A.D. Makepeace Company Agricultural Internship

A.D. Makepeace Company in Carver recently approached the university in search of interns for the summer. Many of the opportunities described here are appropriate for geography majors. Please speak with any of our faculty members if you have any questions about pursuing such an internship for credit.

--- Dr. Hayes-Bohanan

Overview: The candidate chosen for this internship will receive extensive training in cranberry crop production techniques; experimental design, execution, and data analysis techniques; and geographical information (GIS) techniques. He/she will assist the principal investigator with a diversity of agricultural research projects concerning irrigation, fertigation, and bee pollination of cranberry plants.

Projects: Projects will include (but are not limited to):

• Monitoring contributions of Phosphorous and Nitrogen from company property to water bodies (lakes, rivers, etc.) in region.
• Monitoring impact of bog temperatures and day length on bud and flower phenological growth characteristics of new cranberry varieties.
• Evaluation of honey and bumble bee hive placement on crop yields.
• Monitoring impact of fertigation amounts and schedules on cranberry tissue and bog soil nutrient concentrations, which in turn will impact cranberry plant growth and yield.
• Development of a database containing company bog “medical records” including yields, pesticide and fertilizer applications, and soil and tissue test results.
• Production and maintenance of an insect, weed, and pathogen reference collection.
• Evaluation of new products impacting soil moisture conditions and cranberry growth.

Duties: Duties may include (but are not limited to):

• Collecting and analyzing soil, tissue, and water samples from company cranberry bogs for pH, nutrient content, and organic matter content.
• Collecting site location data using GIS equipment.
• Developing a GIS database containing fertilizer and pesticide application information, soil and tissue test results, bog yield data, and beehive locations.
• Keying out insects to genus and species (when possible.)
• Preparation/preservation of an immature and mature insect reference collection.
• Performing soil amendment product evaluation trials, using CO₂ backpack sprayers to apply the products.
• Data entry and manipulation, statistical analysis, diagram production, report writing, and oral presentations.
• Assisting with laboratory demonstrations and student exercises in sampling techniques, insect and disease identification, pH and nutrient analysis.
• Attending internal and external research meetings and company-wide meetings.
• Maintaining laboratory equipment and glassware.