Intern Update: Trisha's Week 5

5 things that I have learned thus far during my internship with Hoegemeyer.

As I enter another week as a Hoegemeyer intern, I realize I am not the only one who is having summer fly by. Agronomists in the western region have been hard at work following another round of unfortunate hail. As they work through replant and we officially enter the growing season, I reflect on the past few weeks and these are my key take-aways.

1.  Things Are Always Changing:

For the time that I have been here, the main thing you will see is that things are always changing. You can never predict when the weather may come and changes the plans that were made. As we have seen the past few weeks, we can never know what may come when a storm rolls through. Whether it will be just rain or if it will have hail with it.

2. Growing Point in Corn:

Being with agronomists for a week I learned quite a bit about the growing point in corn and how well it can recover after a hailstorm. Seeing the hail damage, it was interesting to see how even when there wasn’t much left on the plant, some of the fields will be able to come back after a few weeks. I was just as surprised as some of the customers were when either Phil or Craig said, “Yes, I do believe most of the plants will come back,” when there was little there.

3. Hoegemeyer Customer Service:

The hard work and dedication of the entire team at Hoegemeyer are seen and the customers are thankful to have a team that would do anything for them. Speaking with customers, they are always thankful for everything that Hoegemeyer does for them. The customers are always commenting on all the work that is done and all the care that is given. They are grateful to have such a wonderful team by their side to help them when things get hard.

4. The Best People:

Meeting with customers, I have been able to meet some of the most kind-hearted people, who love what they do. Going out into the fields allows me the opportunity to meet wonderful people who love to share stories about what they are doing and how they can learn more when they speak with agronomists and DSMs. Customers are able to learn more about the crops that they are growing every day with the help of their agronomists and DSM.

5. My Passions:

My passion for photography and writing is growing more and more each day! With the opportunity of taking photos and writing almost every day, I get to work on my skills and improve them every day. This allows me to broaden my knowledge of agriculture as well.

Ultimately, I am loving the experience and relationships I am making along the way. It has been a great experience to translate what I have learned in the classroom to real, impactful work. I know the coming weeks Hoegemeyer will be very busy and I am eager to attend the events and opportunities this presents me as we head into July.

* Photo of Craig Langemeier and Stacey Stewart talking to a customer about what to do next after the hailstorm came through the area.