2022 SUMMER INTERNS: Dresden Wilson

Hello everyone. My name is Dresden Wilson, and I am currently working in David City as an Agronomy intern. This past May I graduated from Concordia University, NE with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and a Bachelor of Art in Strategic Communication. Now I know what you may be thinking; I might be a little bit out of my area of expertise, and you’re not wrong.  I decided that I wanted to go into agriculture after graduation because of past experiences with Criminal Justice and decided I wanted to pave a new path for myself.

I am originally from a small town in Central Iowa called Boone. It was a big farming community very much backed by the industry of ag. Growing up, a lot of my friends had farms, so the talk was always about farming. I would go, hang out, and play at the farms at a very young age. I was old enough however to figure out that I did have a passion for being around that kind of work. When the time came to decide on a future career, I wasn’t ready to fully invest myself into criminal justice. So, I opted to take an alternative route and feel incredibly blessed that the amazing people here at Aurora Cooperative wanted to take a chance on me.

Going into my first couple of weeks at Aurora Cooperative I really had no gauge for what to expect. I always knew the agriculture community worked very long and very hard, but outside of that, I didn’t possess any prior knowledge. I am happy to say that so far this career shift for me has been very fulfilling. My first day on the site in David City was like drinking out of a firehose. Everyone was running around at a million miles an hour saying names and phrases that were completely foreign to me. The learning curve is large but being immersed the way I have been helps you understand more quickly.

Some of the things I have had the pleasure of working on so far have been helping manage the chemical warehouse to be sure each grower has the right chemicals, and it is done in a timely fashion, setting up plots in the field so that we can get good statistical data once harvest comes, and doing tissue sampling on our Yield Advantage fields so that the crops are growing healthy and happy.

The part that I have found to be the most fun and interesting is being in fields. Taking samples and making sure that the crop looks healthy has been very enjoyable because I love to be outside and active. Learning new things and being proactive to get the most success out of each plant to benefit the grower is what it’s all about.

Although I am relatively new in the field of agriculture, I have made great strides from where I started. But the journey for me has only begun and I know there is plenty more for me left to learn and I’m excited to do so.

Dresden Wilson