Jul 11, 2019 - AGademics: How Sanderson Farms Summer Interns Learn about Agriculture both Inside and Outside the Classroom

Raised by second generation Sanderson Farms family farmers, Ember West understands first-hand what it takes to feed a growing world with affordable and sustainable protein. Now a poultry science major at Mississippi State University and a current Sanderson Farms summer intern, West aspires to follow in her father and grandfather's footsteps by pursuing a career in the poultry industry.

'I chose to do an internship at Sanderson Farms because my parents and grandparents grow chickens for the company,' said West. 'My dad has been growing for about eight years and my grandpa has been growing for over 20 years, so I've always had a lot to do with poultry.'

A two-time summer intern at Sanderson Farms, West has dedicated her summer to working in various areas of the company's Collins, Mississippi production division, where she has learned how the company's feed is customized to the nutritional needs of birds at each stage in their life as well as how young birds are raised to maturity on the broiler farm. 'I came back to Sanderson Farms for a second internship because of the people, they were so good to me and I really enjoyed working with them.'

Like her parents and grandparents before her, West is inspired by the fact that her contributions as both a family farmer and summer intern are helping to feed the world around her. 'Growing up on a poultry farm has really changed my outlook on the world as a whole,' said West. 'My family views chicken as a good source of food for the growing population because it's affordable and sustainable. Poultry farming has also taught me to have a good work ethic throughout life, which has been a very valuable lesson for me.'

Despite her poultry farming background and busy academic schedule, West is far from finished learning about the poultry industry. 'As an intern, I get a lot of hands on experience, especially with things that are related to my major since I am a poultry science major,' said West. 'A lot of the things they don't teach you in the classroom, you get to learn out here in the field, so I count that as an extremely valuable experience.'

Sanderson Farms' Summer Internship Program is a paid, 10-week internship program that allows students to gain real-world experience, develop professionally, learn about the poultry industry and earn opportunities for full-time employment with the company following graduation. As an intern, students have the opportunity to work in three key areas of the company's business, which are live production, processing and prepared foods.

For West, whether her future is in family farming or working alongside poultry growers as an employee, she is confident her future is in poultry and potentially with the very same company of which the last two generations of her family have found long-term success. 'Growing up, I always saw how good Sanderson Farms treated their growers, and it made me want to work with them possibly in the future,' said West.