Ashtyn Humphreys – Nebraska Corn Board, Lincoln, NE

Intern Updates

January 2024 Update

It’s crazy to think that it has already been five months since I started my internship in August. Through the last five months, I’ve learned and grown so much through many great opportunities. Most of my time has been spent working in the office on projects with Payton and Rachael focused on market development and stewardship, with some opportunities to go out and meet with farmers and producers.

One of the first big projects that I worked on was an electric vehicle vs. higher-blend ethanol study focusing on EV and higher-blend ethanol infrastructure in Nebraska and where some focus can go in the future. While also doing some comparisons of vehicles, costs, and travel times across the state in EV vs Flex Fuel vehicles. Another big project that I have been working on is keeping the market intelligence database up to date and starting to build a quarterly economic update involving the database and other key pieces to send out to keep producers up to date on what is happening in the corn world. Other little projects have been assisting Payton and Rachael in researching some extra information for different projects that they are working on.

Outside of the office, I was able to attend a regenerative ag field day talking about cover crops and new opportunities for farmers. One day during harvest Rachael and I went out to visit Jason Lewis on his farm and experience a day during harvest. As well as going to a research day at UNL to talk about research opportunities.

Overall, it has been a great first half of my internship, and I am looking forward to kicking off a new semester and continuing to learn and grow throughout this experience. One thing I am looking forward to is the opportunity to go to Commodity Classic at the end of February.

Spring 2024 Update

Time has flown this past year and it’s crazy to think that we are already halfway through May and the school year is coming to a close. I have stayed very busy since my last update in January, while continuing to learn and grow in my skills.

Some of the projects that I have been working on are developing a quarterly economic analysis update focusing on corn production & supply, corn demand & uses, and the new census data. The information in the updates comes from a market intelligence database that I have been keeping updated all year through USDA data and ProExporter. Other projects that I have been working on is developing a piece on white corn in Nebraska, a Sustainable Aviation Fuel informational page, and a carbon pipeline and sequestration one-pager. The most recent new project that I have been working on is helping Rachael develop materials on carbon for a new informational website coming to the table.

Outside of the office I got to attend Commodity Classic in Houston the end of February. This was a great opportunity for me to learn about new technology entering the ag industry by walking around the trade show and making new connections with Nebraska Farmers and other individuals in the corn industry. The beginning of April I also got to help at the Nebraska Corn booth at state FFA convention.

Overall, it has been a great year so far, and I am looking forward to spending my summer in the office to continue to grow and make connections before I move to Oklahoma to begin my master’s degree at Oklahoma State University.

Summer 2024 Update

As I sit here and reflect on my internship experience with Nebraska Corn. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made an impact on me through the last year and for all the opportunities that I have been given. This has truly been a one-of-a-kind experience full of a lot of learning and growth. Spending the last week of my internship in Washington D.C. was nothing short of amazing from getting to interact with our farmer delegates, other Nebraska Corn interns, and everybody else in the corn industry it was a very influential trip.

While I just touched on the last week of my internship throughout the summer, I have had many opportunities outside of the office. Getting to attend one of the sustainability video shoots, attending NAYI to help teach high school juniors and seniors about Nebraska Corn, and attending field days to grow my overall knowledge. This summer was nothing short of amazing.

This internship wouldn’t have been the same without all the amazing people especially our amazing staff that I get to work with every day. Everyone is so supportive and open to asking and explaining anything that I need. I have loved the research and projects that I have gotten to work on throughout the last year. I have learned more about some things than I ever thought I would need to know. One of my favorite projects that I have done was creating the quarterly economic updates. This has allowed me to work on my research and data analysis skills while pulling in design and creativity allowing me to shape many skills through one project.

I would just like to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart for such a great year full of many opportunities. There will always be a special place in my heart for my Nebraska Corn family!