Meet Jackson Wright, Lake Area Technical Institute Ag Production Student who completed a Junior Internship at Sioux Nation Ag Center in the summer.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. I plan to go into farming and swine production.

Q. What were your goals for the internship?
A. I wanted to learn more about ag in general, experience the veterinary side of livestock production, and get a feel for the product side of the industry outside of production and farming.

Q. What was your favorite experience during the internship with Sioux Nation Ag Center?
A. Vaccinating cattle in the rain with the Viborg crew was memorable, and checking in pigs with Clay taught me a lot.

Q. What did you learn from the staff at Sioux Nation Ag Center?
A. It was interesting to watch staff explaining the pros and long-term results from making changes to protocols when customers were reluctant to do so. I liked seeing the strategic mindset that staff were presenting to producers.

Q. What were some of the experiences you had?
A. Veterinary experience – I helped post a pig and learned what to look for in that process and where to check the animal for other issues. I also learned an interesting way to stitch a steer prolapse.
Nutrition experience – we spent some time discussing the protein necessary for small ruminant growth, mineral and copper toxicity in sheep, and the importance of quality forage.
Business Administration experience – it was interesting to consider the financial side of running a business, including how inventory is managed, the importance of paying attention to accounts receivable, and the need for the records and reports to show the overall financial picture and what parts of the business are profitable. It was also fun to look at the history of the company, how it has changed over the years and what the future might look like.
Social media experience – I learned about the importance of a robust social media strategy with effectively timed content posts.

Q. In what ways do you intend to apply your internship experience to your future roles?
A. I learned in farming; you must keep an eye on feed management and animal behavior and preferences. The quality of feed and ingredients is essential to the success of the herd.

Q. What are your final reflections on your time with the company?
A. Staff were willing to answer questions, and everyone seemed to work together. I could see how every department is tied to other departments in some way.