Recapping the Summer Internship Experience

Written by Nina Flanigan (marketing intern)

This summer, three eager college students were selected to participate in the Farm Credit of the Virginias (FCV) annual summer internship program. The interns were each based in a different department. Zachary Bell explored his interests with the information technology (IT) team, Nina Flanigan worked with the Marketing department and Grace Fravel assisted the human resources (HR) department. Zach, Nina and Grace spent the summer participating in farm tours, attending events, working with their mentor and completing project work in their designated department. Each intern came away from the experience with a better understanding of how Farm Credit operates and supports agriculture and rural communities as well as practical experience in their desired area of focus. 

Farm Tours

Year after year, farm visits remain a highlight of the FCV summer internship program, in which the interns travel to farming operations and agribusinesses to gain a better understanding of production agriculture and the role Farm Credit plays in supporting these operations. On each visit, the interns tour the property and hear an overview of the operation, including production practices, the history of the operation, how they market their products and much more.

Alongside their mentors, the first farm visit the interns enjoyed this year following orientation was at Harmony Harvest Farm (pictured below), a family-run, fresh-cut flower farm in Weyers Cave, Va. The interns learned why the family chose to grow flowers instead of more conventional agricultural commodities, such as cattle or grains, and how the operation has expanded over the years to meet growing demand. Today, Harmony Harvest Farms ships fresh-cut bouquets and DIY flower boxes nationwide. They are excellent advocates for the American grown flower movement.  Did you know that more than 80% of cut flowers sold in the United States are imported? Learn more: hhfshop.com

The interns kicked off their next outing with the Leesburg team at the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center at Morven Park, which offers advanced specialty care, 24-hour emergency treatment and diagnostic services for all ages and breeds of horses. The interns toured the facility and learned about some of the cutting-edge research taking place to advance equine sports medicine and the industry as a whole. Learn more: emc.vetmed.vt.edu/

Next, the interns traveled to Lovettsville, Va. with the Leesburg team to tour Long Stone Farm (pictured below), a highly-diversified, grass-fed livestock operation, owned by Justin and Casey Wisch. The Wisches are committed to conservation and use regenerative agriculture practices to encourage healthier soil and additional environmental benefits. In addition to their two farm stores and tasting room, they are also involved in agritourism, in which they host farm-to-table dinners and farm tours, allowing community members to visit the farm and gain a better understanding of where their food comes from. Learn more: longstonefarmva.com

The interns conducted two farm tours in FCV's southeast region. First, they visited Briar View Farms in Callands, Va., where they learned the ins and outs of tobacco production. In addition to tobacco, the farm produces beef, poultry, small grains and hemp. 

Following Briar View Farms, the team visited Hammock Dairy in Chatham, Va. (pictured below), a dairy operation which milks more than 800 Holstein cows. The Hammock family gave the interns a tour of the facility, including the new milking parlor, which was finished in February. 

Next, the interns crossed state lines to visit Gritt’s Farm in Buffalo, W. Va., where they learned about the multi-generational produce and agritourism operation. The interns were interested to learn about the farm's largest seasonal agritourism attraction, Gritt’s Fun Farm. Gritt’s Fun Farm offers a pumpkin patch, hayrides, a corn maze, games and much more in the fall. Additionally, Gritt’s Farm offers farm-to-table dinners, pick-your-own sunflowers and more. Learn more: grittsfarm.com

The next destination in which the interns conducted farm tours was Wyndale Gardens in Abingdon, Va., an aquaponics operation. Aquaponics is the combination of two farming practices: hydroponics (growing plants without soil) and aquaculture (raising fish). Using this method, the Ramsey family primarily produces green butter lettuce. Additionally, they produce local honey and maintains a small flock of poultry. Check out the video at the following link featuring Wyndale Gardens to learn more: https://bit.ly/4fI3tym

Then, the interns spent two days conducting visits with the agribusiness team. First, they toured Lewis Nursery in Cascade, Va. (pictured below), a large nursery that has been in operation since 1907, growing trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials. Learn more: lewisnurseryinc.com

Next, the interns joined the agribusiness team for a tour of Gross Orchard, another century-old, family-owned produce operation and farm store in Bedford, Va. Learn more: grossorchard.com/

Lastly, the interns toured Turman Lumber Company in Radford, Va. (pictured below), which was established in 1979. The sawmill in Radford produces an average of 120,000 board feet (BF) per day of quality Appalachian lumber. The interns learned that Turman Lumber Company is owned by The Turman Group, which contains multiple wood product companies in Southwest and Central Virginia. Involved in every step of the forestry process, from felling the timber, transporting it to the sawmill and milling it to fit specific domestic or export needs, The Turman Group manufactures all grades of lumber. Learn more: turmanlumber.com

Project Work

When the interns were not farm touring, they spent their days working on individual projects. Interns were assigned project work to offer hands-on experience and the opportunity to grow their skills sets, specific to their desired career path. 

Nina took lead on developing a customer testimonial video for the marketing team, provided social media support, drafted customer feature stories and authored this article, recapping the summer internship experience.

Zach performed remediation on employees’ computers for the IT team and made sure that they were running the latest software, which helps to keep the machines from being exposed to vulnerabilities. Zach said, “In school, we talk about different recommended remediation practices, but it was interesting to apply them first-hand.” 

Grace helped the HR team get information to prepare for upcoming career fairs, contacted food banks and backpack programs as possible volunteer opportunities for employee, and called the Chamber of Commerce in each area where there is an FCV branch to help plan future events.

Shadowing Opportunities and Events

Outside of their designated departments, interns also shadowed FCV employees in other departments of interest. Nina shadowed lending and credit where she learned more about the loan process. Grace shadowed different departments weekly to gain better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each. She said, “It was a wonderful opportunity to gain experience and interact with many employees.” 

In addition to farm tours and project work, the interns also attended a few events. Nina and Grace attended the Harrisonburg Customer Appreciation Event at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds where they were able to network with Farm Credit employees and meet customers. 

In late June, Nina and Grace also attended the Farm Credit Basics training for interns in Columbia, Sc. While there, they toured AgFirst Farm Credit Bank and they were briefed on Farm Credit's cooperative structure, GSE status, lending philosophy and more. The trip allowed the interns to gain a greater understanding of our partnership with our funding bank while networking with employees and other summer interns. 

While Nina and Grace were in Columbia, Zach had the opportunity to attend the Virginia State FFA Convention, where he talked to students about his internship experience. 

Final Presentations

Unfortunately, the jam-packed summer came to an end very quickly. On the last day of the internship, Zach, Nina and Grace were tasked with giving a final presentation to their mentors, managers, senior leadership and others. This was a chance for interns to share what they learned, present projects they completed and share any feedback to improve the internship program in the future. The interns are pictured below with their mentors following their final presentations. 

Takeaways

Overall, Zach, Nina and Grace agreed the internship was an excellent opportunity. The interns built their networks and developed their professional skillsets. 

Zach said, “I enjoyed all of the projects I was involved in and getting to know the IT team. A key takeaway was learning a lot about the different steps that FCV takes in order to secure information and mitigate risk.” 

Nina said, “My favorite part was going on the farm tours and gathering information to feature the customers. I also loved the environment at FCV– it is such a respectful and supportive community.” 

Last but not least, Grace said, “Having the opportunity to shadow many of the departments and gather a basic understanding of the role each one plays in the organization was my favorite part. It is evident that Farm Credit and their employees truly care about the people and community they serve. I learned that when opportunities are presented, I need to take them and not be afraid of learning new things.”