2021 SUMMER INTERNS: Sam Nuss

My name is SAMUEL NUSS, and I am interning for the Agronomy Sales team out of the Aurora Agronomy location. I will be finishing my last year of college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where I will be graduating with an Agribusiness degree. For the past two summers I gained experience interning with an independent crop consultant but this summer, I wanted to take what I have learned and apply it on a larger scale. Being a part of Aurora Cooperative has given me a new perspective on the hardships the agricultural community faces every day and the lengths that the Cooperative will go to satisfy their growers.

Throughout my internship I’ve been involved in a variety of tasks. One that is done every day is scouting fields. We have taken tissue samples, worked on identifying diseases, evaluated weed and insect pressure and used this information to make recommendations for chemical application. I’ve also been given the chance to look deeper into all the different corn hybrids Aurora Cooperative has to offer in their portfolio. Different soils, chemical applications, and environmental factors affect each one differently and it’s crucial to place them correctly on the farm.

Another part I have enjoyed is interacting with our growers. I have also spent a fair amount of time developing relationships by walking through their fields and answering any questions they may have about their crop. This has given me the opportunity to see the way each grower runs their operation and hear about the changes that have been made in agriculture throughout their years of farming.

This summer my goal is to be able to learn everything I can while I am surrounded by those with years of experience and knowledge. Knowing what to look for in a field at the different growing stages and being able to give accurate and detailed reports all helps the growers produce the best crop they can this growing season.