My New Summer Home: National Corn Growers Association - St. Louis, Missouri

Hi! I'm Renae Sieck, I grew up on a farm in southeastern Nebraska. It’s safe to say I was nervous moving to a city whose metropolitan area has one million more people than the combined population of my home state. Honestly, it took a while to get used to taking a five-lane interstate to work. I don’t

know if I will ever be used to the traffic jams and sitting completely still in places the speed limit is actually 60. But after three weeks in St. Louis, I can easily say that I am enjoying my new summer home.

I spent my first week here in the office learning about the different teams that make up the staff and
what the responsibilities of each are. This was a great opportunity to ask questions and learn what projects were happening here at NCGA. Week two was a very busy week on the public policy side of the organization because of the release of the President’s FY 2018 budget. This caused the beginning of new projects in the communications team where I work.

During my time here I have had the opportunity to write news of the day articles, design social media posts, do research for articles, create interview questions, and brainstorm ideas for my summer projects. I learned about the communications strategy of the organization, new and exciting research being done, partnerships being created with other organizations, and the effects of certain policy on the corn industry. I am very excited to continue doing these things and others as the summer continues!

This blog wouldn’t be complete without bragging a little bit about how amazing my coworkers are. They have been extremely helpful not only learning about NCGA but also giving me all sorts of great suggestions of unique foods (like Imo’s pizza with provel cheese and pork steaks) and must-see tourist attractions in the city. They are welcoming, fun, and supportive and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to work with all of them.

Outside of the office I have had a wonderful time exploring the city with new friends. I have met interns from different companies in the city who live at the same apartment complex as me. This has given me the opportunity to become friends with people from the east coast, west coast, and everywhere in between. We have gone to the zoo, explored Forest Park, and played a lot of sand volleyball. I can’t wait to see what other adventures will come during the rest of my summer with NCGA!

Renae Sieck
National Corn Growers Association, National Office
632 Cepi Drive
Chesterfield, MO 63005
Office: 636.733.9004