Thank You Nebraska Corn Board!

#FunFactFriday Infographic

Where did the summer go? I can hardly believe that my full-time summer internship with the Nebraska Corn Board has passed, and I have already began my sophomore year at UNL. But, I am so glad that I get to continue this internship throughout this school year. I will be working in the office two days a week. Although I’ll definately miss being in the office surrounded by my outstanding co-workers all week, I am so excited to get another school year going. During my last few weeks in the office this summer I was very busy with several different projects; some that have been ongoing throughout the summer and some new projects.

Frog Fest Concert

My favorite ongoing project has been creating #funfactfriday infographics each week. These give me the chance to bring out my creative side and produce a graphic that can be used for many different promotional purposes, and posted on all social media sites. Another main project that the Nebraska Corn Board has been very focused on lately is supporting the Renewable Fuel Standard. We sent out 6,000 comment card mailings to corn growers and I kept track of the responses sent back in, and then recorded the information to be sent on to the Environmental Protection Agency. A new project I have been working on is promoting the 2015 International Year of Soils. I posted a blog featuring "Healthy Soils are the Basis for Healthy Food Production" and also a corresponding infographic for the month of July. I will do the same for the following five months of 2015, with each month featuring a different key fact about the importance of soils. Another ongoing project I have done throughout the summer has been creating a monthly E-Update email to be sent out to our contacts. Each month features a few important stories or blogs, and also either a recipe, video, or infographic. I really enjoy designing these and writing the blogs that coincide. Beginning in September, I will begin also creating an Educational E-Update to be sent out to agriculture teachers across the state. These will feature information that can be taught in classrooms as well as new apps relating to agriculture and students.

Myself, Emily, Susan, and Janet at Frog Fest

It is safe to say that I ended my internship on a high note this summer. The last project I was able to work on was planning our Frog Fest concert sponsorship. Frog Fest is a country concert put on by the Froggy 98 radio station and is held every summer. This year, American Ethanol was one of the sponsors for this great event! To top everything off, the headline was Lee Brice, which happens to be one of my favorite country singers, so that made it even better! Before the event, I worked with Emily on ordering promotional items and getting our booth space details worked out. On the day of the event, I traveled to Blue Stem Farms with Susan and Janet, and we then met up with Emily, and then began setting up our tent area. The event turned out to be a great success, with a record attendance. It was such a great environment to promote American Ethanol. We gave away koozies, bug repellant, head wraps, and meet-and-greet passes with Lee Brice. Not only did I just get to attend this event, but I was also able to go on stage with Emily to photograph the crowd! It was such a fun night spent with the best co-workers, in a super fun atmosphere, while also being able to promote the benefits of American Ethanol. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my full-time internship!

Myself with the Taiwan Trade Team at Green Plains Ethanol

After returning to work for my final week in the office, I was able to attend yet one more amazing experience. The U.S. Grains Council hosted a Taiwan Corn & DDGS Survey Team to tour the U.S, and they actually made a stop in my hometown, Seward, NE! The first day I was with this trade team, we went to Alan Tiemann's farm and showed this trade team all of the equipment he uses and talked with them about specific farming practices in Nebraska. Later that day we took the team to the Seward County Fair. This was exciting for me to be able to show them something I am so passionate about, since I grew up as a 4-H member and have been a part of the Seward County Fair my entire life. The trade team loved watching the hog show and looking at all of the 4-H exhibits. A couple days later I met up with the trade team again, but this time in Lincoln. We toured several different businesses. We went to Lincoln Inspection Service, Brandon Hunnicutt's farm in Giltner, Aurora Cooperative, and Green Plains Ethanol in Central City. The trade team was very engaged at each of our stops and had many great questions about agriculture and corn production in Nebraska.

Trade Team Giving Gift to Hunnicutt's

Overall, my time this summer at the Nebraska Corn Board was  everything I had hoped it to be and more. I can't thank each of my co-workers enough for everything they did for me this summer, and for teaching me not only more about the corn industry, but more about myself as well. I plan to take all of the skills and knowledge I gained this summer into my future coursework at UNL, and also into a future career someday. I am so thankful for each of the experiences I have been able to be apart of. Never did I think I would be backstage at a Lee Brice concert or giving a Taiwain Trade Team a tour of my hometown county fair. But I am so grateful that the NCB allowed me to do so. I can't wait to see where the next nine months take me!