From A to Z, the Interns tried it all!

The 2012 FCS Financial Summer Interns from left to right: Kacie Wright, Marc Jensen, Taylor Huhmann and Kiersten Asbury.

Experiencing the various roles from A to Z of FCS Financial employees can seem intimidating. But the FCS Financial interns were up to the challenge.

The FCS Financial internship program is designed for college students to expose them to the association and the Farm Credit System over a 12-week period. Interns spend the first six weeks learning about the roles inside FCS Financial from appraisals to credit to loan officers to crop insurance. Their remaining time focuses on experiencing those roles by choosing an area of interest.

Marc Jensen is a senior at the University of Missouri in Columbia studying agribusiness management and ag systems management. Raised on row crop farm in Higginsville, Marc chose FCS Financial for an internship because the company is widely known in the ag industry and for their rural lending expertise.

“It was interesting to see the back side of loan decisions,” Marc said after working with the Credit Department where he found the better information provided by the loan officer and the customer equals more accurate credit decisions.

Marc also participated in collateral evaluations, taking loan applications, attending loan closings and property appraisals.

In the end Marc enjoyed the responsibilities of the loan officer. “Being the face of FCS Financial is extremely important. It is interesting and completely different than any other job. You really have to know a little about everything,” he said.

Kacie Wright is from Tuscumbia and attends Northwest Missouri State University. She is an ag business major who will graduate in 2013. Her family raised tom turkeys until 2003 and now has a commercial cow/calf operation.

“I took an ag finance class last fall and really enjoyed it,” Kacie said. She decided to find out more about ag finance. A past FCS Financial scholarship recipient, Kacie was drawn to FCS Financial for their reputation and passion for agriculture.

“FCS Financial is so involved in communities,” she said. This is a value that resonates with Kacie. “Agriculture has given so much to me as a person; I want to be able to give something back.”

Among other projects, Kacie attended construction inspections, worked with crop insurance reports, completed loan applications and collected financial statements to input for analysis.

Being able to travel, get out on the farm and build a relationship with customers appealed to Kacie. “I liked the part of interacting with people,” she said.

Kiersten Asbury was raised in Yates and now attends Colorado State University as an ag business major. Similar to Kacie and Marc, Kiersten chose FCS Financial based on an interest in ag finance and the association’s reputation.

Working in a variety of roles provides a well-rounded view of what it takes to make FCS Financial function. Kiersten spent time inputting tax returns and data in the loan workbook, visiting on farm with customers and preparing for loan closings with the Loan Documentation and Closing departments. A special project Kiersten worked on involved real estate loan analysis.

“Every position has something that I really enjoyed,” Kiersten said. “Overall, I liked the loan officer and appraisal positions. I enjoyed the customer interaction the most.”

Taylor Huhmann is a senior at University of Missouri in Columbia. She is an ag education major with a minor in ag economics. Raised on a turkey and cattle farm in Tipton, Taylor was looking for a company to intern with that has roots in rural communities.

“I want to help the people I grew up with and the communities that have supported me,” Taylor said. “Farmers are my kind of people. I love working with them and hearing their stories.”

A variety of tasks fill the days of FCS Financial interns. Taylor took payments, went on new home inspections, completed acreage reports, filed records of insurance and toured an agribusiness. Taylor also learned that Missouri is a diverse agricultural state. “Farmers in the north part of the state are a lot different than my turkey and cattle farm,” she said.

Farm visits were the highlight of Taylor’s internship. Witnessing a wheat harvest reminded her again of the variety found in Missouri’s agriculture. “I found it very interesting because my family doesn’t raise crops,” she said.

We wish our interns success in their educational journey and future employment. We also appreciate and thank them for their hard work and dedication over the summer.

To learn more about the FCS Financial College Internship program visit the Careers page.