Policy, drones & ethanol on intern’s work list

By Joe Conrad, NCGA-St. Louis intern

How time flies! I can’t believe that I am close to the half-way mark of my internship. Since my last blog I have had the opportunity to see a lot more of St. Louis. I had the chance to catch a Cardinals game, and check out the beautiful Ballpark Village just outside the stadium. I’ve also been down to The Loop, which is a revitalized area closer to downtown St. Louis. It has a variety of unique stores, an old movie theatre, and a music venue. I’ve found St. Louis is a fun city with something to do every night. Whether it is a free concert, a new place to go out and eat, or a Cards game there’s always something to do! Of course I have been taking advantage of the neighbor’s pool as well. Life is pretty good when you can come home and jump in the pool to relax. The one place I haven’t been yet that I need to see is The Hill area. It is the area of St. Louis where Italian immigrants settled, and I’ve been told it has the best Italian food around.

Work has been very interesting as I have a chance to sit-in on the weekly teleconference with the D.C. office. Being able to sit in on this meeting allows me to get an overview of the projects being worked on in our office and in D.C. It has helped me understand the broader picture of NCGA’s activities. I continue to work on the research on drones, and I have been in contact with a university professor and an industry expert to discover the potential of the technology in agriculture. I’ve been submitting drafts of the paper to our Director of Production, and I believe I will be presenting my findings at our July meeting. I also am working on developing a way to catalog ethanol articles for easy use around the office. This will be my long-term project, and I am excited to independently see it through all the phases of development. Along with those two major projects I have also been able to research various smaller items. I usually do some research, and type short memos to help the staff members with issues they don’t have time to research on their own.

I can’t say enough about how great the staff at NCGA has been. Everyone has been welcoming if I have questions, and they have certainly created some projects that have deepened my understanding of the organization, agriculture, and public policy. I am very excited for the July Corn Congress meeting in D.C. It has been fun watching all of the work that goes into creating such a big meeting. I can’t wait to see it all come together. This has been such a unique opportunity, and I am grateful to the Nebraska Corn Board and the National Corn Growers Association for the experiences I have gained.