By Kedzie Kmiec – Student Conservation Intern, 2023-2024 School Year Intern
At the beginning of this Newton County Student Conservation Internship, I was terrified of not making connections with the people around me. I was never the most confident because I felt that no one was confident in me and what I had or what I could bring to the table. After working my first day with my fellow interns, I realized that I finally had some people in my corner and was blown away by the fact that I made connections so quickly.
One of the best days of the internship was being on the farm with Bri Styck, the Executive Director of the Newton County Soil and Water Conservation District. It was a beautiful, warm, cloudy fall evening, and she took me out to harvest corn on her family’s local farm. (Farmers work long days well into the night-time hours.)
I began the evening nervous about what to expect due to never being around big machinery like what was there: combines, semis, and tractors. When I arrived, I made my rounds of introductions to the crew, and then we went to look at some cereal rye cover crops that had been sown onto the field just before harvest to help with compaction and nutrients in the soil. I felt so in tune with what I was learning and started to feel connected to the people around me. I realized how kind the people surrounding me were, so my nervousness started to subside.
Eventually, it was time to get going on the machinery, and I’ll never forget the feeling of running across the field so that we didn’t get left behind.
The first task was for me to hop up in the combine and get experience there. We were working on harvesting corn that night. I was too nervous to drive but still had a really good time meeting Ron, Bri’s Father-in-Law, who is a pro combine driver and has been farming with family for 50 years! We really hit it off and ended up chatting the whole time I was in the combine.
This night was also when I met Cody, Bri’s husband and Ron’s son, for the first time. Just like his dad, Cody has been farming for most of his life! He was one of the semi-drivers that night hauling the corn. Once it was time for me to transition to driving with him in the semi, he made me feel so included and explained well. Then when we arrived back at the grain bins to unload, he also made sure I was included in that, warning me of the dangers that came with the next task of unloading the semi.
Overall, I was blown away by the fact that during an evening of harvesting corn, I was able to find my place and feel welcomed. Not only was it a great learning experience, but it helped me realize that there are kind people in every aspect of life.
