Agriculture Internships
Agriculture internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience in crop production, agribusiness, food systems, or environmental science, mentorship from working agronomists, farm managers, and agricultural scientists, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Demand covers Agriculture & Farming and Education, with Insight FS, AgVantage FS, and Growmark FS among the employers posting roles now.
Find Agriculture InternshipsOverview
Showing 5 of 46+ Agriculture Internships
Job Purpose:
The AgCo-op Education Director leads implementation of the organization's efforts to educate future cooperative leaders and active farmers and ranchers. The position is developing and leading programs that connect college students with cooperative internship opportunities, developing and supporting a pipeline of future co-op directors, and building partnerships and collaboration among cooperatives to strengthen and promote the impact of cooperatives. The role will also lead development and hosting of webinars, workshops, the Evolution Ag Summit and other high-impact educational events for active farmers and ranchers.
The AgCo-op Education Director receives strategic direction from the Sr. Director of the Foundation and partners with the Government Affairs team to deliver timely, relevant, and impactful educational opportunities.
Key Responsibilities:
-
Cooperative Education
-
Lead and implement a collegiate cooperative internship program.
- Partner with the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives to develop program standards, resources, expectations and evaluation processes to ensure high-quality experiences for both students and participating cooperatives.
- Recruit participating cooperatives and assist them in creating quality internship opportunities aligned with student interest and academic requirements.
- In partnership with the Youth Education Director, promote internship opportunities, facilitate recruitment and support participants.
- Develop and lead a future co-op directors training
- Develop and lead a comprehensive future co-op director training program that builds knowledge, skills and readiness for service as a co-op director.
- Identify emerging leaders, support new directors, and support continuing education, networking and professional learning opportunities.
- Lead, guide and support a statewide network or coalition of cooperatives committed to promoting cooperative businesses and their impact on North Dakota.
- Convene cooperative leaders and facilitate collaboration on shared educational, workforce, communications and community/consumer engagement initiatives.
- Seek and advance opportunities for cooperatives to collaborate on public education, community engagement and leadership development.
- Identify grant, sponsorship, partnership, and other funding opportunities that support cooperative education and leadership initiatives.
-
Lead and implement a collegiate cooperative internship program.
- Agriculture Education
- Grow educational programs that support on-farm decision-making, including workshops, summits and webinars.
- Manage the Evolution Ag Summit, including developing topics and agendas, recruiting speakers, and managing event execution.
- Host succession planning workshops and develop new initiatives to support farm succession decisions.
- Plan and host webinars that provide timely, relevant, and high-impact updates on farm programs.
- Evaluate emerging trends in agricultural markets and design new programs that support farmers' and ranchers' readiness to respond.
- Building and Managing Partnerships
- Build and maintain strong relationships with partners with universities, cooperatives, Extension, government agencies, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations.
- Stay abreast of developments and changes in government programs and market trends by conducting research and attending seminars, workshops and events.
- Represent the organization and its cooperative and agricultural education initiatives at college/career fairs, events, meetings and other activities.
- Collaborate with the NDFU Communications Team to develop communications and marketing strategies to promote NDFU and NDFU Foundation initiatives.
- Partner with the NDFU and NDFU Foundation teams to deliver education and information at NDFU and Foundation events.
- Develop material and activities to educate consumers on family farming and ranching.
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Strong facilitation, presentation, and written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to build relationships and work with all ages, skill types, and levels of personnel and members
- Ability to analyze data and produce reports
- Knowledge of cooperative principles, cooperative business structures, governance, and the role cooperatives play in communities and the economy
- Knowledge of program development, implementation, and evaluation
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with NDFU Foundation staff, NDFU leadership, cooperatives, and external partners
- Education and Experience Required:
- Bachelor's degree in agricultural economics, farm management, agricultural education, leadership development, nonprofit management, organization development or a related field.
- 3-5 years of professional experience in program development, adult education or training, leadership development, cooperative organizations, nonprofit or coalition management, or community engagement.
- Demonstrated experience developing and managing programs, partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
- Strong familiarity with agriculture and North Dakota's cooperative business sector is strongly preferred.
- Working Conditions
- Position may be based in either Bismarck, ND, or Jamestown, ND.
- Flexible schedule; must be available for some day, evening and weekend work.
- Travel as needed.
Agriculture Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Agriculture & Farming
- Education
Tips for Your Agriculture Internship Search
Apply earlier than the posting date suggests
Large agribusiness companies and agricultural research organizations open summer intern recruiting the preceding fall and close cohorts months before the start date. Smaller farms, co-ops, and regional employers post closer to the season. Check listings from early fall onward so you don't miss the structured programs that fill first.
Build documented project work before you apply
Agriculture recruiters at the intern level look for evidence you can do the work, not a long employment history. A documented crop management plan, soil or water quality analysis, agribusiness case study, or GIS map series gives hiring teams something concrete to assess. Name the tools and methods you used and link to the work wherever it's accessible.
Work your campus network alongside direct applications
Campus career fairs surface structured intern programs tied to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which agricultural employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Applying directly to smaller operations and regional companies running their own cohorts at the same time widens the pool you reach beyond what shows up on campus.
Practice the actual agriculture intern screen out loud
Agriculture intern interviews often include a technical component, such as an agronomy or soil science scenario, a data interpretation exercise, or a case on crop economics or supply chain. Practice explaining your reasoning out loud, not just arriving at an answer, because interviewers weigh how you think through a problem as much as the conclusion you reach.
Target structured rotational and university programs early
Larger agribusiness companies, food manufacturers, and agricultural research organizations run formal intern cohorts built to train people new to the field. These rotational and university-partnership programs recruit on a fixed cycle, fill competitive spots fast, and often appear on company career pages before aggregated listings. Identify the ones that fit your interests and get your application in during the first wave.
Set your work-type filter before you start searching
On-site roles are 0% of the agriculture internships listed here, since fieldwork, lab work, and farm operations typically require a physical presence. Decide what you can commit to before you start sorting through listings, then filter by location and work type on Migrate Mate so you're only reviewing roles you can actually take.
Agriculture Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get an agriculture internship?
Lead with coursework and completed projects rather than work history, since hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. For agriculture candidates, the concrete artifact that gives recruiters something to assess is a documented project: a field study write-up, a crop management plan, a soil analysis report, or a data-driven agribusiness case. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can an agriculture internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it for agriculture interns is performance on real work, whether the team has open headcount, and how early in the internship you signal continued interest. Position for a return offer by owning your project outcomes and asking your manager about hiring plans, without counting on the offer materializing.
When should I apply for agriculture internships?
Earlier than most expect. Large agribusiness companies and agricultural research organizations recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often wrapping up offers by November or December. Smaller operations, co-ops, and regional employers post closer to start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings consistently from early fall through spring gives you the widest window across both employer types.
Are agriculture internships paid?
Most professional agriculture internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry segment, and location, with large agribusiness firms and food companies generally offering more structured packages than small farms or nonprofits. Listings show pay where the employer discloses it, so you can compare across roles as you apply.
What should an agriculture internship resume include?
Lead with projects, not work history: include two or three complete, documented projects showing the tools and methods you used, such as a GIS-based land use analysis, a crop yield modeling exercise, or a sustainability audit write-up. Add relevant coursework in soil science, agronomy, agricultural economics, or related areas. Keep the resume to one page and link to any publicly accessible work where you can.
Are there remote agriculture internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 100% of the agriculture internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts in areas like agribusiness data analysis, agricultural communications, and supply chain tend to fill fast, so apply early and filter by work type to see them before they close.
What is a farm or agribusiness rotational internship?
Rotational internships at larger agricultural companies move you through two or three functions, such as agronomy, operations, and supply chain, over a single summer or semester. They are designed for people new to the industry and give you broader exposure than a single-team placement. These programs recruit early and fill competitive cohorts fast, so identify which companies run them and apply in the first wave.
Can international students get agriculture internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
See All 46 Agriculture Internship Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Agriculture Internships