Past Interns

Hometown: Alden, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Major: Agricultural Systems and Technology

Chris was interested in FC because of the number of locations and many different positions.  He wanted to learn more about agronomy and the other side of production agriculture.  Chris feels that the best part of his internship was that he is learned something new everyday.  Throughout his internship he learned many new things about agronomy, much more than he ever expected.  He was surprised at how friendly the people are at FC and how much they care about safety.  Being a summer intern, Chris never expected to see and work with the members of the senior staff as much as he did.  He would recommend this internship to anyone who is interested in the agronomic side of agriculture.

Hometown: Sigourney, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Major: Agricultural Business

Jess decided to take an internship with FC because he wanted to learn more about the agriculture industry and see what it is like to farm in other parts of the state.  During his internship he learned a lot about what it takes to run a successful business.  During his internship he was surprised by how many locations he visited and how large the grain department is at FC.  His recommendation for future interns would be to jump in and try to learn everything you can.

Hometown: Hubbard, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Majors: Agricultural Business, Public Service and Administration in Agriculture, and Economics

Rita chose to pursue an internship with FC because she felt that FC was a solid, reputable company that would help her gain a better understanding of the agriculture industry.  Rita enjoyed that every day was never the same working at FC.  She got a well-rounded look at agriculture and enjoyed the projects that she worked on.  During her internship she learned many things; the most important of those is how critical a cooperative’s relationship is with its customers.  She learned about the challenges and rewards when dealing with customers.  Rita was surprised by how much territory FC covers and how large the company is, yet they are some of the friendliest people around and that FC is truly a “small town company.”  Rita’s recommendation to future interns would be to keep an open mind.  There may be some areas of the internship that won’t interest you, but those areas could be where you would learn the most and finally, if you do not understand something just ask. 

Hometown: Danbury, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Major: Agricultural Business

Matt chose to interview with FC because he had visited FC and the people seemed very welcoming.  Matt enjoyed visiting all of the locations and learning more about FC’s operations.  He was surprised how large FC is but yet how small of a company it is.  Matt’s recommendations to future interns would be to try to learn everything FC has to offer, because somewhere in the company there is a job for everyone.

Hometown: Galva, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Major: Agricultural Studies

Before coming to FC Nathan talked to another employee and thought that an Operations Internship seemed like a great opportunity.  He enjoyed doing many different things within the company because he got to learn a lot.  During his internship he received knowledge and experience in running a business and how a cooperative works.  Nathan was surprised by how much FC cares about safety and their employees.  Nathan’s recommendation for future interns would be to get the most out of your internship and to not be afraid to ask questions.

Hometown: Nora Springs, Iowa
College: Iowa State University
Majors: Agricultural Business and Economics

Laura learned about the FC 101 internship during FC’s scholarship reception.  The best part of her internship was that each day was different and she got to travel around the state meeting new people in the agriculture industry.  During her internship she learned how important communication is to accomplishing goals in a large business.  Laura never expected to experience as much of the daily operations in the company as she gets to, from board meetings to staff meetings and departmental operations to field work, everyone at FC was very willing to incorporate interns into their daily activities.  Laura would recommend this internship to anyone, especially if you do not know exactly what kind of job you would be interested in.  This internship opens up many doors to different opportunities in agriculture, can be helpful in narrowing down what you would like to do and the staff is dedicated to helping you succeed within your internship.

Hometown: Lester, Iowa
College & Year: Iowa State University-Senior
Majors: Agricultural Business and Economics

Devin was the QMS intern during the summer of 2006.  He decided to take a position with FC because he toured the site during a club event and was a scholarship recipient from them.  He enjoyed having a large variety of things to do during his internship and the people he worked with on a daily basis.  He learned many things during his internship including prioritizing, organizing and how a business runs.  Devin recommends that future interns try to keep an open mind, try something new and challenge yourself to learn new things each day.