Carrie Kuhns is one of my good friends from my hometown, Sullivan, Illinois. She is one of the most amazing, dedicated, intelligent, and hardworking people I have met in my life, and she just so happens to have a background in agriculture. Although Carrie didn't help her dad with a lot of his farming, she kept agriculture in her life in many different ways.
Kayla: What was it like growing up on a farm?
Carrie: My father is a grain farmer, so I have grown up on the family farm. I did not get very involved in helping my dad because my brother took the reigns. However, I have witnessed my dad's hardwork and dedication to his profession my entire life. There is so much that goes into farming that people don't realize, and being able to manage all of that really is a great feat.
Kayla: How big of a part does agriculture play in your life?
Carrie: In high school I got very involved in the National FFA Organization, which is the largest youth leadership organization in the US. This organization focuses on developing leadership skills while pursuing agricultural interests, which is when I really became involved in agriculture. I learned about the universal need for agricultural processes and how everyone encounters products of agriculture daily. Whether it is the clothes we wear or the food we eat, agriculture touches us all. I think that fact alone is something that a lot of people do not realize or appreciate it and that is why agricultural education became my chosen field. Through my degree in Agricultural Leadership Education I can educate people of all ages in non-formal settings about agriculture and the opportunities there are in the industry. In my current job, I am educating employees in the ag industry to better develop their leadership and soft skills.
Kayla: Tell me a little about your internship with Growmark and what you do now with your job?
Carrie: This summer I was the Human Resources Intern for GROWMARK, Inc. During the 12 week program I was able to spend time in various departments including benefits, compensation and payroll, and career development. My special projects including developing and facilitating a behavioral styles workshop for the 52 interns and creating and administering a total rewards survey for all 500 corporate employees. During the internship there was a position that came available in the career development department. I was offered the position after participating in the interview process and will be starting full-time January 24, 2011. My title is Corporate Career Development Specialist and I facilitate training courses and complete preparation work for other courses.
Kayla: What is your favorite part of agriculture?
Carrie: My favorite part of agriculture is the universality of it. The entire world functions because of agriculture and without it, we would not exist. It is because of agriculture that the world produces enough food that no one should be hungry, and it is because of agriculture that we have continued developments in biotechnology, creating sustainable resources. Also, with the continual developments, the agricultural industry will always be needed and will have many opportunities for jobs and careers.
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