FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Kiersten Swickard, a student in the agriculture program at Ivy Tech Community College Northeast, wants to have her own beef operation someday. She knows she has much to learn before she achieves that goal.

 

Toward that end, Swickard, 21 on June 12, is spending this spring and summer as an intern on the grain farm of Pat and Andy Wyss in southern Allen County. Ivy Tech requires an internship for any student working toward a two-year associate of applied science in agriculture degree. The internships may be on a farm or with ag-related businesses such as feed mills, fertilizer companies, grain marketing or agriculture finance.

“After Kelli (Kreider, chair of Ivy Tech’s agriculture program) sent out an email about the opportunity to work at their farm, I was the first person to talk with them,” Swickard recalled. “I told myself I was going to do my best to get the job.

“I’ve never worked on a grain farm. I don’t know much about grain farming and want to know more.” At the Wyss farm, she’s been learning about the equipment and how to drive a tractor. She’s also gained insight into the decision-making process and is studying some test plots on the farm.

The purpose of the internship is to give students an opportunity to work in their areas of interest, Kreider said. “The goal is for the experience to go well enough for both parties that the students are offered full-time employment after completing a successful internship period.”

Swickard plans to complete her second year at Ivy Tech beginning this fall and then transfer to Purdue University, where she expects to earn her degree in agriculture management.

Kreider related a story of how Ivy Tech’s internship program helped another student land a job. The student was intimidated to approach companies about an internship – so Kreider took her to the Fort Wayne Farm Show, where she was able to meet representatives of several businesses.

“By the end of our rounds through the show, she had lots of contact information and was no longer intimidated by approaching people,” Kreider said. 

 

“Fast-forward (and) she was hired as an intern with a local seed company, successfully completed the internship, was offered and accepted a full-time sales position with the company – and was back at the farm show working the seed company booth the following year. This story is what I live to help my students achieve.”

The internship requirement has been part of Ivy Tech’s agriculture program since it began in the fall of 2013, Kreider said. The program started with seven students and has grown to more than 60. The college has graduated two classes of more than 20 students.

Fort Wayne is the latest campus to have the internship program; it’s been on six other campuses for more than 10 years. The internships may be paid or volunteer, depending on the situation, she said.

“I attempt to explain (the importance of an internship) to them, but until they are actually in their internships and seeing and learning the importance, many of them do not fully understand the power it holds,” Kreider explained. “But they have to put forth the work and dedication, as well. I’ve had interns nearly fired due to poor work habits.”

The internship program is a new experience for the Wyss family, which operates Wyss Farms Enterprises GP.

“Kiersten doesn’t have any exposure to grain farming,” Andy Wyss said. “She worked with us this spring getting the equipment ready. I taught her about the technology in the tractors – the monitors, auto-steer. That was stuff she had no exposure to. I also made the point of getting her in the tractor with me to learn about the technical side of farming.”

They’ve also shown her some of the other things that need to get done around the farm, such as taking care of fallen trees and tile washouts that require repair.

“She has a positive attitude and is very willing to help,” Pat Wyss said. “We’re trying to show her we’re not always in the field, but there’s always something to keep you busy. Anytime you can have a hands-on experience, you can’t beat that. Fewer and fewer young people today have the experience of growing up on a farm. Getting out of the classroom and onto the farm is important.”

Businesses interested in participating in the internship program may email Kreider at kkreider5@ivytech.edu