2023 Intern: Kaylee Baker

Hey everyone, my name is Kaylee Baker and I’m an intern out of Franklin. I will be a second year at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Ne and I am majoring in Agriculture Management & Production with a focus of agronomy. I grew up on a small farm north of Naponee, Ne. We have a row crop and cow/calf operation. This being said I have always been around agriculture and the cooperative side of our operation. I am fortunate to be able to see both the livestock and agronomy portion of Aurora Coop. I started my summer in Franklin doing agronomy with Bryan Slocum and once a week or more I go to Upland to do Animal Nutrition with Tiffany Minnick.

Being that I get to go to both Franklin and Upland I have got to learn lots. In Franklin I started by looking at plots and doing stand counts. I have been monitoring them all summer long. Now I’m starting to scout for bugs and diseases. I have taken all my scouting reports and put them into a spreadsheet to compare hybrids with one another. I get to spend some of my time going to meetings and clinics to gain more knowledge in the field. I recently went to a Bushel Up Grower Meeting and a Brevant Seed Meeting. I gained lots of knowledge on the newest technologies and hybrids that are coming down the line. It’s exciting to see all the trait packages and new features coming out!

On my days I am not in Franklin, I am in Upland. I have learned about the importance of maintaining a healthy diet for animals. I spend most of my time with Tiffany going to the livestock meetings. I find it fascinating to see the new products coming out for our farm animals. Another aspect of Aurora Coop that I think is cool is that we make our own feed. I have gotten the experience to go pick up feed and be shown around the mill. Since Tiffany has a background in both livestock and agronomy, she is able to help me learn from both perspectives. She has helped me walk fields and answer my questions about anything. I’m excited to not only be able to learn about agronomy but also learn about livestock. It will help me in my career being able to have knowledge in both fields because a lot of our customers not only have row crop operations, but also have livestock.

So far this summer I have had a blast and learned so much more than I ever could have thought. I’m constantly surrounded by people that are very knowledgeable, helpful and are truly passionate about the impact they are making on the local operations. I’m grateful for my two great mentors Bryan and Tiffany. They have taken the time to invest in me and my future and that is something I am truly grateful for. I am very excited to see what the rest of the year brings!