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<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Brooke Taylor<br />
Rachel Moore changes a filter that removes the particulates that may<br />
make it into the milk through the milking process.<br />
part of everyone’s life. As<br />
soon as clothes touch your<br />
body and food goes into your<br />
mouth, agriculture becomes<br />
part of your life. So while I<br />
did not grow up on a farm, I<br />
did grow up with agriculture<br />
all around me.<br />
Once I got to high school<br />
in my hometown of DeForest,<br />
Wisconsin, I took every ag<br />
class that I had room for and<br />
was heavily involved in FFA.<br />
I also started working on a<br />
small dairy farm, which is<br />
where I developed a deeper attachment<br />
to the dairy industry<br />
specifically. After high school<br />
I went on to the University of<br />
Wisconsin–River <strong>Fall</strong>s, where<br />
I am a junior double majoring<br />
in dairy science and marketing<br />
communications.<br />
As a person who is always<br />
eager to further my knowledge<br />
and reach toward new<br />
experiences, I started my<br />
hunt for a hands-on summer<br />
internship. This led me to my<br />
summer home in Maquoketa,<br />
working for Heather and Brandon<br />
Moore. I spent my time<br />
between the farm and at the<br />
Moore Local store. This gave<br />
me the chance to apply both<br />
of my studies in dairy science<br />
and marketing communications<br />
to the internship.<br />
While I had worked on a<br />
small dairy similar to Heather’s,<br />
every farm is unique. I<br />
adapted to the different ways<br />
Heather’s dairy operates. I<br />
had to familiarize myself with<br />
the milking system, know the<br />
process of feeding calves and<br />
sometimes goats, understand<br />
the way certain things were<br />
done compared to my previous<br />
farm background, and<br />
learn about Heather’s cows<br />
and their lineage along with<br />
being able to better recognize<br />
favorable qualities in the herd.<br />
Also during my time at the<br />
farm I dabbled in the beef<br />
side of things, learning from<br />
Brandon about raising beef<br />
and working the feedlot cattle<br />
with him.<br />
As for working at the store,<br />
I learned how to price items in<br />
order to turn a profit, designed<br />
appealing display shelves to<br />
promote purchases by customers,<br />
marketed the store and its<br />
products through social media,<br />
advanced my customer service<br />
skills, and I even became a<br />
proficient barista.<br />
It seems my summer in<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> has gone by in<br />
a flash with all of the new<br />
experiences I’ve acquired,<br />
skills I continued to expand,<br />
and lasting relationships I was<br />
able to build with people. I<br />
was lucky to have found such<br />
a great internship and amazing<br />
people to work for and learn<br />
from. This all goes to show<br />
how important hands-on internships<br />
in your field of study<br />
are. You never know where an<br />
internship might lead you or<br />
the network of people you will<br />
develop. n<br />
Be Prepared<br />
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eifarmer.com <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 101<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong><strong>Iowa</strong><strong>Farmer</strong>_<strong>Fall</strong><strong>2021</strong>.indd 101<br />
9/15/21 10:25 am
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