Precision Management Intern
Hi, my name is Grant Nielson, and I am an agronomy precision management intern for the Owners Acres team this summer under Brandon Hamer. I am from Archer, NE, and I attended Palmer and Central City High School where I was involved in FFA, shooting sports, and many other activities. This is my second summer working with Owners Acres, but my first summer as an official intern. I am going into my sophomore year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying biochemistry. I am also an active member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Fraternity.
I came to intern for Aurora Cooperative because I appreciate the culture they have cultivated. The cooperative feels tight knit and friendly. Aurora Cooperative also provides many opportunities since they cover a large area and have many aspects to their services. After my first year, I realized that my mentors and coworkers were extremely knowledgeable and that they were people that I wanted to continue to learn from. Since Owners Acres is part of the research division, I also get to experience new ideas, technologies, and practices that come to the table which continues to intrigue me and keeps me in this field.
This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to assist in pulling trial data, collecting tissue and soil samples, and learning more about agronomy. We started by taking stand counts on hybrids in Prairie Valley test plots. This data helped to recognize any problems that may have occurred early on. We continued this by taking tissue samples and regularly scouting the test plots to maintain our data. In our Hastings corn field, I got to assist the BioFlora representative pull data for some of these trials. My mentor, Brandon Hamer, is often consulted by farmers and cooperative employees, so I also get to experience those relationships firsthand. My day-to-day varies greatly depending on the week but consists of what I outlined above. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to view other industries in agriculture and other aspects of the cooperative through our professional development days.
My main project this summer is working with new soil DNA testing systems. These tests can show active and relic DNA in the soil from pathogens, pests, and beneficial soil microbes. This is a new management tool for the industry, and we are deciding how and when we can utilize the data it provides us. These samples can be taken alongside a normal soil test. Currently, we have taken samples from every Prairie Valley test plot in Nebraska and are starting to get data back from the lab. We will then move into recognizing trends in the data based on location, soil type, and management practices.
Overall, my summer has been extremely beneficial for my learning as I’ve gotten to work with pivotal people in the cooperative. My knowledge of farm management and agronomy has increased greatly, and I am thankful for the precision team and their teaching. Getting the opportunity to experience new tools has been exciting, and I am looking forward to seeing where these technologies go.