Our First Summer is in the Books

The GrowinG Team has officially completed is first set of internships. Six interns completed three months on farms/ranches across the state this summer. Each intern comes from a unique background, each gaining different experience and knowledge from hosting farmers/ranchers.

Interns were responsible for a variety of tasks ranging from doctoring sheep, managing irrigation systems, horsemanship, moving cattle, and more. As most operations were animal based, interns were able to learn technical skills like welding, fencing, re-engineering irrigation systems, and repairing ranch vehicles. Many reported increased understanding of rangeland management, learned to identify various range plants and their impact on the land, as well as understanding new approaches for moving cattle and crop rotations.

Hosts were able to provide truly unique opportunities in more than one situation. For example, one intern had the opportunity to work alongside their host family to prepare cattle for the county fair; another had the chance to train two, green horses and was riding them on the mountain by the end of the internship; while a third become so accomplished in livestock management that the host offered a few animals to the intern to take home to begin their own enterprise.

Hands-on learning on the farms and ranches occupied much of their time. However, each intern was also required to attend an outside educational event. Overwhelming, interns noted their events gave them an opportunity to network within the agriculture industry. An exciting connection was made by one, leading to a relationship with another entity interested to sponsor them for an internship next summer. A second intern noted how much they enjoyed participating in the educational event, gaining knowledge about opportunities within Extension as a possible career track.

In our follow-up communications with both hosts and interns, we are strongly encouraged by the value the program has provided to participants, as we work to understand more about the incredible experiences and process the positive feedback. We, too, have gained a number of insights on how the program might grow to continue offering the best possible internship experience for everyone involved.

As we head into the fall and students return to campuses across the state, our Program Coordinator will be making a circuit to speak with students, staff, and faculty about the program around the end of September. Keep an eye out for future news articles and social media posts as we share intern experiences and other details about the internships as we work to improve the program for our next round of interns and hosts.

Our team is excited to share more about what the 2023 internship program will offer. If you, or someone you know, is interested to participate as an intern or host, please see the links below for details on the GrowinG Internship program, including direct links to program applications!

Information Request: https://uwyo.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d72iKeIymv8qLOe

Intern Application: https://growing-wy.org/interns-growing-internship-program/

Host Application: https://growing-wy.org/hosts-growing-internship-program/