2020 SUMMER INTERNS: Jacee De Vries

Hi! I’m Jacee De Vries and I am spending my summer as an Animal Nutrition Intern with Kinsey Freeman at the Grand Island location. This fall I will be a junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I’m majoring in Animal Science with hopes of continuing my education and pursuing a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition. This internship has been a great opportunity to gain hands on experience and learn more about a career that I have a true interest in. Over the summer, my experiences have included sales calls, farm visits, ration development, producer recommendations, and feed deliveries. At the beginning of my internship we developed my summer project based on my goals and some needs of the division. I have been developing a “Standard Operating Procedure” for the division’s locations, to help make sure that everyone is informed and prepared, and so our warehouses stay well-stocked and organized.

One of my favorite parts about the Aurora Cooperative is its dedication to customer service. For example, before the county fair season kicked off, I was able to go with Kinsey to different customers and look at their show animals. Kinsey helped with anything from showmanship advice to feed recommendations. We were able to suggest different show feeds, supplements, and management practices to help each animal reach its potential. Alongside that, the A-Show Rewards Program has been going on all summer. With this program, the cooperative can give back to the youth who work hard and are successful in the show ring. It’s been really cool to hear about the kids who we helped weeks ago going to fair and seeing their hard work pay off!

Going into this summer I wasn’t sure what to expect with COVID-19 going on. Even though the internship looked a little different than past years, I’m glad I had the opportunity to work with the Animal Nutrition division and gain experience for my future career.