Here at Land O’Lakes, Inc., we are committed to Feeding Human Progress by investing in our work and our people. The WinField United Intern and Associate program is carrying out that commitment by helping interns develop into innovative, hard-working, full-time employees.
How does WinField do that? By investing in top talent early on while enabling young professionals to integrate into WinField United and develop their future careers.
“My internship directly led to my first full time job with WinField United and helped me forge connections within the company that have been incredibly useful as I’ve moved through different roles within the organization,” said Mike Anderson, Director, Soybean, Oils and Wheat Product Management.
Mike exemplifies the purpose of the WinField United Intern and Associate program. He spent three summers interning with WinField United and spent time as an associate prior to accepting a fulltime offer. Mike continues to work here because of “the people and the opportunities.”
“All and all, the company is filled with hardworking folks that care.”
The Intern and Associate program is designed around attracting top talent and providing a diverse experience within the company, according to Lori Vogeltanz, WinField United Associate and Intern Program Manager. Over the course of a summer, interns may have projects in areas such as sales, ag-tech, e-business or agronomy R&D. The program is structured to bring back interns who reflect excellence over the course of multiple years, giving them the ability to rotate through different roles and expand their knowledge base.
“After two to three years of development, the talent not only has a vast resume, but it also gives us a great foundation to see if we want to bring them into the associate program,” said Jaynie Dykes, Senior HR Business Partner, WinField United. “This program helps us build talent rather than needing to go out and buy it.”
Emily Alm, Digital Technology Manager and former WinField United intern and associate, applied to the internship program knowing that she would end up with a well-rounded experience from a reputable organization. The program broadened her horizons of what was available to her in the agriculture industry and presented her with opportunities to grow within the business.
“The best experience during the program was interacting with our owners. Most of them don’t have the opportunity to interact with our cooperatives and member owners every day, and I had the privilege to do so,” says Emily.
The long-term objective of the program is to align interns to WinField United’s initiatives and give them experiences that highlight growth in their technological skills, problem-solving capabilities and communication. The investment and development of talent is only possible through the collaboration between the Intern and Associate program and College Relations, and the continuous support from all business leaders and managers.
Our recruiters seek out innovative, creative and hard-working talent through top universities and various organizations, including Minorites in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), to take part in the intern program. The WinField United Associate program, a two-year rotation as a WinField United employee, allows recent graduates, and often former interns, the opportunity to continue to work for the company, creating a pipeline of future employees. All 12 of the WinField United Associates brought on this year were former participants of the internship program.
“I really enjoyed my internship because I had a supervisor who cared about investing in the future of youth and the future of talent,” Emily says. “It is important to be connected to future generation to educate them and shape the skills and knowledge they need to be successful at the start of their career.”
Interested in the WinField United Intern and Associate program? Reach out to Lori Vogeltanz, WinField United Associate and Intern Program Manager by email at LJVogeltanz@landolakes.com.