Agricultural and EXTENSION Education

The extension part of an Agricultural and Extension Education major usually refers to the extension offices located within each county.  During the Summer of 2013 I was one of two interns working with Lancaster County 4-H Extension at the Farm and Home Center in Manheim, PA.  

    

 

There are a few important pieces of information you should know about the youth organization 4-H before I describe what I did as an intern. There are FOUR H's that stand for HANDS, HEART, HEAD, HEALTH which encompasses their pledge:

I pledge my my head to clearer thinking, 

my heart to greater loyalty, 

my hands to larger service, 

and my health to better living 

for my club, my community, my country, and my world

Their motto is:

To make the best better

These were words I use to say starting as an 8 year at my community and livestock club meetings. Community clubs refer to a variety of clubs that youth can sign-up to learn and acquire skills of a certain topic from. The youth will complete records and a project and compete at their county round-ups for placements. Some of these clubs are knitting, sewing, cake decorating, baking/cooking, archery, rocketry, ceramics, art, and many more. There is also opportunities to start practicing and developing leadership skills by being on the executive board for your areas community clubs.

The livestock clubs work similarly. As a participant you chose which animal you want to raise for a certain time span and you keep records, learn skills, collaborate with your leaders, and attend monthly meetings. Again, you will show your animal at round-up and then show and sale your animal at your local fair. Some of the livestock you can raise are swine, sheep, dairy beef, goats, and beef. There are also equine and rabbits clubs. 

Both community and livestock clubs not only teach you individual skills, record keeping, and financial literacy, but they present multiple opportunities to start developing your public speaking and leadership skills. Youth can start at the age of 8 and can continue until the age of 18. Working alongside another 4-H alumni who has different club experiences made our work smoother because of our rounded experiences.

Interning in 2013...

What did I do?

• Conducted a variety of agricultural lessons to summer camp students twice per week
• Assisted with prep work and execution of Presentation Night, Strawberry Round-Up, County & State Horse Shows, livestock club meetings, Round-Up, Welfare Training, and Family Farm Days.
• Did office work: made phone calls, answered emails, printed/stapled/organized paper, and communicated with office personnel. All of these tasks was preparation for the success of our events.
• Worked as a team with my bosses and co-intern 
• Ran errands with my co-intern to pick up supplies which was some of the best times of my internship!
• Ate at Chili's for lunch almost every other day

During agriculture night at the Lancaster Barnstormers game some of our members & members parents dressed in costume to help promote agriculture

What did I learn?

• The role of extension offices in counties 
• The role of 4-H at the local, state, and national level
• I practiced creativity and simplicity in lessons is meet the competency & age of my audience
• Expectations of a college intern
• The functions and workings of an office setting and system
• The importance of communication. When to communicate, who to communicate to, and how to communicate
• The capacity of programs such as Powerpoint, Prezi, Excel, and Google
• Pack your lunch the night before a work day
• Account for the worst traffic at all times

Would I suggest this internship to someone?
Yes I would. This internship was a perfect first internship. My two bosses were down to earth, full of knowledge, and fun people who help me with any learning curves I had. This is the general feel from the 4-H community, completing everything they do with purpose, passion, and energy yet are down to earth people. This internship exposes education focussed majors to the other options of age group, content areas, and communities in which they can teach. 4-H is a foundational organization that give students outlets to express and learn in ways that are best for them. As an intern you can add your personal flare and strengths to the organization in addition takeaway from the many growing opportunities it allows you. The best part is... almost every county has an extension office and 4-H program!

FAQs: Pennsylvania Farm Bureau: Friends of Agriculture Foundation Internship

During the summer of 2014 I interned at Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) in the Friends of Agriculture Foundation department. I know when I searched for internships I was always looking to asked someone about their experience especially for a specific company. Below is information in an interview setup with questions I asked as a junior in college when inquiring about the internship at PFB.

How did you learn about them?
I heard about PFB through their presence at the College of Agricultural Sciences Career Fair and by reading a previous student's internship experience in the Teach Ag! Blog. Besides knowing the missions and purpose of PFB I learned the rest on the job.

When did you apply?
I applied at the career fair in October in the fall. PFB recruiters attend career fairs in the fall and start their first round of interviews in the beginning of December.

What was the interview process like?
There are two rounds of interviews. The first round took place on campus and then the second interview occurs at PFB's office in Camp Hill, PA. The first round consisted of very standard interview questions and the second interview was more personalized questions for each department.

How long was the internship?
The internship is a minimal of 10 weeks but can last longer.

What did you wear?
I wore business casual daily. On occasions I wore business attire when visiting governmental buildings but on the flip side wore jeans and a t-shirt when I cleaned the Mobile Ag Labs.

Where is PFB?
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is located in Camp Hill, PA, right outside of Harrisburg. The American Farm Bureau is located in Washington D.C. and also has internships available.

What did you do?
I was the intern in the Friends of Agriculture Foundation which focussed on agricultural education throughout the state. I worked heavily with the Mobile Ag Lab program cleaning labs, stocking labs, and supporting the preparatory work for the upcoming school year. I created lesson extensions for the two new lessons that were being added to the Mobile Ag Lab for the 2014-2015 year. I also created an activity for Ag Progress Days and Farm Show on Bees which used my creative skills. In addition to the labs I assisted with the annual golf tournament and the National Ag in the Classroom event which was held in Pennsylvania during the 2014 summer.

My Bee Activity

One unique aspect to this internship is the overlapping of experiences. I was able to work with the three other interns in their departments to help with events. In the Member Relations department the interns worked with the FACE conference to prep and then re-vamp some of the materials for the next conference. With the Government Communications department we were able to travel and visit the state and national capital buildings. We also had the opportunity to visit the American Farm Bureau. The balance of working as a group and as an individual was very even.

Do you have to be a PA Farm Bureau Member? Do you parents?
You and your family do not have to be farm bureau members. When you are done interning you will want to be though!

Do I have to be a farmer to work/Intern there?
You do not need to have any agricultural background. It certainly helps you to have some prior knowledge but PFB is all encompassing and heighten your level of understanding of the Pennsylvania agricultural.

Do they have positions to hire college graduates?
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau has entry level jobs in all departments.

Why PFB?
Honestly I went into my internship at PFB with very little knowledge about PFB. I learned a lot about the organization during my summer there. PFB is a diverse supporter, initiative taking, and resourceful organization whose goal is to heighten Pennsylvania and American agricultural. The internship program PFB is well established and wants to give interns the opportunity to ask questions, see the bigger pictures, and ultimately learn.

2015 Intern Team