10 Things I Learned as an NSR Intern

In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell set out to discover what makes people successful. He concluded that a key factor in being successful is opportunity – those who are given extraordinary opportunities and have the presence of mind to seize on them outperform those around them.

I can say, the past two summers I have been blessed with two extraordinary opportunities. Last summer, the PR team at the Wisconsin Farm Bureau took a chance on me as a college freshman. It’s that experience that gave me the confidence and experience to apply for this position, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Jen, Katie and everyone who was involved in selecting me the 2012 NSR Marketing & Communications intern.

Over the course of the summer, I have learned and grown a lot. Below are just a few lessons I’ll take back with me to Madison as I start my junior year at the University of Wisconsin this fall.

Be flexible. Attending and working two national shows this summer served as a great reminder of the value of a little patience and flexibility. In the process of orchestrating such large events, bumps in the road are inevitable. At both World Pork Expo and NSR Summer Spectacular, I realized the importance of being proactive, working together and solving problems. As the old adage goes, you never know when life might throw you a curveball. You have to be able to adjust and push ahead.

Don’t be afraid to ask. We all need help once in a while. I’m incredibly indebted to the staff at NSR and all of the sources who provided information for my writing assignments. One of the most important things I learned this summer was the importance of picking up the phone and asking for what you need. More often than not, people are willing to help.

The expert was once the beginner. During the course of the summer, I was fortunate to work with a great group of talented communicators. I frequently spent time poring over my drafts, designs and other works to find numerous corrections and improvements. As an intern or employee, it’s so important to take the feedback you receive and grow from it. Everyone needs a trusted editor. I know those experiences have made me a better communicator, and have helped me to realize that everyone starts somewhere. There is no substitute for experience.

Consume media. In the communications business, if you aren’t aware of what others are doing, you’re probably not doing your job right. Today, media is evolving and changing at an incredible pace. If you don’t take the time to stop and see what new opportunities exist, you will be left behind.

Don’t force it. This is one that everyone in the M&C division can relate to. Just as every judge searches for the right term to describe the animal they are evaluating, we strive to find the right word, phrase or design. A lot of times, to tap your inner creativity, you can’t force it. You have to be patient enough to find what truly fits.

It’s hard to make progress by being the contending bidder. This one comes from senior fieldman Ralph Doak, who reminded a crowd at World Pork Expo that the way one young breeder driving his boar into the sale ring earned champion honors was by bringing some quality genetics home from a few conferences in years gone by and working hard to make them better. The underlying lesson in this speech is one that hit home with me as a reminder that, in whatever line of work, we have to be willing to take a risk to move forward. In the context of an internship, that might mean taking on responsibilities you’re a little bit uncomfortable with or stepping out of the box on a project – you never know what kind of results you’ll get.

You aren’t your audience. A few weeks back, I had the incredible opportunity to join Jen and Katie in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the 2012 Agricultural Media Summit. Along the way, this was one sentiment I truly took to heart. As a writer, it’s so easy to get caught up in what we learn from an interview or story that is interesting to us. That’s why it’s so important to remember who you’re truly working for – your audience. What does it mean to them? What do they want to know? One veteran journalist suggested taping a photo to your desk or monitor to remind yourself to write for them.

Tell the story. Today, there are a seemingly unlimited number of platforms for media professionals to get their brand involved. But some things haven’t changed that much. Whether communicating the “old school” way or using social media, people still crave stories and people they can relate to. No matter how the tools for communicating change, it still hinges on finding great people with great stories to tell. And it’s a great feeling when you do it right.

Have fun with your work. I give the Marketing & Communications team a lot of credit for not only tackling an impressive summer workload, but also for having fun with it along the way. It adds so much color and life to the office and makes every day a little more interesting.

Don’t ever forget to thank the people around you. Without a dedicated membership, none of us at NSR would be here. In the daily grind of producing a magazine or prepping for a show, I’ve learned the importance of putting people first. The people you meet are often the most valuable aspect of an internship. Taking advantage of that is so critical.

Industry Insights: Marking the Morrill Act

Most of the year, I call my home Madison, Wis. In the heart of the University of Wisconsin campus, cresting Bascom Hill, sits a statue honoring a man most Americans would agree was a visionary leader – Abraham Lincoln.

He is not emblazoned at the University of Wisconsin for his role in holding together a divided country through what was arguably one of its most tumultuous eras, though he could be. The reason he’s honored there is for his role in shaping not only our university, but modern agriculture.

During the dark days of the Civil War, 150 years ago this month, Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, legislation that created the land-grant university system, into law. The act granted 30,000 acres of land to each state for each member of Congress that state had. The money raised from the sale of the land, a combined $7.5 million nationwide, was to be invested by each state to create new institutions or boost existing programs focused on agriculture, industry and home economics.

Today’s land-grant institutions are agricultural research powerhouses. Over the past 150 years, they’ve supported research that has driven agricultural productivity to impressive levels. While the topics of research have changed, the mission of the land-grant system has not. Land grants do research that aims to both add to our understanding of the world and, perhaps more importantly, serve the people of their state and nation.

As institutions, land grants were created with hopes that the education they promised would be open to all, helping to boost the human capital of the population, particularly in agriculturally-dominated, rural areas. Relevant to anyone with involvement in youth livestock programs, Cooperative Extension and its 4-H program were born out of the land grant philosophy of taking knowledge to the people, wherever they were.

While they boast a legacy of discovery and continue to serve agriculture and the broader population, most land-grant colleges, like many other state-supported institutions of higher education, are fiscally-challenged in a very significant way. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, state support for higher education dropped over 25 percent from 1990-2010 as states struggle to make ends meet. At the federal level, deficit reduction efforts also threaten grant dollars that have helped fund research at the land-grant level for many years.

Faced with these challenges, land grants have been forced to innovate. Obtaining extramural dollars, increasing private giving and finding savings wherever possible have been parts of the solution to budget woes in many states. But funding challenges have also caused tuition to grow at rates that some fear will make a college education at some of our nation’s premier public schools out of reach for many. Extension programs, too, are dealing with budget cuts that impact local livestock programs.

Many of us have a story to tell about the importance of the work these institutions do. If we hope to see the next 150 years of land-grant agricultural colleges have just as much impact as the first, it’s time we start telling that story to our elected officials and, maybe more importantly, the general public. This anniversary is the perfect opportunity for that.

Meet the Interns - Taylor Fritsch

Hello everyone! My name is Taylor Fritsch, and I’m pleased to introduce myself as National Swine Registry’s Marketing & Communications Intern for 2012. It’s such an honor – and such a pleasure – to be serving the members of the NSR. I’m very excited to jump right into the mix for the M&C division this summer assisting with writing, design, social media, photography and so much more.

My journey in agriculture didn’t begin with swine. As a proud Badger from the state of Wisconsin, my family is involved in the industry that makes up almost half of our state’s agriculture – dairy. Growing up I was active with my family’s 70-cow, 600-acre operation, feeding my fair share of baby calves and helping out in whatever way I could. When I became old enough to show, I was pretty excited about breaking a dairy heifer to take to the fair. When my dad also bought me a couple feeder pigs, I wasn’t quite sure what to think.

If you had told me back then that I would develop such a passion for pigs, I might have told you that you were crazy. But eleven years later, that’s exactly what has happened. By my freshman year of high school, show pigs had won me over – so much so that we quit showing dairy altogether.

Although our focus is the dairy operation, my family is no stranger to swine production and livestock. They operated a 90-sow commercial herd until I was about four, at which point the operation was liquidated in favor of the dairy and grain aspects of our farm. Showing has been our way of staying connected with the swine industry, and over the years, those pigs have taught my sister, Bailey, and me a lot. Showing at the Wisconsin State Fair, our local county fair and other Wisconsin circuit shows, we’ve both been fortunate to have moderate success in the ring. But more importantly, we’ve learned a lot along the way – both about pigs and about life.  

Without a doubt, my involvement with swine, 4-H and FFA has helped chart my course for the future. Next fall, I will start my junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying agricultural economics and life sciences communication. I have a strong interest in consumer outreach and public perception of agriculture, and I hope to eventually work in a role that allows me to tell agriculture’s story and address the challenges that face our industry.

I look forward to communicating and working with many of you over the course of the summer, whether it be in-person, through one of our NSR blogs or in the pages of Seedstock EDGE. If you see me at one of our shows or sales, be sure to say hello and pose for a photo. Have a great summer and best of luck in the show ring and on your operations!