Grain Merchandising Intern
Hello! My name is Jadyn Stevens. I am an upcoming junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln double majoring in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness. This summer I am a Grain Marketing intern based out of the corporate office located in Aurora under the mentorship of Sam Johnson.
I was born and raised in Sutton, NE, located just under 30 miles from Aurora. Growing up in a farming family and community, it’s hard to not have a connection to Agriculture. I have always found myself following along with the changes in the agricultural markets and the reasons behind these changes. I first became interested in a career in commodity marketing after a couple of internships/job shadows I had during my senior year of high school. I have enjoyed being able to apply my knowledge from those experiences to this internship.
Over the summer, my days typically consisted of following the agricultural commodity markets and researching the reasons behind the changes in these markets. I have also had the opportunity to travel to some of our other locations to see how they operate compared to the main office. At these locations, I spent my time cold calling farmers, creating grain contracts, learning about the elevator, listening in on conversations with producers, and more. I’ve gotten to see the entire process from when trucks pull onto the scale to loading trucks to deliver grain to end destinations. I have also attended many meetings which have been huge in my learning about grain marketing. I have seen a major difference in my understanding of the grain marketing field now compared to the beginning of my internship.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to intern with Aurora Cooperative as it has strengthened my knowledge of grain marketing and developed my professional skills greatly. What I have learned and the connections I have made will benefit me greatly throughout the rest of my education and future career. I am looking forward to the rest of this summer!