Agropur interns contribute through hands-on learning

As another summer slips behind, we’ve learned once again that the future of the dairy industry rests in good hands.

Members of Agropur’s 2021 class of interns will head back to the lecture halls after a summer that entailed plenty of learning and a variety of valuable contributions. Some of our interns took time to reflect on their efforts and experiences. They solved problems, developed friendships and will return to college life with a clearer vision of what their futures have in store.

Arlinna Bowen attends South Dakota State University with a major in dairy manufacturing. She spent the summer as a cheese production intern at Agropur’s Hull, IA plant.  One of the more valuable aspects of the internship was the opportunity to learn her strengths and weaknesses, she said. Her efforts will help with class decisions and areas of focus as she continues to pursue her degree.

Agropur’s culture made it a rewarding experience.

“The people here in Hull and at Agropur in general are so welcoming,” she said. “They treat you like family. They’ve been very accepting, willing to help and to answer questions – I’m very grateful.”  

Bowen’s family lives about 40 minutes from the plant. She was drawn to the dairy industry by its rich opportunities.  Over the summer, she gained experience in a variety of manufacturing roles. As part of her duties, Bowen worked to keep the belts in balance, ensuring product flowed in a steady stream.

Samuel Adler worked this summer as a cheese technical services intern at Agropur’s Lake Norden, SD facility. He recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in food science. He’s beginning work on a master’s degree with a dairy emphasis at Oregon State University.

Adler was impressed – and perhaps a touch nervous at the beginning – by the importance of the duties he was given. It was a big chance to grow, and he didn’t let it go to waste.

“There was more responsibility than I thought I was signing up for, but I’ve stepped into it,” he said.

Adler’s contributions will benefit Agropur for a long time to come.

He conducted research aimed at enhancing our abilities to achieve target moisture in cheesemaking. Adler maintained a component analysis scorecard to ensure the plant was meeting precise customer specifications.  He also studied bacterial cultures to determine their acid drive.

“I got a better understanding of what I’ll be doing moving forward,” Adler said. “It’s been valuable to see how raw milk becomes cheese and now I have an understanding at every step of the process.”

Internships created plenty of memories beyond the workplace.

Kamryn Scully became fast friends with her fellow interns. She attends the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where she has a major in civil engineering. She spent the summer as an environmental engineer intern at Agropur’s US Headquarters in Appleton, WI. 

Weekdays were all about career exploration. Outside of work, they explored the beauty of Wisconsin.

“We out-of-staters have gone out on adventures every weekend,” Scully said.

Scully was able to work out of both the corporate office and the plants. She reviewed designs and was given leeway to pursue areas of interest. Scully made key contributions to Agropur’s sustainability efforts with a project that tracked and indexed the company’s greenhouse gas emissions. It was an exciting project made better by the positive results.

“I learned we’re doing really well and trending in the right direction over the last four years,” she said.

Agropur’s interns say they’d recommend the experience to any student pursuing careers in dairy, food or manufacturing. The company arranged for housing, creating a seamless transition from school to their summer adventures.

Each said their teams went the extra mile to encourage their success.

“It’s definitely opened my eyes,” Bowen said. “This two-and-a-half or three months can tell you what the rest of your future might look like.”

At Agropur, we value our interns and the many contributions they made during their summer of learning. We wish our 2021 class the very best as they return to the classroom and know their future – and our industry’s future – shines bright.