I have had an amazing time in my internship with Ogallala Commons! Through this internship I have been given so many unique opportunities to be able to learn so much more about agriculture! Over my summer I was able to work at 5 different feed yards, with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, Attubery Grain, Soil Mender, and Texas Farm Bureau. This has been and absolutely wonderful experience and I’m so excited to get to tell you more about it.
I have the wonderful possibilities were with Mr. Levi Barry for an entire week and go to 5 feet yards that he’s able to oversee. I learned so much about so many different things including how ranchers in this area or innovating the capital markets because of the yards of decided to stop taking dairy calves! Through on of the feed yards Quien Sabe, I learned more about the doctoring process, calf sorting, and nutrition! I learned so much and had such a wonderful time getting to ride around with Levi and getting to hear about the cattle market and how volatile it can be! And being able to see how ranchers are innovating to stay current in an ever changing market!
I’ve got to do so much over my 3 weeks with Extension! I’ve been able to help with your validations help create a poster for the Swisher county picnic, help with sewing classes, get to help put on the District 2 horse show. He recently I’ve been working on a project to help build hoop houses for one of the grant projects. These houses will allow more plants to be grown later into fall.I learned so much more about extension and what all goes into it. I’ve worked with John Villalba, Calley Runnels, and Denise Reed! I’ve always loved Extension and to be able to get hands on and get to work in the different area of Extension has been absolute wonderful this year! I’ve been able to see the real inner working of it and I just keep on learning! I’m so excited to keep on learning more about Extension!
In my week at Attebury I was able to learn so much about the grain markets, and how hedging works! We also learned more about Chicago board of trade. I was able to travel around with Kavan Killian to 3 different Grain elevators where I learned more about Grain is stored over long periods of time. I was also taught how to grade wheat and why that’s important! I was able to get a real look into the grain industry and how it works, and it was absolutely amazing to be able to learn that much in such a short amount of time!
At Soil Mender I was able to work with Greg Birkenfeld where I was able to help take samples of plants that would be sent of to see what nutrients where in the plant what what the plant might need! Soil Mender Ag creates fertilizer mixes for fields to increase the yields of the fields that they are working on! I was also able to learn more about their product lines for everyday gardeners! Things like Diatomaceous Earth, Texas greensand and worm castings and so many other things can be used to boost your home garden to the next level! I was able to get a very unique look into farming in the 21st century with Soil Mender.
I was very excited to get the opportunity to work with Texas Farm Bureau, I was able to work with Todd Thompson the Field Representative for the area 15, a twelve county region with Swisher county included. We were able to help with the Vocational Agricultural Teacher Association of Texas or VATAT. Agricultural Teachers to interact with with the Texas Farm Bureau Mobile Learning Barn, which Field Reps can bring to be an interactive learning to for students. Where we got to help non Ag teachers learn more ways to help spread Ag literacy through their class rooms with lesson plan for them to use! I was also able to help with a teacher work shop, where some teachers for I was also able to see a Cucumber Harvest for Best Maid pickles! It’s such and intricate system to pick out the best cucumber to make the best pickles! I was also honored to be able to go with Todd to make some of his Legislative visit! We went to see the US Representative Mac Thornberry, Texas State Senator Kel Seliger, Texas State Representative John T. Smithee, & Texas State Representative Four Price. Be able to work with Texas Farm Bureau was amazing experience as well as being a wonderful learning experience! I was able to see so many sides of Agriculture in such a short amount of time. As well as being able to learn more about ways to spread Agricultural Literacy.
So tie this all up with a pretty bow, I’ve had a wonderful time in my internship here with Ogallala Commons! I’ve been so blessed to be able to work with such amazing people! And I just want to thank all of you for this wonderful opportunity! I’ve been able to learn so much over this summer and it’s been absolutely amazing! I want to thank everyone who’s been a part of this journey and wish the beat of luck to all of my fellow interns!
Thank you again
Paige Hatfield
