Sweet summertime means school’s out for students, but even after final exams were taken, the learning had just begun for our 2018 All West/Select Sires Summer Intern, Carly Olfus. As an Oklahoma State student studying Animal Science, Agriculture Economics, and Business, the California native was thankful to travel back to the west coast to join the All West Family!
“This has been the most interesting summer I’ve had. Getting to meet so many people and seeing first-hand how different dairies operate and how they implement the breeding system has been a great experience.” Watch Video
Carly hit the ground running when she arrived in Turlock, California on May 21, 2018. She immediately started working alongside All West’s Brad Barham, Greg Collins and others in the office to learn about our new Optimal Genetic Pathways (OGP) tool. Her knowledge was then put to the test as she performed genetic audits for our customers and road along on several cold call experiences. “I didn’t necessarily grow up on a commercial dairy, so getting to see how they are managed and how much genetics truly impact a herd was one of the biggest things I learned. And, in fact, it’s something I want to keep learning about!”
Over the next ten weeks, Carly learned about additional All West programs, including Select Mating Service (SMS) and Select Reproductive Solutions (SRS), sold semen, filled nitrogen tanks, performed linear evaluations, became All West AI certified through our AI School and even bred some cows on an All West technician’s route! “It was an eye-opening experience. I enjoyed getting to meet the technicians in Tulare. They made the class a lot more fun and I have a whole new appreciation for breeders! They have a tough job so being able to experience that was eye-opening.”
To gain a broader scope of All West Territory, Carly also spent a week in Washington where she met more staff at our headquarters in Burlington, WA, rode along with salespeople, and visited dairies. Carly was surprised to find that the eastern Washington dairies were much like California operations in both scale and management style.
Her favorite part of the internship was spending several weeks in Tulare, CA, where she gained a deeper understanding of our Select Mating Service program while riding with All West team members Angie Kennedy and Rodney Paulo. “I love getting out behind the cows to evaluate them. I enjoyed seeing how the linear systems lined up with the cows, how they were mated, and how picking different bulls would change the herd.”
Carly’s passion for teaching the next generation and giving back to youth programs such as 4-H and FFA encouraged her to fit a few personal dairy adventures in to her hectic summer schedule. She attended several shows, helped at county fairs, and even taught an All West salesman’s granddaughter how to fit her heifer for a show. Carly also judged Round Robin for the Napa County Fair before making the long drive back to Oklahoma State University.
One of the biggest surprises Carly received this summer was news that she had been chosen as one of the Klussendorf scholarship recipients, and will be honored at the upcoming National Dairy Shrine banquet during World Dairy Expo. The Klussendorf scholarships are made possible through the gift from the late Chris Kampf, who won the Klussendorf award in 1956. The Arthur B. Klussendorf Memorial Association honors those who most nearly exemplify the character and ethics of the late, legendary showman and dairy cattle fitter. In all, over 80 students applied for this prestigious $1,500 scholarship.
“It was one of the most humbling experiences that I have had realizing that I was given this scholarship that people all over our nation have applied for. It was a once in a lifetime experience and will certainly help me pay for my out of state tuition. Most importantly, I couldn’t have made it here without all of the people in my life who have supported me and I am certainly very thankful for this opportunity.”
Now back at school, Carly is still just as busy keeping up with both her academic and extracurricular schedules. She is currently the President of Oklahoma State University’s Sigma Alpha sorority, which she took part in starting at OSU last fall and looks forward to building the chapter this year. She is also the co-chair for the Future Collegiate Leaders Conference and the Secretary of the Dairy Science Club. She is most looking forward to attending World Dairy Expo in October to compete on the OSU Dairy Judging Team and to accept her scholarship.
Carly may be back to the books learning all things Animal Science now, but she still reflects on her internship often. “The biggest thing I learned is that I definitely want to end up in the AI industry once I do graduate from Oklahoma State and I can’t wait to continue learning!” Carly would recommend this internship to her fellow dairy enthusiasts and anyone who has a passion for genetics and wants to see how those genetics are put to work in herds every day. This internship is also good for anybody who is simply interested in learning more about the AI industry and what careers opportunities it has to offer.
“After getting to spend the summer with the All West team and the dairy producers who are our customers, I have definitely grown to realize that All West is a large family. Everybody cares about you. No matter what I was doing or where I was, there was always someone to check on me to make sure I had a place to stay and a ride. The dairymen were great to work with and were so understanding of having an intern on their facilities. They were always there to help me learn more. I couldn’t have asked for a better summer.”
Carly would like to thank each and every All West team member who she met and a special thanks to those who hosted her for ride-along experiences. We wish Carly the best of luck, look forward to her visits, and know she is going to accomplish great things in our industry in the future!
Are you ready to join the All West Family? We accept summer intern applications each fall for the following year. For more information and send us your cover letter, resume, and application by December 1, 2018 to be considered as our All West/Select Sires Summer 2019 Intern!
.
.
.
.
.
.