Ag Communications Student, Kyndie Jorgensen, Interns with Land O’Lakes

One of Kyndie Jorgensen’s long-term goals is to work with individual farmers and ranchers, handling their public relations, marketing, and communications. Her experiences as an intern at Land O’Lakes has reinforced this aspiration.

As a Utah State University College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences (CAAS) agricultural communication student set to graduate soon, Jorgensen expressed gratitude for the experience, noting that it solidified her desire to continue working with agricultural producers in social media or marketing roles.

"I learned more about my future career path and what I can expect from myself," she said. "I now know that I will be happiest working directly with farmers and helping family farms. I hope to share their stories in the future."

Jorgensen secured the internship through the USU chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences  (MANNERS). She also worked with Kelsey Hall, associate professor of agricultural communication and program director, to receive academic credit for the internship.

Land O’Lakes, a farmer-owned cooperative based in Minnesota, focuses primarily on the dairy industry. The cooperative’s mission of "feeding human progress" aligned with Jorgensen’s goals as she served as the dairy member services marketing and communications intern.

"My role was to assist the dairy member services team in better representing and supporting farmers," Jorgensen said. "I developed surveys and initiatives to better understand dairy farmers’ needs. I also wrote articles for the web portal to inform farmers about what was happening at corporate and within the industry. Additionally, I worked with teams focused on animal care, sustainability, risk management, and products and services to help improve farmers' experiences with the cooperative."

Jorgensen said the internship was a perfect fit for her studies, combining agricultural knowledge with essential communication tasks. She appreciated the variety of agriculture-related areas and communication components, which she can see herself pursuing in the future.

“Internships are highly valuable for agricultural communication students as they provide practical, hands-on experience that is difficult to replicate in a classroom setting.” Hall said. “Through the Land O’ Lakes internship, Kyndie demonstrated strong writing and editing abilities, effective interpersonal communication, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.”  

During her time at Land O’Lakes, Jorgensen worked on large-scale projects, gaining valuable insights into corporate voice, writing styles, and team communication. Her favorite part of the internship was visiting farms and speaking with the farmers involved with Land O’Lakes. She admired their hard work and dedication, noting that these aspects of production are often underrepresented in discussions about the dairy industry.

"I wouldn’t have gained this experience or had this wonderful opportunity if I hadn’t stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new," Jorgensen said. "I moved across the country for this internship, and it was absolutely amazing. It truly changed the trajectory of my career, and I’m forever grateful for everything I got out of it."