From Dirt Roads to Downtown

By Morgan Schilling, NCB office intern, Lincoln, Nebraska.

            As I exited the state office building after my first official day of my internship with the Nebraska Corn Board, numerous feelings rushed throughout my head.  I felt eager, passionate, and a little intimidated as I walked past the state capitol building on the way to my pickup.  Coming from a farm and ranch south of McCook, NE, I am used to walking through fields of corn and checking cattle on grass, not maneuvering my way through a crowd of suited businessmen.

           

I’m honored to have received the opportunity to be a staff member in the Nebraska Corn Board office in Lincoln.  Even though my internship has been a much different experience than I’m used to, I am enjoying it greatly and find it a tremendous opportunity to observe what all goes into the agriculture industry besides just the nitty-gritty hands on work that I’m used to.

           

As the market development and communications intern, I have been able to help with many of the Corn Board’s promotional activities.  I participated in my first American Ethanol promotion a couple of weeks ago.  During this event, we sold E85 fuel for $0.85 for three hours at the Sapp Bros. fueling station in Omaha.  It was great to talk to the general public about the many benefits of American Ethanol, especially noting the positive impact it has on the environment.  I also have traveled to the Children’s Groundwater Festival in Grand Island and to Werner Park in Omaha for their ag night.  At both of these events, we conversed with the public about how Nebraska corn affects their daily lives and how it plays a huge role in our state’s economy.

As a continuous project throughout my internship, I will be helping update the corn board’s social media networks with current issues and topics.  These topics include the state’s current crop progress, E-Agletter’s, E-agUpdates, and blogs.  By doing this, the public can get a better understanding of Nebraska corn and can also learn about topics and issues they may have not been aware of.

As a Nebraska Corn Board intern, I want to leave a lasting impact on not only the corn board, but also on people’s understanding of agriculture and the corn industry.  To accomplish this, I have created a video series, titled “The Journey”, which will follow Nebraska corn from seed to product.  I feel that this will be a great way to connect with people and share new aspects of Nebraska corn and how it has an impact on the state.

I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Nebraska Corn Board team and I am anticipating a great time during the remainder of my internship.  I look forward to making some lasting connections with people not only in my home state, but also across the entire country.