Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems: Student Internships Development Plan

Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems: Student Internships Development Plan

Summary

The Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS): Student Internships Development Plan will

1) develop criteria for appropriate and effective student internships,

2) identify verified and appropriate internship host sites in the state of Montana,

3) encourage and assist in the production of collaborative grant proposals to support internship experiences, and

4) identify internship host training needs for working effectively and productively with students.

Internships will be designed to meet hosts’ needs, advancing their production, processing or marketing enterprise agendas through research, demonstration and/or education. Projects will engage students’ skills and energy to help their hosts meet research, demonstration and education goals.

Objectives/Performance Targets

1) Develop criteria for appropriate and effective SFBS Program Internships (web-published).

2) Develop a menu of verified and appropriate Internship options for SFBS students, probably to start in the summer of 2010 (the program is slated to begin enrolling freshmen and sophomores in autumn 2008). Internships will be designed to meet hosts’ needs, advancing their production, processing or marketing enterprise agendas through research, demonstration and/or education. The team anticipates the need for 10-20 web-published Internship options by the summer of 2010, and more to follow each year.

3) Encourage and assist in proposals written for implementation of the Internships designed through this development project.

4) Identify Internship host training needs for working effectively and productively with students.

5) Extend findings to producers and professionals throughout the Western Region via website, presentations and a pamphlet produced by each student cohort for producers and other sustainable food and bioenergy system actors.

Accomplishments/Milestones

1) The SFBS Core team is composed of a faculty representative from each of the collaborative departments within the interdisciplinary degree, plus the SFBS Program Coordinator. This team meets approximately monthly to address various needs of the program, including the off-campus internship development. One of the first objectives of the Core Team was the selection of a well-profiled Internship Advisory Task Force to ensure that internship experiences will encompass diverse aspects of the food and bioenergy systems. This Task Force includes small market garden producers, ranchers, a large grain producer, a beginning farmer, representatives of non-profit organizations, a state agriculture agency representative, small food business entrepreneurs, a community economic development professional and a producer with an agritourism program.

a. In February, 2009 the Internship Advisory Task Force gathered for a two-day meeting in Bozeman, Montana. The primary objectives of the meeting were:

i.) Bring the group up to speed on the SFBS Program, and

ii.) Gather information from task force members on Internship criteria, roles of student, internship host, SFBS faculty/coordinator, and internship protocol (timeline for placement, student evaluation, deliverables).

b. Outcomes of the Task Force meeting were:

i. Internship credit requirement will be 3 credits or 135 hours,

ii. Internship hosts may offer compensation and room/board, but not necessary,

iii. Matching process is critical – both host and students will complete questionnaire to assist with this process,

iv. Host sites must allow for SFBS students to interact fully with organization,

v. Initiate matching/application process early in the year (January) to allow for some communication between host and intern prior to internship,

vi. Internship is not solely a vocational project – intern must develop a research project and learning goals associated with internship experience.

2) Mary Stein and Alison Harmon visited members of the Internship Development Taskforce and others for a total of 15 potential internship hosts during the summer of 2009, including: AERO, Helena MT, Jonda Crosby; BBar Ranch, Big Timber MT, Wes Henthorne; MT Dept of AG, Helena MT, Nancy Matheson & Perry Walborn; Quinn Farm, Big Sandy MT, Bob Quinn; Farm to Table, Glendive MT, Bruce Smith; Geyser Farm, Livingston MT, Mark Rehder; Graham Ranch, Conrad MT, Lisa Schmidt; Mission Mountain Market, Ronan MT, Jan Tusick; MT Foodbank Network, Missoula MT, Peggy Grimes; North Frontier Farms Inc., Lewistown MT, Ole Norgaard; Prairie Heritage Farm, Conrad MT, Jacob Cowgill; Purple Frog Farm, Whitefish MT, Pam Gerwe; Rocky Creek Farm, Bozeman MT, Pete Fay; and Timeless Seeds, Conrad MT, David Oien.

Other internship-related activities are:

1) An SFBS internship orientation was held on April 27, 2009. Approximately five faculty, two graduate assistants, and fifteen students attended.

2) An SFBS Open House was held October 23, 2009 in conjunction with the Montana Food Systems Council annual meeting. Approximately six students and four internship hosts attended, as well as MSU faculty, staff and administrators.

3) Internship information sheets, application forms, agreement forms, student expectation forms and pre- and post-internship survey forms have been developed (attached) and used for HDFN/LRES/PSPP 298, SFBS Sophomore Internship.

4) Six SFBS 298 student internships were carried out in the summer 2009 at the Towne’s Harvest Garden. All students successfully completed the requirements for academic credit.

5) We have developed a glossy brochure that provides information on the overall degree program, details about each option, career information, faculty and advising, student recruitment and Towne’s Harvest Garden (including a link to a documentary about this project; see http://sfbs.montana.edu/index.htm for more information).

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

1) Off-campus Internship hosts were interviewed to identify internship criteria and host research and/or production needs. Summaries of site-visit notes and information gathered through the Internship Criteria and Host Questionnaire forms were also developed. This information will be posted on the SFBS website to assist students in their internship application process.

2) Since the off-campus internship is intended to take place near the end of the SFBS student’s curriculum, the first round of SFBS students will be seeking off-campus internship placement during the summer of 2011.

3) The SFBS Program has partnered on two grants with prospective internship site hosts in order to provide funding to assist SFBS interns:

a) Specialty Crops Block Grant – Partner organization: Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO). Funding in the amount of $2800 received by AERO from the Montana Department of Agriculture.

b) One Montana – Partner Organization: The Rural Landscape Institute (Bozeman, MT) and Farms for Families (Glendive, Montana). Grant has been submitted to Montana State University Administration for possible internal funding (pending).

3) Additional funding has been obtained to support the development of Towne’s Harvest Garden and the SFBS curriculum and internship program:

a) A $12,000 grant from the MT Dept of Agriculture has supported infrastructure development and outreach for Towne’s Harvest Garden.

b) A private resident of Montana has bequeathed a generous gift to the MSU College of Agriculture in support of the SFBS program.

c) The SFBS Curriculum Development Team has sought additional infrastructure development funds from Western SARE (not funded) and through a federal initiative (submitted).

Collaborators: