Karr has always wanted to dive deeper into the business side of agriculture, and this summer’s internship, with Loup-Platte Agronomics Inc., is giving him more experience as he works toward his planned career as an agronomist.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue a business degree in agriculture so I decided to minor in agribusiness to learn more about it,” Karr said.

Karr saw this internship posted online by the company, which is based in Grand Island, Nebraska. He applied and had one interview over the phone and another in-person.

Karr spends most of his time scouting and monitoring fields so Loup-Platte Agronomics can make recommendations to help give farmers the best opportunity for the highest yields.

“We check for plant health and soil health. Every week there is something new to check: weeds, chemicals, insects and more. I’ve learned a lot of new identifications for weeds and insects,” Karr said. “This summer, I’ve been trying to learn more about all types and kinds of pests that are in the fields.”

Karr said he believes agriculture is important in many ways. He grew up around agriculture and he said it’s all he’s ever known. Agricultural communities are very important to him and he sees how vital it is for everyone and he wants to contribute.

“I grew up around agriculture so I feel like I know how to do it pretty well, but want to expand my knowledge. There is a constant and increasing demand for it. I believe it’s really important that there are good agronomists who can help farmers, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn and work alongside some great agronomists this summer,” Karr said.

Karr said business classes at �㽶��Ƶ helped prepare him for the internship. After he graduates, he originally planned to work for an established agriculture company, but an entrepreneurial class and his internships have him thinking about starting his own business.

“I’ve been taking a summer entrepreneurship class that got me thinking I could do this,” Karr said. “This is a private agronomy business, and my class has opened my eyes to maybe starting my own business.”

By Rachel Ritzmann a business administration and marketing major from Broomfield, Colorado.

Hoffmann, an ag business major, and Hervey, a double major in political science and sociology, didn’t cross paths much as students at �㽶��Ƶ, but struck up a friendship while attending law school together at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln.

Despite their diverse academic backgrounds, the two share an undergraduate experience at �㽶��Ƶ that helped them define their motivations, and the areas open for those motivations to turn into job opportunities.

For Hoffmann, the fourth generation of a farm family, this looked like realizing how her passions for law and agriculture could work together.

“I always had an interest in law, and growing up on a farm I always loved agriculture. But after getting my ag business degree at �㽶��Ƶ, I kind of saw our operation through that lens and knew I wanted to get my law degree,” Hoffman said.

Hoffmann first practiced as an associate attorney at Bacon, Vinton & Venteicher Law Firm in Gothenburg, Nebraska. This role had a strong connection to agriculture and rural life, often dealing with estate planning, real estate contracts and economic development, which was a perfect fit at the time.

Hervey’s law career went in an entirely different direction, but one that is equally fulfilling for her. She currently works for Lindemeier Law office and also for Lincoln County as a public defender, primarily practicing family law.

While she is presented with a variety of cases, Hervey has really found her passion in juvenile law. Here, Hervey has the opportunity to work with clients under the age of 19 that are charged with a crime, as well as representing parents and children in child welfare cases.

“Personally, I really enjoy the children’s welfare cases because I get to work one on one with the kids and I really get to know them. I see their environments, how they’ve grown up and I help make a recommendation of what is in their best interest,” Hervey said.

This wasn’t what Hervey always had in mind for her law career. Though she envisioned herself going to law school since she was an elementary school student, she always dreamed of being a prosecutor. It wasn’t until her last year of law school when she participated in the College of Law’s Children’s Justice Clinic that she realized practicing juvenile law was where she felt drawn.

“I wrestled with the decision to work for Lindemeier for a while, just because I had to be a public defender in this role and I had worked the prosecuting side of law for so long. But I thought it was a good challenge, and I got to work on cases I was passionate about. I’m really glad I decided to take the risk and try the other side of the criminal world.”

In a recent turn of events, Hervey and Hoffmann will be working together at Lindemeier Law Office, as Hoffmann took a position at Lindemeier. Her passion for rural law remains, but she is looking forward to using her profession to help people through difficult circumstances, as well as the opportunity to work with her old friend.

“I’ve done a complete 180 in my career. I’ll be working in criminal defense, juvenile law, and family law as well as continuing to do estate planning. I’m most excited for the opportunity to assist people who are possibly going through one of the worst times of their lives. It will be great working with a fellow HC grad. Tori will be a valuable resource in helping me learn about the new practice areas I’ll be working in,” Hoffmann said.

Career paths change in college, and as Hoffmann shows, sometimes they continue to change throughout one’s professional life when one continues to follow their passion.

By Landry Hinkson ’23

CPI is a farmer-owned cooperative with more than 400 employees and operations in 30 communities. It offers a wide range of products and services in agronomy, energy, feed and grain divisions.

Wiegert focuses much of her time using the company’s inventory tracking system to invoice every product at the customer’s price. She keeps track of each amount separately because it could be different based on the salesperson who originally sold the product to the customer.

Her biggest summer project was wrapping up invoices for the fiscal year that ended on July 1— she was in charge of making sure everything was correct and up-to-date.

As a part of her internship, Wiegert said she had the honor to tour the new dry fertilizer facility in Hastings. CPI’s previous dry fertilizer plant, which was only a couple months old at the time, burned down in May 2019 after being struck by lightning.

After the fire, CPI had quickly taken the initiative to start building a new one and completed the new plant in just over a year. The new plant is one of the largest in the nation, with more than 42,000 tons of storage space.

“It was inspirational to see what they did in a year and how amazing the new facility is. It will be perfect for the business,” she said.

In the fall semester of her junior year, Wiegert reached out to Kim Graviette, �㽶��Ƶ’s director of vocation and career services, who helped her connect with CPI. She was interviewed for the job in October 2019 and began her internship in April 2020.

A lot of the coursework Wiegert completed during her time at �㽶��Ƶ career applied to her internship.

Besides coursework, she also participated in professional development days the College’s Department of Business and Economics holds.

“I took in everything I’ve learned from professional development days and alumni panels at �㽶��Ƶ and relayed it to my experience to prepare myself for my internship,” she said.

On-campus, Wiegert volunteers her time with Local-Global, a �㽶��Ƶ group that focuses on solving hunger and homelessness. She said she enjoys seeing both the Hastings and campus community coming together to care about such a big issue.

By Courtney Hanson, a senior from Brookings, South Dakota, majoring in communication studies and philosophy and religion

Talent Pool, started in 2013 for business majors and minors, pairs a student with a mentor from a local business or organization. The exclusive opportunity sets up students with an internship that fits their career interests while also giving them an outlet to showcase their academic gifts. Talent Pool is directed by Roxann Holliday, assistant professor of marketing.

“The purpose of Talent Pool is to provide students with not only an internship, but also a mentor from the Hastings business community that they can reach out to and learn from,” Holliday said. “We have a pool of exceptional local employers and a pool of exceptional HC business students, and we put them together for an internship.”

To be selected for Talent Pool, students need to have completed at least nine credits in the business and economics department, be enrolled as a full-time student and have a good GPA. Students in Talent Pool spend the first semester working on resumes, soft skills, cover letters and networking. Students are then placed in an internship for either the spring semester or over the summer.

For the 2017-18 academic year, seven students were involved in Talent Pool. Businesses and organizations participating are Hastings Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), Lochland Country Club, Adams County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Steeple Brewery/Idea Bank Marketing, Eaton of Hastings, Midwest Farm Management and Pacha Soap. In the past, students have also been mentored by Mary Lanning Healthcare and Industrial Irrigation Services.

Talent Pool alumni give back

�㽶��Ƶ has had great success with Talent Pool. One of the most notable achievements was placing three graduates in full-time positions created for them after their Talent Pool internships with those companies. Talent Pool mentors have also been instrumental in helping interns land jobs and graduate school placements by serving as references and writing recommendation letters.

Maggie Vaughan ’16 and Kayla Nelson ’16 are �㽶��Ƶ alumni who are now employer mentors, encouraging the next generation of business students. Vaughan was also a Talent Pool alum and she has the opportunity to give back to the program that helped her find so much success.

By Ryan Smolko, a senior history major from Phoenix, Arizona

Ballou initially was introduced to Union Pacific at a career fair, and was attracted to the company’s encouragement of employees to diversify their skill sets and take on new roles in the company.

“I liked the idea of being able to ‘job hop’ while working in the same company,” said Ballou.

Know how to network

While at �㽶��Ƶ, Ballou saw success as an intern for companies related to her major field, including Farm Credit Services of America and Great Western Bank. But according to her, it’s not the titles that count.

“Internships are great networking opportunities,” Ballou said. “It’s easy to get too caught up in the title of the internship instead of taking into consideration the people you could meet or the unique opportunities you have the chance to experience.”

Great professors make the difference

Holding degrees in both business administration and marketing, Ballou values the critical thinking skills she honed while at �㽶��Ƶ in classes both in and outside of her majors.

“In my current job, I use problem solving and analytical skills on a daily basis in an effort to make the most effective decisions I can,” Ballou said. “The liberal arts education I received at Hastings challenged me to think strategically, and that has made a huge impact in the success in my career.”

For Ballou, one of the biggest advantages of �㽶��Ƶ is the faculty, a resource that she fully utilized.

“I always tried to take classes from the best professors on campus, I learned just as much from them as people as I did from the course-specific content, “said Ballou. “This is especially true of one of my marketing professors, Dr. Carol Meyer, she not only taught but truly inspired.”

By graduation, Ballou ended up taking all of the classes offered by Meyer, and it made a huge impact.

“Dr. Meyer’s classes gave me the confidence and competence to give presentation in the corporate world,” Ballou said. “Taking her classes was one of the best decisions I made in college.”

Extracurriculars provide extra experience

Ballou said she also believes that some of her success after graduation is due to her involvement in extracurricular activities.

“Through student life activities, you learn excellent leadership, networking��and time management skills imperative to your career development,” she said.

Ballou lived up to this mantra with [AG]vocates, a student group she was instrumental in founding at �㽶��Ƶ. The group promotes agricultural awareness and education, as well putting on a week long celebration known as “Ag Week” each spring open to all of campus. With her deep interest in the issues [AG]vocates promotes, Ballou’s work with this group is one of her fondest memories at HC.

“I am a huge supporter of both agriculture and rural America,” said Ballou. “It was so rewarding for me to be able to share this passion with my peers.”

By Nick Musgrave, a junior from Parkersburg, West Virginia, majoring in history and political science��

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To get experience in her chosen field, Brooke interned with (FCSAmerica), a company providing agricultural credit, risk management and financial needs of farmers and ranchers in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

“By observing the company and its incredible leaders, I’ve learned new leadership tactics as well as how to be a valuable teammate in the professional world,” she said. “This internship has provided me with ample opportunities to network with numerous professionals well-versed in the field of agribusiness. I’ve also become more familiar with the structure of corporate communication, which will be very beneficial as I transition into the career world.”

Creating a new social media strategy, representing FCSAmerica at farm and trade shows, including the , writing press releases and conducting website audits — all building on what Brooke learned in her �㽶��Ƶ classes. She also recognizes how her activities at Hastings, including participating in the student-run news show and the student government, have prepared her for the professional world.

“Balancing several extracurricular activities while working hard in the classroom probably best prepared me for this internship because it’s given me the confidence to manage a larger workload,” she said. “Throughout the internship, I’ve been given numerous projects to complete, so organization skills have been critical.”

Through her experience with FCSAmerica, Brooke confirmed she’s selected a career path well-suited to her interests and talents.

“While my specific future plans are undecided, I do plan to attend graduate school in the area of agribusiness/agricultural economics,” she said. “If the door opens, I’m not opposed to receiving my Ph.D. and teaching agribusiness marketing at the collegiate level.”