This summer has been one to remember and I'm sad that my time as McHenry County Farm Bureau Intern is over. This has been such an amazing opportunity and I have learned so much more than I ever knew I could about the world of agriculture and more specifically McHenry County agriculture.
One of my daily tasks as the intern was to help maintain the MCFB website as well as the Facebook page to make the public aware of our great events we put on throughout the summer. Though at times things could get challenging, I always loved spending time in the office because Dan, Sue and Edie were such a unique and wonderful bunch. Through their guidance and support I was able to help facilitate events, such as Summer Ag Institute and Ag in the Classroom, as well as write articles for the newspaper.
Coming into this internship I did not know much about the world of Farm Bureaus, so I was delighted to have been able to participate in the CFB Intern and New Key Staff Seminar in Bloomington, Illinois. Through this experience I was able to swap ideas with other county's interns, learn the history behind the Farm Bureau, and obtain skills and information to be successful within the county's office.
The highlight of my summer was participating in Summer Ag Institute, with a group of wonderful teachers from around our county. Most of these teachers know little to nothing about our area's agriculture. Throughout this program we were able to visit many different locations, such as a dairy farm, Oberweis, a strawberry field, and even a miniature horse farm! It was so rewarding to hear all the teachers talk about what they want to take back to their kids and how they think agriculture should be taught more in-depth in the school system. Not being from an ag background myself, I learned a lot about the field I'm soon to be entering into and it made me excited about my future.
Near the end of my summer with the Farm Bureau, I had the privilege of taking pictures and helping out at the annual Tractor Trek with Katie Vanderstappen. It was a lot of fun to see all the tractors and talk to all the drivers at various pit stops along the trek. Despite the torrential downpour and tornado warning (which actually turned out to be a time where I was able to meet and learn more about the participants), it went off without a hitch!
And lastly, the ultimate end to an amazing summer was the County Fair. I never thought working a food booth could be so much fun! It was just the icing on the cake, or in this case, ice cream piled super high on the cone. Working the booth gave me the opportunity to talk to the people I met through the many events I worked, farms I visited, and articles I've written.
Overall, I am so very thankful for this opportunity and to have met so many wonderful people. Being able to interact with different farmers, and hear the innovative ideas of people in our area has made me even more excited to be pursuing a degree in Agriculture. I will take these memories with me and draw upon them, as I could never ask for a better experience. I always like to say what I accomplished this summer was not "work", because if you enjoy what you do, and have fun while doing it, it isn't work. Thank you so much for an amazing summer.
