Agriculture Program

Farming and agriculture is at the heart of all Virginia Farm Bureau activities. We are proud of our 75 year history of serving Virginia's Farmers. If agriculture is in your future come spend a summer with us!

Agriculture internships are available at our home office in Richmond, Virginia, every summer. These internships are paid and typically run for 10-12 weeks. The exciting part about our agriculture internships is that students get "real world" experience. As a VAFB intern you would become a part of the "Farm Bureau Team" working on real projects that promote agriculture in Virginia. Below are a few of the areas you might be assigned:

Agriculture in the Classroom

This department provides elementary and middle school teachers with training and materials to incorporate agriculture into their classroom lesson plans in support of Virginia’s Standards of Learning. AITC conducts as many as 40 training workshops each year to show teachers how they can integrate agriculture into their curriculum.
The intern will work with the AITC education program coordinators to create lesson plans and develop online lessons; research newsletter topics; update the AITC Web site; and provide workshop support.

Requirements: a rising senior working toward an education degree; and a knowledge of the state’s SOLs.
For more information, visit AgInTheClassroom.org.

Communications

The Communications Department publicizes agriculture and Farm Bureau through its membership magazines, television program, Web presence and various brochures, newsletters and press releases. Through its marketing arm, it also promotes the Virginia Farm Bureau brand and the Save Our Food campaign.

During a 12-week internship in the department, interns will get hands-on experience in the writing, video production or marketing.

Video/Writing: A video intern will assist in the production of “Down Home Virginia,” Farm Bureau’s monthly TV program that airs on 41 cable and broadcast stations, three PBS affiliates and on the RFD-TV satellite channel. The intern also may assist with a wide range of video programming to the Internet.

A writing intern will write for Farm Bureau’s member magazines, which reach more than 147,000 households. The intern also will write news releases and prepare short news articles for Farm Bureau’s media contacts across Virginia.

Marketing: The marketing intern will assist in the creation of advertisements, write copy for promotional materials, work on various promotions and attend local and regional events.

Requirements: some travel; the ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines; and a willingness to learn and take on real-world work responsibilities. Candidates for the video internship must provide demo reels on a DVD or via the Internet. Writing internship candidates must provide writing samples. Marketing candidates must have at least three years of college work in marketing or a related field.

Governmental Relations

This department is responsible for working with farmer members on researching local, state and national issues to determine which issues the county Farm Bureaus would like the state organization to support. In addition, members of the department attend legislative and regulatory meetings and study committees to represent members’ adopted policy positions. The employees make presentations on policy issues and work on surfacing ideas for news stories about Farm Bureau priority issues.

In even years, the intern will research information for local, state and national issues and attend various meetings to observe the role of a governmental relations staff member. In odd years, the intern will focus primarily on coordinating and organizing grassroots activities with the political action committee.

Requirements: a student working toward a degree in agriculture or political science (agriculture and applied economics preferred); knowledge of the election process; basic understanding of the agriculture industry; and a willingness to learn.

Women and Young Farmer Program

This department coordinates programs among volunteers, Farm Bureau staff and the general public.

The programs include agriculture education and leadership training. The intern will help staff create new educational programs for volunteers. The position also will entail evaluating and updating the Farmers Care outreach program, which lets consumers know about the link between a healthy lifestyle and nutritious, locally grown foods.

Additionally, the internship will provide opportunities to develop volunteer projects that focus on the various roles of Virginia farmers as environmentalists and community stewards.

Requirements: a rising junior or senior working toward a degree in any agriculture field, with preference given to marketing and/or education; and technical writing skills.