Unexpected Lessons

By Morgan Nelson, NCGA-DC intern, Masters of Public Service and Administration Candidate at the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M, Legal Studies graduate from Chadron State College

It’s now Week 6 in DC at the NCGA Office!

This internship experience has been great not only because of the experiences and learning opportunities, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and my family as well. Before I left, my dad (who is a career firefighter/flight paramedic) taught me about some of the technical farming topics I might encounter that were being used in the neighborhood. He grew up on a farm near Enola (north of Madison, NE) where we’ve recently had some baby calves. My grandpa (on my dad’s side), Leland Nelson, was one of the first members on the pork check-off board a very long time ago. Needless to say, my internship has brought out some very cool stories about the family that I didn’t know.

NCGA is involved in pollination issues as well, which was another odd strike of luck for me. I grew up assisting my dad’s beekeeping operation. Not only would I suit up and help tend the bees, but I helped extract and sell the honey. I’m not sure which is worse, detasseling corn or extracting honey (yes, I did both). Because I’ve been away at college for five years (and was a busy high school kid before that) I haven’t done anything with the bees for a long time. Not to mention sad losses of bees at home and nationwide. My dad’s knowledge of the issues facing beekeepers nationwide has been a great resource for my knowledge about the issue with regards to my internship. He was previously a State Bee Inspector, and illustrated the very issues that were recently briefed on Capitol Hill.

When I left Nebraska as a country kid (not a farm kid), I thought that my lack of farming experience would put me behind quite a bit. What I learned instead (and found to be a truly valuable lesson), is that it takes all kinds to complete the necessary knowledge in an organization.

Read more about the Nebraska Corn Board supported internships here.