Grain Origination Intern

Hello, my name is Cody Dahl, and I am an intern at Aurora Cooperative. I am interning with the grain merchandising team this summer out of Aurora. I grew up around Republic, Kansas, working in beef cattle production as well as row crop production. I am currently getting ready to go into my senior year at Kansas State University where I am working on a degree in agricultural economics and a minor in animal science.  

So far in my internship, I have started to understand the grain business better. With Sam Johnson as my mentor, I have learned about the different contracts that are offered and the different selling options that are available. I spent two weeks working at the Sedan location, and while I was there, I got to see the process of loading a few railroad cars, weighing and probing trucks, and grading the grain. There was a lot of time spent in the office cold calling farmers to see if they had any old crop left in the bin to sell. After calling around, I bought my first bushels of corn. This was very exciting and gave me some hands-on experience.  

So far, I have learned more about the supply and demand of grain on a local and national level and how the overall grain business works. I am excited to sit at the hedge desk and learn more about risk management. It has been fun to meet new people and make great connections. It has been a great summer so far, and I can’t wait for the rest of the summer.