“As a freshman in college, I wanted an internship that would encompass all the areas of agriculture. My internship at Landus Cooperative helped me decide which sector of agriculture I was most interested in pursuing a career in,” Cale Pellett, Operations Intern, Landus Cooperative.
Cale Pellett started his sophomore year at Iowa State University studying agricultural business and economics. He spent the summer of 2019 with Landus Cooperative as the Operations Intern at the Atlantic location. His job duties this summer included transferring chemical tanks, loading tender trucks, checking fields to ensure timely herbicide application, and maintaining equipment. Cale also had the opportunity to attend various seed and chemical seminars. These learning opportunities brought value back to his location, as well as additional professional development for himself.
Being a customer, and voting member, Cale found being an intern allowed him to go “full circle” with the cooperative. The intern coordinator, Kami McDonough, worked hard to ensure Cale was able to see all the working parts of Landus Cooperative including agronomy products and sales, grain marketing, and operations.
Cale grew up on a family farm near Atlantic, Iowa. He and his family run a row crop, commercial hog, cow/calf, and feedlot operation. Cale personally owns seven head of Angus cows and rents farm ground in the area. He aspires to expand his operation while in college. He has continued to be involved in agricultural organizations as studies at Iowa State University. Cale is a member of Alpha Gamma Rho and serves as the Logistics Coordinator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ambassadors.
His favorite part of interning with Landus Cooperative this past summer was working with his intern team; a unique element of the internship program is it provides an opportunity for interns to explore possible business opportunities. The project allowed Cale to be creative and think of innovative solutions to help diversify the business.
