Intern

Our Intern Reed Nelson Returns for 2014

Reed Nelson As the last of the 2014 crop gets planted into the ground, and the summer weather begins to return, (finally), I find myself in another internship with Corn Capital Innovations.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with me, my name is Reed Nelson. I am an Olivia, Minnesota native, as well as, a senior at St. Cloud State University.  I am currently in my last year of pursuing a business degree with an emphasis in Marketing.  As an intern for Corn Capital Innovations last summer, I was exposed to: net effective plant stands (NEPS), soil sampling, field scouting, plot management, sales camp, Ag Venture Inc.(AVI) summer meeting, warehouse inventory process,  intern training sessions, and much more.  This summer, I plan to experience a lot of the activities listed above, as well as, expanding my experiences and knowledge.

When I first arrived at Corn Capital Innovations on May 12th, I found our warehouse full of beans and corn that was waiting to be delivered to farmers to be planted.  However, due to lengthy rains and cold weather, the planting process had been delayed and drug out.  During my first few weeks here, my time was mostly  spent treating seed, preparing deliveries, and organizing our summer plots.  I also had the opportunity to attend the first summer intern training session in Ames, Iowa where I was introduced to several members of the AVI team, as well as, fellow interns from other regional seed companies throughout the AgVenture system.  This session provided me with an excellent opportunity to network with my peers and gain Ag knowledge from agronomist, Jerry Hartsock.

This summer I will focus on customer interaction and incorporating the technical skills I have obtained over the last year into interacting with customers.  I plan to incorporate the tools I have learned throughout my business schooling at St. Cloud, and hopefully bring back real life experiences to help me in the classroom this fall.  I look forward to the opportunity to meet you all throughout the year and help produce the best crop possible, as well as, a positive experience.  Have a fun and safe summer.   I hope to see you soon.

Meet Our Corn Capital Innovations Intern for 2013

Reed NelsonMy name is Reed Nelson, I will be the intern for Corn Capitol Innovations for the summer of 2013.  I will be a junior in college this fall where I am currently pursuing a degree in Business Marketing from St. Cloud State University.  Having lived in Olivia, Minnesota for nearly 21 years of my life, I have developed a strong interest in agriculture and the businesses which make Olivia and the surrounding communities thrive.  I enjoy playing guitar, hunting, fishing, and being outdoors in my free time.

In the first month of my internship, I have participated in conducting Net Effective Plant Stands which are commonly referred to as NEPS.  This process is a tool that is not only used to determine the success rate of a growers spring planting, but also show how decisions made in the previous fall, winter, and spring have affected the farming process.  The NEPS process involves flagging and analyzing portions of growers’ fields.  The flagging process involves identifying individual plants and determining whether they are: standards, skips, double plants, or a delayed emergence.  After completing the flagging process, the next step is identifying the cause of the delays, skips, or doubles.  This step is often carried out by digging to check for soil conditions, and planting depth.  These complications can range from poor soil conditions, to weather related conditions, to malfunction of machinery used.  By diagnosing these problems, we are then able to assess decisions made in the months prior to planting and how they may or may not have played a role in problems with stands.

Once Net Effective Plant Stands are complete, the rest of my summer will include activities such as scouting fields for harmful insects and fungi.  I will also gain experience through observing varieties in our plots and learning more about the genetics involved in various seed products.  With the summer just beginning, I am excited to expand my knowledge of agriculture through hands-on experience with the C.C.I. team.  I also look forward to meeting and working alongside the customers of Corn Capital Innovations to help accomplish a safe and successful growing season.