Operations Interns gain experience by assisting in the following:

 – Agronomic experiences, including treating seed, product delivery, interaction with growers, warehouse experience, etc.

– Record-keeping and inventory management

– Learn the cooperative business model

– Transportation and logistics

– Grain contract maintenance

– Grain experiences

Learn more about NEW Cooperative’s Operation Internship

2023 Operations Internship Information

Intern Testimonies

Tyler Heinisch

Tyler grew up in a Kingston, Illinois a small farm town, where he worked on his grandfathers farm. This led him attend a local community college then transfer over to Iowa State University to pursue a degree in Agriculture Systems Technology and Industrial Technology. Tyler first heard about NEW Cooperative while browsing the ISU job website. What interest Tyler most about NEW Cooperative was “Most of my experience with agriculture has been boots on the ground, running a tractor, and just the raw growing side of things. I have never seen the more business-oriented side, like what happens to the grain after it leaves our facility or what happens to the seed before it gets to us. I figured if I wanted to be in agriculture for a career, I should understand the other side of the operation.”  Tyler has about three different normal days that consist of: odd jobs (hauling totes, lawn care, changing tires, etc.), working at the Pomeroy feed mill (receiving trucks, mixing/weighing medications, overseeing equipment, and house keeping), and or working on the Palmer Corn Pile (running a tractor and grain cart, and helping clean up). 

Tyler’s favorite parts of his internship were working in the feed mill and getting to see how it operates, the intern industry tour getting to see how other companies operate, and “the level of responsibility that they are willing to give to an intern while working on projects.” They are giving us the ability to learn and experience new skills.

Tyler feels the biggest benefits of working with NEW Cooperative are “Getting the knowledge of how a cooperative functions and seeing that next step in the agriculture chain.” Along with the feeling of “It’s not just an internship, they treat you like you are a proper employee. Everyone that I have encountered during my internship has been super open, helpful, and willing to teach. They all may have different teaching styles, but they are all accommodating and inviting.”     

Kate Rasch

Kate is from Spencer, IA and grew up in 4-H participating in multiple events that led her to find a passion for agriculture. Kate attends Iowa State University where she is majoring in Agricultural Studies and with a minor Entrepreneurship. Kate heard about the operation internship through a Facebook post. She was drawn to NEW Cooperative because she wanted to do both office and outside work, along with “I wanted something more out of my internship so I felt like NEW Cooperative would be a good fit.” A normal day for Kate is: weighing and probing incoming trucks, going on different asset runs, and filing and shredding papers. 

Kate’s favorite parts of her internship has been “going to different NEW Cooperative locations and meeting other employees” , along with “getting to apply what I have learned in a classroom outside of the classroom.”  

Kate feels the biggest benefit of working with NEW Cooperative is “NEW Cooperative has given me the chance to see everything and opened my eyes to what I want to do in the future.”