Students in ANS 3990A: Animal Science Internship: Graded Internship Experience gain hands-on experience in careers related to animal science while developing their professional skills. With instructor approval, students engage in internships that provide real-world learning, requiring them to document their experiences through journals, presentations, and scientific analysis. These internships offer valuable insights into various sectors of the industry, from livestock management to communications and marketing. In this article, students share their internship experiences, highlighting the skills they developed and the impact these opportunities had on their career goals. Read below to learn more about students' specific internship opportunities!
Grant Boyd
Main Tasks:
- Calved out 1,000 head of cows
- Branded Calves
- Synchronized/Re-Bred
Testimonial: "I can’t express how thankful I’m for the opportunity to work with Sitz Angus. This operation is setting the industry standard for top notch Angus genetics."
Drew Dziewiatkowski
Main Tasks:
- Perform examinations and record findings on both clinical and annual patients
- Prepare surgical medications and surgery suite ahead of procedures
- Observe and assist in a variety of surgeries on several different species
Testimonial: “The summer I spent at Homeward Bound was the most influential time of my life. I was able to gain professional experience as well as simply grow as a person. I could never recreate the importance of the learning experiences I gained this summer.”
Sway Buchmeier - Royal Vista Southwest Equine Embryo Transfer
Main Tasks:
- Assisting Vets in daily palpations
- Foal Watch/ Foaling
- Assisting Vets in embryo flushing/transfers
Testimonial:
“This Internship has helped grow me both personally and professionally. I was able to grow my passion for large animals and at the same time being able to get hands-on experience”
Ryan Wolf - Alta Genetics
Main Tasks:
- Interviewing Alta clients by reviewing herd performance data
- Compile collected data for farms to compare benchmark rankings
- Complete ride-alongs to observe employees and gauge personal interest
Testimonial: “Alta Genetics pushed me outside of my comfort zone while showing me what the commercial side of the dairy industry looks like.”
Kailey Bahmann - Abraham's Equine Clinic
Main tasks:
- Bring mares in for reproductive cycle checks
- Administer various reproductive hormone injections/give oral progesterone to mares
- Collect stallion semen for artificial insemination
Testimonial: “This internship impacted me more than I could ever imagine. It built my professional communication, develop new skills, multiple hands-on experiences, and overall, the opportunity to further develop my personal and career growth in the industry.”
Elizabeth Abbitt - Blank Park Zoo
Main tasks:
- Daily diet preparation for over 1400 animals
- Sanitization of dishes and kitchen surfaces
- Animal maintenance for animals within quarantine
Testimonial: “I believe that this internship has helped me grow professionally and given me contacts that will help me as I continue on my path.”
Katherine Cubbage - One Heart Equestrian Therapy, Inc.
Main Tasks:
- Lead/Side walk with clients
- Navigate during driving classes
- Organize clients' payments and paperwork
Testimonial: “Working with OneHeart has shown me a complete different side of the equine industry.”
Jadyn Beland - Christensen Farms
Main Tasks:
- Working with sows and piglets in farrowing
- Weaning and Farrowing Projection Organization
- Learning to heat check sows and gilts
Testimonial: “I gained experience working with pigs, and I developed an understanding of a new language.”
Dalayna Brugman - The Maschhoffs
Main Tasks:
- Completed a feeding trial to determine net maintenance energy requirements of gestating gilts
- Assist and record data of various company research trials
- Typical swine choring practices, heat checking, breeding, farrowing
Testimonial: “This internship significantly impacted my professional development through mentorship and networking with industry professionals along with hands-on experiences in swine science.”
Jenna Derouchey - New Fashion Pork
Main Tasks:
- Recognize & treat animal health concerns
- Understand nutrition; feed pigs
- Shadow service managers & assist with daily tasks, write service reports, and marketing
Testimonial: “Interning with New Fashion Pork gave me insight into careers within the swine industry through hands-on opportunities.”
Eleanor Wiltfang - Mg Biologics
Main Tasks:
- Calibrating and efficiently running plasmapheresis machines
- Caring for a large herd of donor horses through nutrition, medication, and daily maintenance
- Prepare new horses for plasma collection through training
Testimonial: “I experienced a completely different side of animal health through this internship! It allowed me to gain useful knowledge about the field of medicine as well as myself!”
Ashley Carroll - TWG Ranch
Main Tasks:
- Data Management - learned how to use Cattlemax to keep records on Purebred cattle
- Sorting Cows and Calves in a Barn
- Johnes Testing - taking fecal samples of adult cattle to test for Johnes disease
Testimonial: “This experience allowed me to expand my knowledge of the purebred cattle industry, made me confident of my passion for beef cattle, and helped me gain skills that I will use in my future career.”
Isabella Budden - Schwartz Farms
Main Tasks:
- Worked in the Breeding department of sow barn. Which included Al sows, evaluating wellbeing, and heat checking
- Worked in the wean to Finish barns where we evaluated well being, administer vaccines when need, and received and loaded pigs
- Worked in the farrowing department of the sow barn processing pigs
Testimonial: “I would say to anyone thinking about applying to the intership just to do they really treat you like family and care about your future.”
Chayse Burgess - Minnesota Racing Commission
Main Tasks:
- Obtaining and assissting veterinarians with collection of urine and blood samples from equine
- Assissting private veterinarians with lasix injections four hours prior to racing
- Treating and assissting veterinarians in the treatment of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and rhabdomyolosis
Testimonial: “This experience really solidified the future I see for myself and gave me the final push I needed to apply to vet school with an equine preference.”
Beth Anderson - New Fashion Pork
Main Tasks:
- Assist with daily tasks while shadowing industry professionals
- Learn to identify animal health concerns
- Be attentive and ask questions to grasp better understanding
Testimonial: “I was not only able to grow exponentially in knowledge and experience, but I also experienced personal growth through this internship. I made personal connections with industry professionals and hands-on learned the ins and outs of production swine.”
Hannah Grothaus - Oakley Equine
Main Tasks:
- Daily barn chores: preparing feeds, tacking/untacking horses, cleaning
- Assisting Dr. Oakley: scrubbing ares before injections, holding horses, helping with x-rays and ultrasounds
- Performing FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation)
Testimonial: “This internship gave me so many new experiences and opened my eyes to so many different things in the equine industry.”
Sarah Fritz - Iowa Select Farms
Main Tasks:
- Processing Piglets
- Moving sows and gilts
- Charing Rooms
Testimonial: “Iowa Select Farms gave me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and push myself to learn and practice crucial skills that will be used in my future career as a livestock veterinarian.”
Everlee Harvey - Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions
Main Tasks:
- Data Collection Skills
- Handling Sows and Piglets
- Collecting data, recording into Excel, and running data through R.
Testimonial: “This internship taught me how to push through the hard days, and celebrate the good days. I was able to grow as an individual and professionally.”
Madeline Hartford - Horizon Equine Veterinary Services
Main Tasks:
- Driving company vehicle to appointment locations
- Preparing supplies for various appointment
- Assisting with horse handling
Testimonial: “The hands-on experience deepened my passion for equine care and inspired me to continue pursuing my dream of veterinary medicine.”
Jessica Norris - Iowa Select Farms
Main Tasks:
- Treating 10-30 gilts
- Breed 50 or more gilts
- HNS 300+ gilts
Testimonial: “This internship pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me gain knowledge and skills that I will use for my future career in the swine industry.”
Sophie Gram - Iowa State University Dairy Farm
Main Tasks:
- Reclaim yesterday’s feed and record each individual weight
- Use the skidsteer to load the tractor with feed, and drop feed ASAP!
- Collect fecal, milk, and blood samples at least 2-3 times a week
Testimonial: “This internship taught me how a research trial works, as well as the importantce of daily farm chores and the importance of integrity of data.”
Sarah Eiler - Show Horses by Shannon
Main Tasks:
- Basic stall maintenance
- Feeding of our training horses
- Packing and unpacking trailers before and after shows
Testimonial: “This internship strengthened my love for the show industry, and it solidified my desire to work in alignment with it.”
Ashlyn Hammel - Waukon Feed Ranch
Main Tasks:
- Traveled to a different barn each week to conduct glo-germ analysis of entry/exit points to analyze biosecurity practices
- Complete SWOT analysis for each facility to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of biosecurity
- Assess areas for biosecurity improvement and develop materials to explain the importance of biosecurity to others
Testimonial: “This experience has taught me so much about not only biosecurity, but the swine industry in general. I have been able to apply these biosecurity concepts to other aspects of agriculture.”
Hannah Grieme - Valley Veterinary Center
Main Tasks:
- Carefully handle semen and embryos for Al or ET
- Assisting Dr. Riedell with pregnancy checking
- Working with fresh embryos for freezing or transferring
Testimonial: “During my summer internship with Valley Veterinary Center, I was able to work alongside many brilliant veterinarians. The experiences helped to shape my knowledge of cattle reproduction.”
Olivia Funke - Iowa State University Dairy Farm
Main Tasks:
- Pushing cows to and from the parlor
- Milking cows
- Caring for and feeding calves
Testimonial: “This internship allowed me to gain cattle experience and learn about the dairy industry. This was an experience I will never forget and hope to have more like it.”
Marissa Stone - San Antonio Zoo
Main Tasks:
- Morning and afternoon feeding
- Cleaning supplies and enclosures
- Observation and communication with zookeepers on various tasks
Testimonial: “Simulating the job of a zookeeper has given me hands-on experience in my field of interest. I understand the demands of a career with animals and have gained more confidence in getting involved in wildlife conservation.”
Isabella Logan - Minnesota Guide Dog Breeding Center
Main Tasks:
- Provided all necessary care for the brood and her 9 pups
- Introduced the pups to the world via regular outings and new experiences
- Properly prepared the pups for their future as guide dogs through various forms of desensitization (including loud noises, car trips, children, etc)
Testimonial: “This internship taught me that I am capable of far more than I previously thought, and built my confidence in my skills and qualifications while also simultaneously allowing me to develop more of these.”
Alyssa Neddermeyer - Iowa Select Farms
Main Tasks:
- Treating Gilts With Medicine
- Heat-Checking Gilts
- Artificially Inseminating Gilts
Testimonial: “This internship has impacted me so much by giving me all of this knowledge I didn’t have before. I know pigs like I never thought I would, and this will help me in my large animal veterinary practice in the future.”
Conner Murty - Butz-Hill Angus
Main Tasks:
- Organized, sorted, and implemented data
- Used animal husbandry skills every day in the evaluation of health
- Loaded, handled, and transported livestock
Testimonial: “This internship allowed me to gain new experiences in embryo transfer and in the genetics area of the cattle business.”
Kennedy Montag - Hawkeye Breeders Service
Main Tasks:
- Feed the bulls to produce usable semen and clean their barns successfully
- Aid in the daily collection by holding mounts and running AVs
- Prepare tanks and orders for customers that order stored semen or embryos
Testimonial: “During this internship I worked with a lot of important people in the cattle industry that have bulls and semen stored at Hawkeye.”
Jaiden Schmelzer - Iowa Select Farms
Main Tasks:
- Tunnel Barn Ventilation
- Evaluating Market Pigs
- Supervised W-F Sites
Testimonial: “This internship was extremely rewarding for me. It solidified that I want to pursue a career in the swine industry, and now I have experience to help me achieve that.”
Megan Johnson - Select Sires Member Cooperative
Main Tasks:
- Assist breeding technicians with breeding beef or dairy females
- Help the lab screw with counting straws for freezing and caning straws for distribution
- Ride along with Sales Representatives and Select Mating Service Representatives
Testimonial: “Working with Select Sires Member Cooperative was a truly valuable summer, offering hands-on experience and networking opportunities, allowing for tremendous personal and professional growth!”
Brenna Henning - Maquoketa Vet Clinic
Main Tasks:
- Restrain animals for appointments
- Surgery Preparation/ Appointment Preparation
- Setting up future appointments with clients via phone and after appointments
Testimonial: “This internship impacted me greatly. I gained experience in a veterinary clinic, I also learned the environment in a dog/cat-only clinic.”
Dani Rayford - Fischer Clark Dairy Farm
Main Tasks:
- Trained bilingual employees on protocols for the farm and my research
- Collected probiotics/microbial growth research data on weights, intake, and health for individual calves
- Calculated average daily gain and intakes per calf for statistical outputs
Testimonial: “My summer internship helped me grow both personally and professionally. It gave me the opportunity to test my research capabilities before starting graduate school.”
Natalie Hunt - Versova
Main Tasks:
- Collect mortality
- Sort through eggs
- Record deliveries/shipments Collect floor eggs
Testimonial: “This internship was a great experience for me. It helped me become more confident with my skills and knowledge.”
Rylee Hundley - Tosh Farms
Main Tasks:
- Start research trial comparing two PCV MH vaccines on W/F pigs
- Assist the Tosh Veterinarian with health checks, diagnostic collection, and medication protocols
- Write research protocol, abstract, and analyze data
Testimonial: “Tosh Farms provides a supportive and different learning experience of the swine industry. The people at Tosh tremendously impacted how a positive work environment can improve how we raise pigs.”
Lauren Olson - Heritage Hills
Main Tasks:
- Horse Care and Management: Handled essential barn chores
- Client Interaction and Training: Met with clients and trained 10+ horses
- Lesson Plans / Instruction: Developed personalized training plans
Testimonial: “This internship has significantly enhanced my skills in horse care, lesson planning, client interaction and barn management.”
Felix Schmidt - Blank Park Zoo
Main Tasks:
- Maintaining animal habitats
- Feeding animal diets
- Answering questions and interacting with guests
Testimonial: “When I was much younger I wanted to be a zoo keeper so this both bulked up my resume and let me live out my childhood dreams.”
Stephanie Rodriguez - Iowa State University Dairy Farm
Main Tasks:
- Training cows
- DNA isolation processing
- Recording data
Testimonial: “This summer internship gave me a new perspective on how much there is to learn and how much we don't know yet and that's the exciting part about research, influencing that discovery!”
Elizabeth Parker - Grand Valley Animal Hospital
Main Tasks:
- Go into appointments and ask the owners questions about their pets
- Clean up rooms after appointments or surgeries
- Filling up medications that needed to be filled
Testimonial: “This internship has a lot of great learning opportunities for me and allowed me to work hands-on with the animals.”
Sophie Snively - Adams Land and Cattle
Main Tasks:
- Feeding
- Cattle Health
- Cattle Processing
Testimonial: “I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend at ALCC. The knowledge and experience I gained is absolutely priceless.”
Tabitha Palfenier - PetersonSmith Equine Hospital and Complete Care
Main Tasks:
- Completed basic care for the three different shifts (day, mid, and night)
- Assisted in preparing for medical emergencies and holding the emergency horses
- Observe and assist with daily appointments, treatments on hospitalized horses, and different surgeries
Testimonial: “During my time at PetersonSmith, I was able to develop my veterinary skills and formulate my own opinions on different issues.”
Jesse Skaggs - Palma Enterprises
Main Tasks:
- Operatations
- Conduct Feed Trials
- Market Analysis
Testimonial: “This summer allowed me to pursue my interest in nutrition. I networked with many trainers, learned sales techniques, and allowed me to grow professionally.”
Torey Tentinger - Christensen Family Farms
Main Tasks:
- Ensuring pigs and sows were healthy and had a clean environment
- Moving pigs whether it was on or off a truck to go or come from a different farm
- Sorting pigs based on size and health for better comfort and overall growth.
Testimonial: “This internship impacted me in an eye-opening way to experience swine from a different angle while gaining experience and making friends and connections throughout the industry.”
Laura Severt - Oakdale Veterinary Center
Main Tasks:
- Check in clients and gather patient history and health status
- Monitor phone and computer for appointment requests and questions regarding products and services
- Assist technicians by properly restraining or monitoring vitals during procedure
Testimonial: “Applying everything I learned at Oakdale to my classes has made learning easier and more interesting.”
Judd Swanton - Collison Embryo Service
Main Tasks:
- Searching for embryos/oocytes removed from donor females to prepare for freezing, shipping, or implantation
- Handling donor females during chute side procedures
- Thawing and loading embryos to implant into recipient cows
Testimonial: “This experience tested my prior knowledge of the embryo transfer industry and reproductive systems. It allowed me to get the hands on experiences to apply techniques and put real world thinking into affect!”
Brittyn Walter - Westwood Embryo Services
Main Tasks:
- Being able to handle stressful situations in a new environment
- Fully understanding many aspects of the beef cattle reproductive system along with management practices
- Working in a lab setting assisting the tech’s while searching for embryos or oocytes under the microscope
Testimonial: “Spending the summer at Westwood allowed me to truly understand the meaning of hard work and dedication. While many days were very busy I took every opportunity to learn something new.”
Maleah Upton - Jester Park Equestrian Center
Main Tasks:
- Assisted over 100 kids during summer camps
- Exercised horses everyday
- Guided over 400 guests on trail rides
Testimonial: “This internship has allowed me to grow as an employee and as an individual. The professional and interpersonal skills I learned will stick with me for the rest of my career.”
Nesse Tuttle - ABS Global
Main Tasks:
- Practiced animal husbandry by doing daily chores for both calves and young bulls
- Helped vets with moving bulls through chutes, putting ear tags, and keeping track of paperwork
- Operate heavy-machinery to maintain clean bedding and yardwork
Testimonial: “This summer with ABS Global not only changed what I want to do in the future, but also introduced me to new opportunities in the animal industry.”
Jamie Vandeweerd - Peterson Smith Equine Hospital
Main Tasks:
- Comfort Care Checks/Charts
- Pre-Op/Post-Op Prep/Care
- Restraining Equine for Appointments
Testimonial: “PSEH Undergraduate Internship Program broadened my horizons and introduced me into new areas of Equine Veterinary Medicine.”
Riley Youngstedt - SK Horses
Main Tasks:
- Giving tours for 8-10 hours a day
- Preparing horses for the day (grooming, saddling, feeding)
- Icing/Medicating horses - keep them maintained
Testimonial: “During my internship, I experienced personal and professional growth. I was able to take in all of the sights.”
To learn more about ANS 3990A and how to earn internship credit, please visit: https://www.ans.iastate.edu/undergraduate/internships