Internship in Soil Products

Employment type: Full-Time
Application Due Date: May 30, 2025

Naturally Better Soil Products (NBSP) is seeking a hardworking, innovative student to help develop markets for our compost and specialty fertilizer products by conducting a combination of market and applications research, product developmment and testing. The assignment will also include interaction with our wholesaler and retailer customers, and end users.

NBSP composts the separated solids from our on-farm anaerobic digesters to produce MDARD-licensed specialty fertlizer and compost. For example, our products were recently approved by MOSA for use by certified growers. We need a marketing approach to these MI growers by linking the technical and commercial benefits of using composted digestate for soil health, vegatable and crop production. The internship will combine applying the book knowledge and lab research to our plant trials, both onsite and with growers. As another example, an independent MI greenhouse garden center shared results of their independent trials using our product to supplement standard potting mix for tomatoes. One set included 25% Naturally Better Soil Supplement; one was their standard potting soil – the results clearly showed the benefit of including NBSP products. The intern could follow up on this trial to dimensionalize the other benefits, e.g. water retention, fruit production, disease resistance, etc. in longer trials. The ideal intern would then use these results to determine other plants that would see similar benefits. A third example is a trial with a local landscape firm to assess the benefits of our products for lawn/turf establishment and maintenance.

The intern will help NBSP determine recommended product usage rates and incorporation techniques. The intern will also gain practical, hands-on experience in compost process monitoring, compost testing, soil health testing, plant trials, product and market development. The intern will conduct some testing onsite, as well as collect/submit samples to outside labs and interpret results.

Norma Lawson, General Manager, and other NBSP owners will finalize the scope, work plan, and success criteria with the intern, based on the best combination of our business needs and the intern’s capabilities and interests. Norma will provide coaching on daily basis to begin, decreasing as candidate demonstrates ability to self-manage and produce results.

The intern will have opportunities to interact with horticulture professionals continuously during the internship. Schedule and Hours (some flexibility on all parameters): • Minimum of 12 weeks between May 12 and September 26, 2025 • Minimum 40 hours per week, flexible schedule, Mon - Sat • No Sunday work required

Location

Office space is available at our production sites in Freeport and Fennville. The position will require travel between sites, and to our customers.

Position Requirements: Candidate must currently be enrolled at MSU studying horticulture, soil biology, agromomy, turf management or a closely related field with an interest in use of organic fertilizer and compost. The ideal candidate will:

· Have a combination of technical expertise and drive for market success,

· Be self-reliant, well-organized, accountable and dependable

· Have completed, internalized and enjoyed relevant courses and work experience

· Be the best person to join our firm upon graduation in a management position

Wage: $15.00/hour – plus bonus for completing the mutually developed work plan

Interested? Please send your resume and a cover letter to:

Norma Lawson, General Manager

normacnc5@aol.com