MIDDLETON, Wis. (July 27, 2023) – Today is National Intern Day, and Foremost Farms is proud to be among businesses that provide a valuable and engaging internship experience. The cooperative’s annual summer internship program includes 14 interns this year from nine different universities across four states. May 31 marked the beginning of the internships.
Foremost Farms invites new perspectives into the workplace, and interns bring creativity and innovation to the cooperative. At the same time, the interns are developing more knowledge and experience as they go through their projects to use in their future aspirations.
“We couldn’t be more excited to offer this opportunity to students this summer,” said SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer Lori Wall. “Interns come to Foremost Farms to learn from some of the best dairy industry professionals, and we’ve prepared them to leave with an experience that will positively impact their futures.”
The interns toured the Foremost Farms Richland Center plant to see how milk from the cooperative’s member-owners’ farms is turned into cheese for customers. They saw each step of the milk-to-cheese process including cheese curdling, shaping and packaging. Interns also visited a member-owner farm, Durst-Larse Farms, LLC, also in Richland Center, and saw the milking parlor, calf pens and farming equipment. It helped them understand how the work they are doing is connected to the dairy industry and how Foremost Farms operates.
“I loved the plant and farm tour,” said Quality Assurance & Food Safety Intern Manda Weber. “I thought it was cool to see how things work at both the farm and the plant level. Since I work at headquarters, I don’t really get to see that. I think that’s a unique opportunity and it’s beneficial to the interns.”
Interns also participated in a sustainability day which included interactive activities and a visit to an anaerobic digester. Each year, the internship program leaders and intern supervisors work to make the program an asset to both the company and the interns. Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist Katey Bittner partners with the HR team to plan the internship program so interns get the full Foremost Farms experience in just a few months.
“We want the interns to develop a passion for who they work for,” said Katey. “We give them opportunities to get to know the company and the people they’re working with. At the same time, we are developing future talent for the dairy industry.”
The Internship Program goes through mid-August, completing after interns have the opportunity to present their accomplishments and highlight their work in front of the Foremost Farms executive leadership team.
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About Foremost Farms USA
Foremost Farms USA® is a world-class supplier of cheese, dairy products, and ingredients to national and international markets. It offers innovative solutions, technical services and customized products, ingredients and packaging for foodservice, food processing, distributor and pharmaceutical customers. As a dairy cooperative, it is owned by approximately 1,000 dairy farmers located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Foremost Farms’ flexible, diverse plant network allows it to manufacture the products and ingredients that are most in demand and provide a strong, secure market for the member-owners’ milk. For more information call 800-362-9196 or see foremostfarms.com