USA Internship

ITLUS/Rosenbohm  United States Internship

 

This farm internship aims to provide international farming experience to a person involved in agriculture in Ireland. The award will provide one season of work experience and accommodation on a large US farm located in northwest Missouri. The winner will be hosted by the Rosenbohm family who will ensure that the recipient receives broad experience in the production, husbandry and marketing of corn and soyabeans, as well as in the processing of seed of these crops.

 

Who can apply?

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age to apply for consideration for this work experience. Applicants must be resident on the island of Ireland and be a member of either the Irish Tillage and Land Use Society (ITLUS) or the Ulster Arable Society (UAS).

 

What experience will the winner get

This is a large maize and soyabean farming operation and the intention is that the recipient experiences the full season of crop production — establishment, growth, harvesting and marketing. This farm is also a big seed assembler of maize and soyabeans, both GM and non-GM. The recipient would gain experience in the growing, harvesting, storage and processing of these crops.

Where appropriate, the recipient will be expected to operate the range of farm machinery involved in crop management, including tractors, cultivators, drills, sprayers and combines, and to work the hours required to get the work done.

The host farm family will provide accommodation for the award winner during the internship. In general the winner will be expected to provide his/her own food but some meals may be provided during busy times.

Remuneration will be based on the initial experience of the recipient and the skills gained during the stay. It will also be impacted by the attitude and professionalism displayed. The host will make every effort to ensure that the award recipient receives a very diverse work experience and has an enjoyable stay in the US.

The award winner is expected to work along with management, family and other employees at different times and so must be prepared to work the long hours required during the busy spring planting and fall harvesting periods.

 

 

 

Requirements

Be over 18 years of age on 1 January 2016.

Available to travel to the farm in Missouri in February/March 2016 and stay until November 2016.

A member of ITLUS or UAS.

Reside on the island of Ireland.

Hold a current full driving license.

Have a good knowledge of working modern farm machinery.

Have a qualification in agriculture.

Have agricultural references.

Be sociable and willing to interact with other people.

Recipient will be expected to provide a synopsis of experiences gained and their potential benefits.

A farming background is not essential.

The winner must be able to successfully obtain a visa to work in the US.

 

Terms and Conditions

• This farm internship is open to residents of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, aged 18 years and over on 1 January 2016.
• Applicants must be a member of either the Irish Tillage and Land Use Society (ITLUS) or the Ulster Arable Society (UAS).
• The Irish Tillage and Land Use Society (ITLUS) and the Ulster Arable Society reserve the right to cancel or amend the farm internship without notice, and for any reason whatsoever.
• The winner must be in a position to confirm their identity and eligibility. Failure to do so will disqualify them from the farm internship.
• The farm internship prize is not transferable to a third party.
• The winner will be notified as soon as possible after Monday, 1 February 2016. If there is no response from the winner within one week of contact being made, the winner will forfeit his/her rights to the next in line of the chosen finalists (and so on until a winner has been contacted).
• By submitting an application, the applicant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of the farm internship programme.
• Completed entry forms must be posted to: ITLUS Secretary, C/O Dick Fitzgerald, Loughane, Ladysbridge, Co. Cork.
• The closing time for receipt of entries to the competition is 5.30pm on Friday, 08 January 2016.
• The decision of the judging committee will be final.

 

 

 

Application and selection process

The application form is available below. This must be completed and returned to the ITLUS secretary before 8 January 2016. It is planned to hold follow-up interviews during the last two weeks in January.

An initial screening of applications will take place by a selected committee based on the qualifying criteria. This committee may select a shortlist of the qualifying candidates to be called for interview.

The interview process will question the capabilities of the applicants and their suitability as an ambassador for ITLUS/UAS, Irish farming and Ireland. It will also focus on the competency of the applicant with regard to machine operation, crop husbandry, crop management, communication skills, self sufficiency etc. The interview will also seek to assess the ability of the applicant to slot into the work programme and ethos of the host family.

Where the suitability of a potential winner is uncertain, it will be necessary to consult with the host farmer with regard to a potential winner. The committee may also consult with reference providers.

While it is the intention of ITLUS/UAS to make an award on an annual basis, this might not be possible every year if a suitable candidate is not found or if it does not suit the host farmer.

 

Selection committee

ITLUS President

Andy Doyle, Irish Farmers Journal

UAS Representative

ITLUS Council member

Industry representative

ITLUS member

 

The award winner

The purpose of this award is to provide an opportunity to an Irish person to experience US farming by working a full season on a large US farm. The potential recipient must be in a position to spend the full season (approximately 8 to 9 months) in the Mid-West of the US for the duration of the internship.

The winner will get the opportunity to learn about the production of maize and soyabeans, to work the machinery involved and to encounter the business challenges of farming in the US.

As well as production experience, the winner will also gain experiences in the processing of seed crops and in the marketing of standard feed grains. Other areas of expertise may also be possible.

It is hoped that the winner will remain involved in the Irish tillage sector in Ireland and that the experiences gained may be used to help not just the winner but, in time, others in our tillage sector. It is hoped that the winner will provide occasional reports of his/her experiences to the Society during the year away and present a report of the experiences at a future ITLUS conference.

 

 

 

Application

The 2017 Application form is available on its own page here

 

Some details and an overview of the internship can be found in the Farmers Journal

Kevin Rosenbohm gave  presentation at our 2010 Winter Conference, it can be found here