For many years, AgGeorgia Farm Credit has sponsored and supported the involvement of students and youth and the activities that foster positive benefits. In many ways, their lives likely have been impacted by organizations that encourage, instill and instruct future leaders on how to be useful and contributing members of our society. While AgGeorgia primarily concentrates on those involved in agricultural outlets, the overall goal is to be a catalyst that will be advantageous to youth, their future employers and their communities.
An internship program was established to offer college students the opportunity to learn about AgGeorgia up-close and personal. What began as an unstructured program that lasted about 6 weeks has evolved into a very detailed, highly engaging 10 week program. The intern candidates work very closely with different departments to experience different aspects of AgGeorgia, and although they come from different backgrounds and have different future plans, most are exposed for the first time to the cooperative model on which Farm Credit was established.
The 2022 AgGeorgia interns were:
Anna Hightower is from Macon, Georgia and is a student at the University of Georgia, majoring in agribusiness. She had been active at the FFA chapter at Mary Persons High School and enjoys Georgia football, being outdoors and cooking.
Kailey Pajerski is from Cumming, Georgia and is a student of Georgia Southwestern State University. She is majoring in human resources and is interested in ag. Kailey enjoys hunting, football and hanging out with friends and family.
Colby Waters is from Perry, Georgia and is a student at the University of Georgia majoring in risk management and insurance. He had been active in the FFA chapter at Perry High school and enjoys pickleball, reading, water sports and tennis.
The 2022 interns were fortunate to not only work with staff but also visited various farms within the territory that AgGeorgia services to see the ‘fruits’ of their labor come to fruition (yes, pun intended). Here’s a look at some of what the interns were involved in, and the farms and farmers they visited that helped to spur their love for agriculture and develop a deep appreciation for the producers who are involved with it on a daily basis.
Thanks to AgGeorgia Board Member Teel Warbington of Dooly County for giving our interns, along with our HR Department and other Perry staff, a tour of Warbington Farms. They enjoyed a great discussion with Teel about the ins and outs of farm management followed by an in-depth look at how modern farm machinery and ag technology increase yields and reduce waste. Efficiency is the key.
We can count on State Representative Robert Dickey and his wife, Georgia Agribusiness Council Board Member Cynde Dickey, and their family to host our interns. They were shown the handling and packing of locally grown Georgia peaches from the Dickey’s farm and the process to get the sweet fruit available for us to enjoy. Their packing facility is also an open-air market with delicious goodies, including freshly-made peach ice cream.
Mr. Glen Lee, Miss Ellen and their son Donald have some of the best sweet corn in Georgia and our interns learned all about their operation. The Chase family is very diversified with not only their sweet corn and seasonal farm market but also their row crops, poultry, and even a small solar farm. They are always so willing to promote agriculture and the work they do.
A trip to one of the southern-most counties in our territory and state gave the interns a close-up experience with the Dewitt family’s operation and their produce facility. This family has been in the Brooks County area and in agriculture for several decades, expanding the size of not only acreage but generations as well.
Lowndes County is home to a unique customer and his operation. Fred Wetherington is a row crop farmer with a primary crop of flue-cured tobacco. Not only a full-time farmer that provides products for Americans, he also served his country in the U. S. Army with combat tours during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He never fails to tell some very interesting stories!
Our interns learned about the process of ginning cotton at BCT Gin in Brooks County. Although the gin was not operational at the time of their visit, they learned about Eli Whitney’s invention and how it helped to catapult cotton as a major commodity in Georgia and other southern states. Now they all want to go back this fall during harvest time to see it in operation.
While the interns learned about our state crops, they also learned about the Farm Credit System with a trip to AgFirst Farm Credit Bank in Columbia, South Carolina. They learned from the best as Ronnie Hucks, instructor through Farm Credit University, gave them a deep-dive into the history, scope and eligibility of financing with Farm Credit.
For more information regarding the AgGeorgia Internship Program, contact Melinda Corley, Director of Human Resources, at mcorley@aggeorgia.com or 478.987.8300 Extension 120.