Story by Bridgette McAuliffe, Staff writer

Photo by Brock Kirk/The News

A Murray State student recently completed an internship with a nationwide grain company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sydney Hunter, graduate student from Evansville, Indiana, is studying agricultural science. She recently completed an internship as an operations management trainee for Archer Daniels Midland.

“Coming from an animal background, I didn’t know much about what I was getting myself into,” Hunter said.

She learned how various commodities like wheat, corn and soybeans are graded by the government. Hunter said she also spent time with the men in the truck dump area, learning how to load those commodities in and out in large quantities.

“With a steel hauler, the whole truck has to be lifted in the air, which is something pretty unique to St. Louis,” Hunter said.

Hunter spent the summer learning how various parts of the company connect and operate together as a cohesive unit.

“It was a lot of learning the technical side of things, which isn’t something you can just do in a day,” Hunter said. “It was over the course of the whole summer.”

The facility also had its own railways to ship grains in and out on trains. Hunter said this is where she found her niche. She was responsible for helping the team unload 90 to 115 train cars within 24 hours, 10 to 15 times per month.

“If I could load and unload a train all day, I would do it,” Hunter said. “I don’t know why but I felt like a little kid again.”

Hunter learned about managing logistics within a large company and also faced challenging technology and engineering projects, including an electronic labeling project.

“I had to follow electrical blueprints which is not something I’ve ever done in my life,” Hunter said. “It was out of my comfort zone, but was something that looked great in the end.”

Although she is not pursuing a career in the grain industry, she said the internship gave her valuable experience in the field.

“It’s definitely an internship that gives me a whole new perspective on how our commodities are made, and it was neat to see and grasp my mind around,” Hunter said. “It showed me a whole different side of agriculture than what I pictured myself doing.”

Hunter said the most valuable part of her internship was being able to learn something new.

“If you can do anything for 11 to 12 weeks and work with enjoyable people, you’re going to have a great time,” Hunter said.  “I loved the people that I worked with and would do it again.”