test scores, fungicide responses, and the “meat and potatoes” it takes to feed crops all the way through the growing season. Sales Agronomist, Tony Jacobs, brought in corn and soybean plants to see what growing stage they were in and gave insight about soil fertility and grid soil samples.
BASF sent three representatives to discuss current products they offer and the main products that Crystal Valley uses for corn and soybean production.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT DAY
As a part of Crystal Valley’s internship program, they offer a career development day to broaden the intern’s experience over the summer. On June 20th, the interns spent the day in the Mankato office where they were met by several different people. Cindra Kamphoff kicked off the day by walking through her curriculum about “Developing the High-Performance Mindset: Powerful Practices to Gain the Edge.” Cindra is an author, motivational speaker, and professional certified coach who helps leaders reach their highest potential faster. Roger Kienholz, Crystal Valley’s CEO, joined the group and held a Q&A session where he discussed Crystal Valley’s history and answered any questions the interns had. Following Roger, four employees that are new to their career path at Crystal Valley talked about their experience so far and what an average day looks like. The employee panel consisted of: Clayton Hora - Precision Ag Consultant, Chloe Stitt - Sales Agronomist, Alex Louwagie - Sales Agronomist, and Colby Wagenaar - Feed Account Manager. They also took time to answer questions from the interns that ranged from their post college transition, to daily routine strategies. To end the day, one of Edward Jones’ Financial Advisors, Jeremy Drexler, gave an overview about the importance of starting a 401k early.
KARLIE DEGROOD
Grain Marketing Intern | Hope
As a fourth-generation farmer from Faribault, MN, Karlie has seen many sides of the agricultural industry. Her family raises corn, soybeans, and alfalfa, along with dairy heifers and commercial hogs. In her role as the grain intern, she has had the opportunity to help load several trains and meet/connect with the farms as they come through the Hope facility.
Throughout the rest of the summer, she will be fine tuning the terminology learned within the grain marketing industry and continue applying it to her daily tasks.
“Looking back to when I first started, I have learned so much already revolving around the grain industry and the different dynamics that surround grain marketing. It has been very exciting being able to take my knowledge and hold several conversations with farmers to learn more about their operations.”
Karlie’s Project
Because the USDA will no longer be releasing crop production reports by county for each state, Karlie’s project will be collecting data from the previous three years from the USDA, finding the bushels planted and harvested, and the average yields for both corn and soybeans. She will be collecting data from several surrounding counties that Crystal Valley services and even pulling some information from our past grain inventories. With the information acquired, she will be analyzing where the grain commodity was shipped to, what the total demand at county level is, what it was used for (feed, ethanol, etc.), and what the future looks like for Crystal Valley grain by estimating the possible inventory in the upcoming years.
CHRISTIAN TENTIS
Sales Agronomist Intern | Nicollet
As a Sales Agronomist intern in Nicollet, Christian has been getting out in the field and applying concepts learned in the classroom to real-life situations he is faced with. He has obtained a better understanding of farmers and their operations when he is scouting fields and talking to them, allowing him to build connections. Christian is still learning everything that goes into crop production and hopes to help load an aerial sprayer with chemical before the end of the summer.
Working in Nicollet has been amazing and I’m excited for what’s in store for me for the remainder of the summer.
The goal of Christian’s summer project is to analyze four different corn traits and their resistance to corn root worms with and without an in-furrow insecticide. His research data will come from the Nicollet corn plot where he will be comparing roots by doing root digs, floats, and placing sticky traps to determine the severity of the corn root worms. From the results, he will learn how each hybrid and their traits perform with and without insecticide applied.
MORGAN ROBINSON
Sales Agronomist Intern | Janesville
Although Morgan did not grow up on a farm, she found her passion for agriculture and agronomy through family members involved in the industry. This led her to seek out a Sales Agronomist internship for the summer going into her senior year at Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in Agribusiness and Food Innovation with a Finance emphasis and Entrepreneurship certificate. This summer, Morgan has enjoyed visiting farms and talking to farmers, learning about their operation and unique approaches with each one. Every visit brings new knowledge to network with local farmers. She has also scouted numerous fields for weeds, moisture levels, crop emergence, and diseases. One of her biggest highlights this far has been driving a seed tender and delivering soybeans to growers.
Morgan’s project throughout the summer focuses on the effectiveness of six pre-emergence herbicides in controlling weeds for corn and soybeans. She will be evaluating eight different fields for corn and eight more fields for beans.
I'm eager to learn how to acquire a new grower, specifically focusing on establishing those initial connections with farmers.
The three corn herbicides she will be comparing are Calibra, SureStart, and Verdict. For soybeans, she will be comparing Tendovo, Zidua Pro, and Authority First. Additionally, each crop will have a control field without any pre-emergence herbicide application. To measure the effectiveness, Morgan will be monitoring the emergence of different weed species across the various treatments and how long the residuals hold. She will take into consideration the organic matter content of each field to understand how it might influence herbicide performance.