Internships

Grain Interns

Meet Heartland Co-op’s grain Interns, Jacob and Josh. Both are Agriculture Majors, entering their last year at Iowa State University. They’ve been busy working on an upcoming USDA report, communicating with farmers to gauge any price action. Jacob has focused on the direct ship report, while Josh has been creating an acre report and tracking how Heartland’s origination compares to other grain marketers locally and statewide.

Jacob expressed his enjoyment in communicating with farmers on a daily basis. Heartland manages the main grain lines, so they manage most of the calls directly. With growers calling regularly, its an excellent opportunity to make industry connections. For Jacob and Josh, the focus isn’t just on transactions, but on fostering relationships and trust daily. Additionally, Josh has enjoyed staying updated with market news and understanding the factors that cause market fluctuations. Heartland Co-op operates as a basis trader, which offers a different perspective from what Jacob has experienced before.

Beyond flat-price trading, learning about the various types of contract they can write has been a significant learning opportunity.  Josh and Jacob also get to visit local farms and meet with farmers, who enjoy showcasing their operations. These visits provide Josh and Jacob with detailed insights into each grower’s farm. Every farm is unique, and these visits have been invaluable for grain interns to compare and contrast preferences. Regarding contracts, there are more than just two types, so the needs they address vary depending on who they are calling. 

Agronomy Interns

Meet the Agronomy Interns of Heartland Co-op. This summer, our interns have hit the ground running and embraced every learning opportunity that has come their way. Throughout the season, they have been actively documenting field observations, including insect activity, disease presence, weather impacts, stand counts, and overall field health. Each intern collaborates closely with an agronomist, engaging in daily learning sessions and seeking valuable insights.

In addition to field assessments, the interns have initiated monthly trials with Holganix.

 These trials involve visiting Holganix-treated fields, conducting simulated rainfall experiments using cylinders, and measuring soil infiltration rates. These trials are pivotal in evaluating Holganix's effectiveness in enhancing soil and root vitality.

Alongside their fieldwork, the interns dedicate time each week to create Heartland InSites. These InSites highlight products they encounter in the field, offering detailed insights and progress updates on selected items. This initiative not only deepens their product knowledge but also keeps them motivated throughout their internship.

The Agronomy Interns have expressed great satisfaction in visiting farms and interacting with growers. Each farm visit provides unique insights into various farming operations, enriching their understanding of agricultural practices. Furthermore, their outdoor experiences offer firsthand knowledge of field conditions and valuable hands-on exposure to the agronomy industry.

Seed Sales Intern

Meet Abby, Heartland Co-op’s Seed Sales Intern in Mitchellville, IA. 

One of the highlights of her internship has been assisting with the seed treatment process. She helped remove the seed from the box, run it through the seed treater, and then repackage it for distribution. Earlier in the summer, Abby worked extensively with Safeguard Gold and Silver, Heartland seed treatment products, which she found was an exciting experience.

Seeing the seed treatment process for the first time was very educational.

Additionally, Abby had the opportunity to deliver the treated seed to growers herself. She enjoyed making new connections and interacting with our customers, making this aspect of her internship particularly rewarding.

It shocked her at first, to see just how much effort goes into treating seed. Abby has also spent a lot of time scouting fields, so she's been able to track the progress of the products throughout the summer. It’s clear to her that the hard work pays off, as the seed they've treated performs much better than the untreated.

 Abby has also come to understand how much time is required to ensure that excess seed and containers are returned on time. This part of the operation involves many people, and they've all had to pitch in. They've had semi-loads of product that needed unloaded, organized, and documented for each box. Abby expressed how it’s truly a team effort, and she's enjoyed seeing how everyone’s tasks come together to complete one job.

For more information on our seed products, please call our Mitchellville location at 515-967-4288, or contact your local agronomist. 

Feed Interns

Meet Liz and Grace, Heartland Co-op’s Feed Interns, at our Prairie City location. Grace and Liz are both students at Iowa State University, majoring in animal science. They started their day by updating inventory, which helps the location staff stay informed about product status and allows them to familiarize themselves with the feed shed. Afterwards, they continued working on their product guide project.  The product guide aims to keep different locations aligned on products and provide more information to customers more efficiently.

 Liz shared that she enjoys greeting producers, visiting farms, and seeing how their feed is meeting the animals’ nutritional demands. Heartland Co-op fills the needs for farms of all sizes, so constructing feed plans for operations of all sizes and species has been a significant learning opportunity. Grace added that she loves making new connections in the industry and hearing the experiences of other professionals. Both Grace and Liz have found it very beneficial to learn from other companies and hear about different roles in the industry.

As animal science majors, Grace and Liz have been able to connect their classroom knowledge to the workforce, especially regarding feed nutrition. Heartland Co-op’s Prairie City location has five different mills, each producing unique products. They’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the varying rations of ingredients like amino aids, soybeans, oats, and corn can significantly impact product performance.

For more information on Heartland Co-op’s feed services, call our Prairie City location at (515) 994-2651. 


Energy Intern

Meet Claire, Heartland Co-op's Energy Intern. Claire is a junior at Iowa State University, majoring in agricultural studies. This morning, she was at the West Des Moines office, reviewing our customer list and reaching out to potential clients. Claire has been warmly welcoming customers, introducing herself, and offering assistance with any inquiries they may have. This marks Claire's second year as an energy intern at Heartland. Throughout this summer, she has had the opportunity to lend a hand in various departments, including recently assisting the accounting team and gaining valuable experience in payroll processing.

During her tenure at Heartland, Claire has accompanied her mentor, Krista, on farm visits, an aspect of her role that she is particularly fond of. Observing Krista's proficiency in engaging and nurturing relationships with growers has been truly inspiring for Claire. Moreover, Claire values the opportunity to personally connect with growers. As she frequently handles customer orders, Claire finds it advantageous to put faces to names and cultivate trust with them.


Since joining Heartland, Claire has gained insight into how global events like natural disasters, hurricanes, or even weather patterns can influence fuel prices locally. With prices changing rapidly, she finds it fascinating to link world events to fuel price fluctuations. Claire has also appreciated the educational experiences provided by her flexibility to work in various departments.

Marketing Intern

Meet Erin, Heartland’s Marketing Intern. Currently pursuing an Agricultural Communications degree at Iowa State University, she is gearing up for her final semester. This summer, Erin has been focused on interviewing fellow interns to showcase their experiences. Her days are filled with designing graphics for our social media platforms, crafting articles for the newsletter, and supporting Kristin, Heartland’s communications specialist, with photography and internal interviews. Additionally, Erin is grateful to split her time with the Agronomy department, where she scouts fields and engages with growers at our Malcom location. 

A significant portion of Erin’s internship involves traveling to various Heartland locations, which has quickly become one of her favorite aspects. This opportunity has allowed her to witness firsthand the inner workings of Heartland and build valuable connections. Collaborating with Kristin to capture content across different departments has been incredibly enriching and enjoyable for Erin. Each task she undertakes utilizes a range of her skills, from creativity and photography to writing and communication. Erin finds great satisfaction in continually enhancing these abilities through her daily responsibilities.

Thanks to the flexibility of Erin’s internship, she’s been able to explore departments and facets of the agriculture industry that were previously unfamiliar to her. Writing weekly articles has been an excellent avenue for making connections and gaining insights into the responsibilities of her fellow interns. As she’s honed her writing skills, Erin has discovered a newfound passion for journalism. Additionally, she’s gained valuable experience in photography and the art of capturing compelling content. 

Operations Intern

Meet Kaden, the Operations Intern at Heartland Co-op’s site in Avon. Currently enrolled at Iowa State University, Kaden is pursuing a degree in Supply Chain Management with a minor in Business Management. His day typically involves measuring grain bins in the mid-deck, ensuring they do not overflow as corn and soybeans are conveyed up the belt.

 Kaden, who has a background in construction, is adept with small machinery and particularly enjoys operating the skid loader. Using this equipment, he maneuvers corn within the warehouse, ensuring smooth operations.

Outside of his mechanical duties, Kaden takes pride in maintaining the Avon location's appearance, providing lawn care services with enthusiasm.

Despite his supply chain management focus, Kaden admits to having limited prior experience in agriculture. His internship at Heartland Co-op has been eye-opening, revealing the immense volume of corn and beans processed at the Avon facility. Moreover, he has gained insight into the intricacies of loading trains; when a train is due, everyone pitches in until it is fully loaded, a process that Kaden finds both challenging and rewarding.


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