College interns are an investment in the future of a company and the community
By Joe Kertzman, managing editor, Badger Common’Tater
Whether they’re part of an official college internship program and earning credits toward school, or simply college students working summer or part-time jobs on local farms, interns are a valuable part of potato and vegetable growing operations.
Just ask Bill Wysocki of Wysocki Family of Companies, and he’ll tell you that the University of Wisconsin (UW) generally does a good job of encouraging students to participate in internships before graduation.
“Our experience has been positive enough that I do believe all students would benefit from real-world experience that internships provide,” he says. “Thus, making them a required part of a college education does seem to make sense.”
Wysocki Family of Companies has three interns working in agronomy on the farm, and four in corporate services—two in the agronomy lab, one in occupational safety and one in Information Technology (IT).
The current bank of students come from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and the UW campuses of Madison, Marathon County, Platteville, Green Bay and Eau Claire.
Nick and Dianne Somers of Plover River Farms don’t have an intern this year, but they hired last year’s intern, Daniel Schwind, as their crop advisor.
“His background in water and soil science, and his attitude and work ethic, fit into our operation so that, combined with more experience, he is learning fast,” Dianne says.
