Riverland Community College

Riverland Community College Agricultural Science students are strongly encouraged to pursue an internship during their education. Internships can be completed during the fall, spring, or summer seasons. Students may also enroll in the AGSC-2030: Agriculture Internship course to receive college credit towards their degree. This course can be taken as many times as the student wishes, equating to 1-4 credits. Preferably, students should enroll in an internship during the summer between their 1^st and 2^nd years.

Why pursue an internship? Most students decide to pursue an internship as a way to continue their classroom education with an agricultural company. While students of our other programs and majors may take an unpaid internship, by and large, most agricultural internships are paid. Students can expect to be paid $12-17 an hour for most internships, though it varies due to experience and demand. By receiving on-the-job experience and a good wage, students can add to their agronomic knowledge base and help pay for tuition and living expenses. Employers also use internships as a way to evaluate students, and most students receive full-time job offers upon graduation with the same company they interned for!

What internship positions can I receive? Agricultural Science students may work with Riverland Community College faculty and staff to help them locate an internship of their choosing. Most students find internships with local cooperatives, equipment dealerships, animal livestock facilities, grain marketing companies, seed/chemical/fertilizer retail outlets, and local/state/federal government agencies.

Notably, most students receive crop scouting internships in their first year. Specific responsibilities include checking plant populations, planter performances, identifying weeds/insects/disease issues, looking for crop nutrient deficiencies, and diagnosing crop health is important for these internships. Students may work as crop applicators, applying crop inputs (fertilizers and chemicals) to fields across the spring and summer seasons. If students wish to work in research, they may work as technicians helping to assemble research plots and recording notes about various projects.

Internship possibilities are far and wide! Students are encouraged to pursue meaningful positions they are interested in.

Where can I find an internship? A Google search for agricultural internships nearest you can lead to prospective opportunities. Students should be very mindful to begin searching for an internship as soon as they can. For example, most companies hire interns for the upcoming summer during the previous fall and winter months. Students may find it very helpful to access the Riverland Agricultural and Food Science Technology Club (link: www.riverlandagclub.theaet.com) website and click on ‘Careers/Internships’ for a listing of notable local agricultural companies and a re-direct to their careers page. Note: Students are strongly encouraged to submit their resume and interest to the primary contact at each company since some opportunities may not be listed.

What are some reasons why I should pursue an internship? There are many reasons students should pursue internships. A few are provided below:

• Making Connections
• Building Your Resume
• Learning More About the Industry
• Finding Out What You Like and Don’t Like
• Developing New Skills
• Applying Your Skills
• Gaining Confidence
• Experience Company Culture
• Getting Paid
• Landing a Job

For questions pertaining to Agricultural Internships, please contact Agriculture Instructor Nick Schiltz.