Bidding AFIA Adieu

Written by: Guest   |   August 23, 2022

By: Gracie Wagner, AFIA communications intern

A lot of things happened this summer. I moved across the country, got a dog, hiked a lot, graduated with my bachelor’s... but most importantly, I completed my internship with the American Feed Industry Association. 

When I first started drafting this blog, I planned on outlining everything I did this summer. But I scrapped that idea and decided to write more of a reflection of these past few months. I will wholeheartedly admit, I went into my internship plainly expecting to bop along through the summer, do my job and get my credits to complete my degree. However, I did more than that. I gained many new skills, a new outlook on all things feed-related and gained a great team to trek through this summer with, even if it was from afar -- 1,657 miles, to be exact!

My time with the AFIA has been one to remember, from the minute I got the call from Victoria saying I was chosen for the position. I was happy, but most importantly, nervous. An animal sciences student doing an agricultural communications internship? I felt like the bar was placed pretty high, and I challenged myself every day to jump over that bar, which I was able to achieve with the help and guidance of my fellow staff members: particularly the communications team - Victoria, Lacie and Raamezah. Not only did they teach me about all work-related things, but they also had moments where they helped teach me about life, particularly starting out in a career. 

My most memorable moment this summer isn’t directly work-related, but I think it is close enough. When I came to Virginia in May for the AFIA Board of Directors meeting, I stayed in an Airbnb. Long story short, the hosts had a cat that was a nuisance. On top of that, the hosts were gone overnight, which was strange to me. The cat was not happy about that, and I spent a whole night listening to him jump at my door meowing to get in (which at one point he did, before I locked my door). Moral of the story: Airbnb’s are ALWAYS entertaining and seem to result in some type of story to tell post-visit. 

On a more professional note, the most important skill I am taking with me is pretty broad: the ability and knowledge to use different methods to communicate with people about agriculture. Whether it be via social media posts or graphics, blogs, article publications or just about anything else you can think of, I garnered my skills to utilize the methods and share information. For anyone, anywhere in the ag industry, I think that’s a pretty important skill to have.

I think my only regret from this experience is the fact that I was not able to spend much in-person time with my team (thank you, price inflation! Why can’t planes run on CNG?). That being said, I enjoyed every minute I spent in the AFIA office, especially meeting AFIA members during the Board of Directors meeting in May. That whole week was a little daunting, due to it only being my second week of employment, but I still was able to have many meaningful conversations with members, staff and even representatives during the fly-ins. How many people from Gainesville, Fla., can say they participated in a legislative fly-in? My guess is not many. 

Overall, I just want to thank the entire AFIA staff for everything they have done for me this summer. For supporting me, entertaining me and giving me projects that gave me more exposure to different parts of the feed industry. I took something away from all of it, and for that I am grateful!