Official Nebraska Government WebsiteA Slice of Intern Life: January Update
January was an exciting and busy month during my internship with the NWB. Much of the month was spent preparing for and attending the U.S. Wheat and National Association of Wheat Growers Joint Meeting, which took place at the end of January. I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., with the NWB, where I learned more about the work of USW and NAWG and met wheat producers across the country.
Leading up to the meeting, I was assigned a variety of tasks to help ensure everything ran smoothly. My responsibilities included reserving restaurants, helping organize the annual Nebraska Reception for congressional representatives, and assembling booklets for board members to use when discussing key issues impacting the wheat industry. In addition, I created an outline for my social media takeover during the meeting, which gave followers an inside look at what the NWB does and what happens behind the scenes at these meetings.
At the Joint Meeting, I had the opportunity to attend committee meetings and learn about the work that USW and NAWG are doing, learn about issues that are facing wheat producers right now, and network with congressional representatives and their staff. This experience was a great way to put into perspective what I have been doing in the office. I had some responsibilities during the meeting which included taking photos, writing notes, and giving NWB booklets and invitations to the Congressman. I also had the opportunity to conduct an Instagram takeover where followers tuned in to a day in the life as I attended hill visits and our Nebraska Reception.
My top three takeaways from this trip are learning more about the issues that Nebraska wheat producers are facing, meeting the Congressional Representatives and learning more about ag policy, and networking with the Nebraska Wheat Board members as well as other individuals at the USW/NAWG meetings. I hope to take these back into my internship and career moving forward by continuing to advocate for Nebraska Wheat Producers, look for ways I can help address these issues, and continuing to network with agricultural leaders across the state and country. I am grateful for the opportunity to have represented Nebraska’s wheat producers on a national stage.
Reflecting on the trip and the planning process, there are a couple ways I would go about tasks differently. When reserving the restaurants and Café Berlin, I would check in a couple extra times just to confirm times and dates, as I worried leading up to the trip that something may have been scheduled incorrectly, which caused unnecessary stress. When taking photos for the trip, I wish that I would have captured more photos of the board members talking with individuals from different states and organizations along with more close-up shots. During the social media takeover, there were moments when I felt rushed trying to listen to conversations while also posting, which led to posts going out without as much thought as I would have liked. Next time, I plan to slow down, be more intentional, and put more time and thought into each post rather than rushing to get something out.
Throughout the month, I worked on social media content for several upcoming events including recaps from the Portland Tour as well as promotional posts for National FFA Week, National Ag Day, and the State FFA Convention. I also created fun, interactive posts such as a National Hat Day giveaway, a St. Patrick’s Day recipe, a National Pi Day post, and a Valentine’s Day post. These projects challenged me to think outside the box and try new ideas.
In addition to social media, I spent time working on press releases, which helped strengthen my writing skills and gave me insight into the topics and discussions taking place within different agricultural organizations. I worked on press releases for the Nebraska Dry Pea & Lentil Commission, the Nebraska Wheat Board, and the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association.
As this internship continues, I’m excited to keep learning, taking on new projects, and gaining hands-on experience in agricultural communications and the Nebraska wheat industry. In February, I am looking forward to attending the NWB’s meeting in Kearney to present about my experience and takeaways from the Washington D.C. meeting and also learn more about what the NWB does at a state level during their meetings. I’ll also have the opportunity to attend the Women in Agriculture Conference where I will get to network with many other women in agriculture across the state of Nebraska. I am really excited about this opportunity!
I’ve set a few goals for myself this next month, including improving my networking skills at the various upcoming events, continuing to learn about Nebraska’s wheat industry, and strengthening my social media skills through creating graphics, taking photos and videos, and constructing informative and accurate captions. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead and can’t wait to share more next month.