Internships are an integral part of the Farm Management and Technology (FMT) program curriculum. During the three-year-long program, student complete four internships or stages, two of which are one week each in duration and two summer internships lasting 13 weeks, for a total of 28 weeks spent in learning in the workplace.
Macdonald Campus is well-known as hive of applied learning and research. Undergraduate students in the agro-environmental sciences degrees have the option to complete summer internships and students in the School of Human Nutrition also have stages to gain practical experience before graduating.
Jeremy Chevalley – Ferme Nieuwenhof
“On my internship, I learned a lot of tips and tricks for maximizing the production by improving management and paying close attention to details, optimizing feed intake by producing high quality feed, cow comfort with good stalls and bedding and barn temperature, and genetics,” noted Chevalley.
The farm hosted the annual Holstein Picnic on July 20, 2019, welcoming visitors to the farm for a full day of activities. In the weeks leading up to the event Chevalley put in many hours dedicated to preparing the farm for many visitors, food trucks, tents and activities in addition to milking and fieldwork.
Stages also provide students with the opportunity to observe different management styles and learn from their host producers’ experiences. Chevalley explains: “I find the friendship that they have with the neighbouring farm and how they share equipment really interesting. My supervisor is open to questions and discussions and I’m able to ask him how and why they do certain things. This gives me the opportunity to bring a lot of things back home that we can put in place.”