{"id":382754,"date":"2023-08-08T16:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/?p=382754"},"modified":"2023-08-08T15:58:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T19:58:05","slug":"a-summer-of-ag-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/news\/a-summer-of-ag-communications\/","title":{"rendered":"A Summer of Ag Communications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Peyton Gardner landed her dream internship after years of trying. Gardner, a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), is working with the internal communications team at BASF<\/a>\u2019s office in Durham, North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis internship is a full-circle moment for me because I\u2019ve wanted to work for BASF since before I came to college,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cIt\u2019s also really cool because my dad interned with BASF when he was in CALS, and now my brother and I are doing the same while we\u2019re students here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the family connections, the internship allows Gardner to blend her two majors: horticultural science and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople and plants are my two favorite things, and by learning about plants, I can share that with people,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m learning about the industry that feeds the world and how to share the importance of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardner grew up surrounded by agriculture in a rural area, but she wasn\u2019t always interested in horticulture. Gardner was upset when her high school guidance counselor accidentally enrolled her in a horticulture class, but her counselor encouraged her to try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gardner running the teleprompter for Paul Rea, the senior vice president of BASF Ag Solutions, while filming. Photo provided by Peyton Gardner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the end of that semester, I had joined FFA, competed in various competitions at the state level, and built a greenhouse with my dad in the backyard where I started my own small business,\u201d Gardner explains. \u201cI knew that I loved horticulture and wanted that to be a part of my future, but I didn\u2019t know how I fit into agriculture specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardner\u2019s FFA adviser encouraged her to explore nontraditional agricultural careers, and she became interested in agricultural communications. Gardner then was able to shadow a marketing specialist from BASF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBASF refers to farming as the \u2018Biggest Job on Earth,\u2019 and that really resonates with me,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cBeing a part of a company that acknowledges that and works to support growers so that they can continue to feed the world is really important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My resume and skill set list have grown so much.” <\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Gardner knew she wanted to intern at BASF after enjoying her shadow experience, but they didn\u2019t have a communication internship until they created one for her. While attending the Agriculture Future of America Leaders Conference<\/a> last fall, Gardner shared her interest while having dinner with members of BASF\u2019s leadership team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe next morning, there was paperwork in my inbox to look over the details, and by the end of the week, I was hired for the summer of 2023,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer, Gardner is writing articles for the employee newsletter and helping facilitate events, among other projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gardner and BASF’s Josue Leo Solis preparing for a town hall webcast. Photo provided by Peyton Gardner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really appreciate how hands-on this internship has been, and how open everyone I work with is to making sure I get the most experiences possible this summer,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cMy resume and skill set list have grown so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardner will continue blending her interests when she returns to NC State in the fall. She\u2019s part of the newly launched agricultural communications program<\/a> led by Katie Sanders<\/a>, an assistant professor and Extension specialist in food systems communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it has the potential to make a real impact on agriculture in North Carolina by training students to effectively communicate for an industry that is essential to our state,\u201d Gardner says. \u201cMy goal for this year is to continue working with Katie Sanders so this becomes a reality. The program is something that I’m very proud to be a part of, and I really want to see it succeed, even after I graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n