Maddie Weber – National Corn Growers Association – St. Louis
Intern Updates
June Update
What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been! Even though I’m right at home here in Missouri, this internship has still been an adjustment. I may not have to get used to living in a new place, but it has still been interesting figuring out a 9-5 work schedule. Who knew that rush hour traffic could be so annoying! Besides my new knowledge about STL traffic, I’ve experienced so many amazing opportunities during the first few weeks of my internship. I’ve gotten to work with the communications team, the membership team, our event planning staff, and so many other people!
Everyone here has done a great job of making sure I get many diverse projects to work on. As part of the communications team, I’ve learned more about graphic design and how to create content for social media. There may even be some social media posts coming out soon that I created myself! I’m also working on ideas and an outline for the CobCast podcast. On the investor relations side, I’ve learned more about how NCGA works with its partners and state organizations. I’ve been responsible for sending out the Corn Action News email newsletter, which has helped me practice my writing skills. Plus, I’ve been exposed to all of the policy work that NCGA does. The policy aspect is definitely something that I need to learn a little bit more about, but what I’ve heard so far is very interesting. Working for a company that does such strong advocacy and cares so much about agricultural issues has been very rewarding!
As I’m looking forward to the second half of my internship, there are so many things that I’m excited for. At the end of June, I have the opportunity to attend the Women and Mentors Conference here in St. Louis. Hopefully I will get the chance to connect with Shelby, the Washington D.C. intern while she is in town! I’m looking forward to learning about leadership and networking. Then, in July, I’ll be flying to Washington D.C. for Corn Congress. That will be a busy week full of meetings, receptions, and Capitol Hill visits. I can’t wait to visit the Nation’s capital and see NCGA’s advocacy work in person. Hopefully I will get to meet up with some of the people from Nebraska Corn while I’m there! No matter what the second half of this internship brings, I know it will be an amazing experience.
My internship seems like it’s flying by, but I also know that I am gaining so many new skills in the process. I remain incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to what else I will get to experience!
Late June Update
It has been a very busy few weeks! A few days after my last internship update, I headed to Waterloo, IL to visit Kenny Hartman. Kenny is the current 1st Vice President of NCGA and will be the President soon. He was in the middle of his wheat harvest, so they wanted me to ride along. I grew up on my family farm, so I’m no stranger to a combine ride. However, my family doesn’t grow wheat. It was interesting to be a part of a different crop harvest and nice to get to know Kenny, his family, and his farming operation.
I’ve continued to work on the projects I started at the beginning of my internship, but I’ve gotten some new ones as well. I’ve been doing a lot of research and collaboration to prepare the next episode of the NCGA CobCast podcast. I think the topic for the upcoming July episode is very relevant and I can’t wait to hear the finished product! I’ve done some more work on social media and really taken the time to improve my graphic design skills. I’m still sending out the Corn Action News newsletter, but I’ve started to get longer writing projects as well.
My most recent communications project was about the Women and Mentors Retreat. The Women and Mentors Retreat is an event held in downtown St. Louis, and is designed to bring women in agriculture together to grow their leadership skills. I got the opportunity to participate in this event and I couldn’t be more grateful. We heard presentations from industry-leading women and had lots of opportunities to network and meet others. Shelby, another one of the Nebraska Corn interns was there, so I got to meet her as well! At the end of the retreat, we were all grouped into mentorship cohorts. Each cohort was grouped based on our goals and experiences, and I could not be happier with mine! I know that the two wonderful women I was paired with will continue to serve as mentors for me as I continue with my schooling and my career path.
The communications team here at NCGA let me take the lead on the communications surrounding the event, so I got to publish my first article on the NCGA website! I also created a social media post about the retreat.
As I’m starting to wrap up my internship, I’m looking forward to traveling to Washington, D.C. for Corn Congress. It has been busy in the office as everyone has been preparing, so I can’t wait to see how all of the hard work comes together. I’ve already learned so much, so I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
July Update
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. And, It’s especially hard to believe that my internship with the National Corn Growers Association has come to an end. As I’m reflecting on my experience, I am so grateful for this opportunity, the people who helped me along the way, and the things I’ve learned.
My last few weeks with NCGA were bookmarked by Corn Congress. The weeks leading up to it were full of preparation, meetings, and planning. I definitely learned to appreciate the amount of work that putting on an event like this takes! All of that hard work paid off when we were in Washington, D.C., having meaningful conversations with growers and holding meetings about topics that are important to the corn industry. The first few days I joined the Action Team meetings. I loved hearing the discussions about a wide variety of topics; we covered ethanol, mental health, pesticide regulations, taxes and sustainable aviation fuel, advocacy, and more.
Wednesday of that week was definitely the busiest. We started the morning with an issues briefing, where we covered the policies corn growers are fighting for and where they stand. Then we headed to Capitol Hill! I was in a group with farmers from Iowa and Nebraska. We had some very engaging conversations with congressional staff members. A few of the growers in the group even convinced one of the staffers to take us on the Capitol subway!
I then headed to the NCGA office in D.C., where Shelby and I worked on grassroots advocacy videos. NCGA had a media team set up in the office and they were interviewing growers about why advocacy is important. It was fun to not only see a full media team in action, but also have great conversations with the growers and learn a little bit more about them and their farm. Shelby and I ended the day at the NCGA CornFest reception and dinner with the Nebraska Corn group.
Thursday was Corn Congress itself, the session where delegates vote on new board members and procedures for the organization to follow. We also heard from some industry speakers. This week in Washington, D.C. was incredible, and I hope I get to visit the city again sometime!
After we landed back in STL, I worked on wrapping up the rest of my projects. Looking back through the work I completed this summer really made me realize how much more knowledge I’m walking away with. I feel confident advocating about issues that impact agriculture, have new skills in communications and design, and have countless connections with growers and staff. I’m incredibly grateful for the team at the National Corn Growers Association and Nebraska Corn for making this summer one to remember!
