Forty-one college students are exploring agricultural career opportunities this summer as GROWMARK interns. They are working at FS companies in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada; as well as the GROWMARK corporate office in Bloomington, Illinois, and GROWMARK FS in the northeast.
"This internship program continues to be a key component in identifying and retaining top talent for the GROWMARK System," said Kayla Portwood, GROWMARK university relations manager. "Students engage with industry professionals on important projects and have the opportunity to clarify career goals, while we get exposed to some of the most talented university students."
This is the 59th year for the GROWMARK internship program which began in 1959. Over the years, more than 1,100 students have been involved in the program.
The interns come to FS and GROWMARK from:
Delaware State University
- Jessie Williams, West Central FS
Delaware Valley University
- Ryan Herstine, GROWMARKFS
Illinois State University
- Kalin Salz, AgView FS
- Zach Collins, Evergreen FS
- Matt Reuss, Gateway FS
- Nora Turner, Gold Star FS
- Mike Miner, GROWMARK
- Ty Tucker, GROWMARK
- Suzanne DeLoriea, GROWMARK
Iowa State University
- Nolan Webster, AgVantage FS
- Sam Moore, AgVantage FS
- Willow Griffith, Gold Star FS
- Ryan Snider, New Century FS
- Trace Bolsinger, New Century FS
- Pedrick Garrett, Prairieland FS
- Julia Edlefson, Three Rivers FS
Maranatha Baptist University
- Kelsey Johnson, Insight FS
Murray State University
- Josh Beard, Gold Star FS
Ohio State University
- Joseph Taylor, Legacy Farmers Cooperative
Quincy University
- Edward Plesha, GROWMARK
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
- Alex Smith, Carroll Service Company
- Kurtis Clapper, Illini FS
- Logan Hosick, Wabash Valley Service Company
- Brennan McVey, St. Clair Service Company
SUNY Cobleskill
- Katherine Hopkins
University of Guelph
- Allison Bailey, FS Partners
- Ian Brunsveld, FS Partners
- Emma Chappell, FS Partners
- Bradey Cowenberg, Wanstead Farmers Co-operative
University of Illinois
- Immanuel Hartfield, GROWMARK
- AJ Marsiglio, GROWMARK
- Stephen Riskedal, West Central FS
University of Wisconsin – Platteville
- Elizabeth Arrigoni, Conserv FS
- Brad Comstock, Conserv FS
- Craig Medema, Insight FS
- Paige Dilley, Insight FS
- Kyle Shephard, Insight FS
- Kal Fischer, Insight FS
- Alyssa Demrow, Insight FS
Western Illinois University
- Brenton Dalton, M & M Service Company
- April Leinberger, Sunrise FS
Exploring Agriculture program
Nineteen students are taking part in GROWMARK's summer Exploring Agriculture Internship program. The students are spending 10 weeks working at FS companies in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
The interns are exposed firsthand to the inner workings of retail energy and agribusinesses to help them evaluate future career aspirations. The students will be operating field research and crop monitoring equipment and technology for scouting, assisting with facility and equipment maintenance and repair, and building professional relationships with FS personnel and customers while learning the different products and services they offer.
"The Exploring Agriculture Intern program was developed to help build relationships between students and faculty at colleges and technical school level and our FS member companies," said Kayla Portwood, GROWMARK university relations manager. "We are striving to provide students with hands-on experiences, allowing them to gain a strong understanding of the GROWMARK System and the agriculture industry," she added.
The interns, serving FS companies in the GROWMARK System, come from:
Ellsworth Community College
- Tyler Rose, AgVantage FS
Fox Valley Technical College
- Hannah Pfefferle, Insight FS
Hawkeye Community College
- Nate Van Buren, New Century FS
Heartland Community College
- Sarah Widener, Sunrise FS
Joliet Junior College
- Andrew Blair, Evergreen FS
- Eli Gile, GRAINCO FS
- Victor Johns, Evergreen FS
Kirkwood Community College
- Brice Hodnefield, New Century FS
Lincoln Land Community College
- Maddie Ray, Prairieland FS
- Shane Eggimann, Christian County FS
McHenry County College
- Scott Hyland, Conserv FS
North Central Technical College
- Noah Beran, Insight FS
Parkland College
- Kaitlin Blackford, Illini FS
Southeast Missouri State University
- Stefan Clenin, Prairieland FS
Southwest Technical College
- Kegan Stibbe, Insight FS
- John Harris, Insight FS
Spoon River College
- Jessie Williams, West Central FS
University of Wisconsin – Platteville
- Emily Heckert, Insight FS
- Tayler Rupnow, Insight FS
GROWMARK is an agricultural cooperative with annual sales of $7.3 billion (FY 2017 data) providing agronomy, energy, facility planning, and logistics products and services, as well as grain marketing and risk management services in more than 40 states and Ontario, Canada. GROWMARK owns the FS trademark, which is used by affiliated member cooperatives. More information is available at www.growmark.com
