Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, caught up with the co-founder of the Agricultural Immersion and Mentorship Program (AIM), Kelli Payne, to hear an update on how the program went this summer and when more student applications will be accepted.
“In the last few years of meeting with employers and talking to college students, you kind of hear the same thing over and over again,” Payne said.
This reoccurring trend Payne said she continues to hear about is that students worry they do not have enough experience for the ag realm outside of school and are unsure what they want to do when they graduate. This issue is what sparked the idea for the AIM program, founded by Kelli Payne and Alisen Anderson.
“We started with two students that had expressed interest last fall, just in exploring different career options in agriculture,” Payne said. “They were in between their sophomore and junior years, and that is a critical time.”
Another intern was also hired to help with marketing and communication work, Payne added.
“The first week and a half to two weeks, they actually lived at our farm in Mustang and worked on the agritourism venture, Growing Paynes,” Payne said. “After that, we really kicked it into high gear. We had great support from a number of folks in the ag industry and from all facets.”
The students in the AIM program had the chance to travel the state and meet with individuals working in the ag sector either at their homes or places of work and hear their stories.
“A lot of these students I have met in the past, they are scared about what the future holds, they want to make sure they are making the right decision, and they don’t know what they don’t know,” Payne said.
In talking with individuals from the groups, such as the Oklahoma Beef Council, Oklahoma Pork Council, Sidwell Industries, and more, the interns were able to make important connections with industry leaders and receive additional guidance.
“We had an intern day at the (Oklahoma) Capitol, with a whole litany of ag interns coming together so they could meet each other, because they are going to be crossing paths with each other in college anyway,” Payne said.
During the trip to the Capitol, Payne said the AIM students had the chance to visit with individuals such as Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur and the Executive Vice President of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Michael Kelsey.
Looking into what is next for the AIM Program, Payne said professional development may be on the horizon with weekend seminars.
“As this evolves, I think it is going to get bigger and bigger so we can service more students and let them know what is out there,” Payne said. “Agriculture is so exciting. There is a lot of change happening really rapidly, and there are some great people that are leading the charge, and this is a great way to develop the workforce as we move forward in this industry.”
Check out AIM’s Facebook page to stay up to date on the AIM program and see the next opportunity to apply- CLICK HERE!
Contact Kelli Payne for more information at kpaynebeef@gmail.com or 405-996-0435
