AFRE Senior, Allie Blanchard, Finds Passion for Crop Insurance Through Internship
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EmailAllie Blanchard is completing her second internship as a crop insurance intern with GreenStone Farm Credit Services.
Sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that aren’t planned. For Allie Blanchard, that is true with her internship experience in crop insurance.
Blanchard is a senior in Agribusiness Management in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University (MSU). Over the past year, Blanchard has had three internships with different organizations. This summer, she is interning with GreenStone Farm Credit Services.
As a crop insurance intern this summer, Blanchard spends most of her days either in ride-alongs with crop insurance agents or working to key and fill acreage reports that are shared with customers. These reports indicate what customers have planted, and Blanchard maps out the plant date, crop type, and amount of acres. They also work hand in hand with the Farm Service Agency with receiving information on the reports.
“I just kind of landed on crop insurance with my first internship and stuck with it because I enjoyed it,” Blanchard shared. “I like the aspect of serving our customers because we help them in times of need. It's being there when they need it that I enjoy.”
This is Blanchard’s second year as crop insurance intern. Her previous summer focused less on acreage reporting, but she knew she needed to gain more experience in this area before graduating. This summer she now has a balance of office and field work, while also being able to experience other areas of GreenStone.
“My favorite part of the internship so far has been going out and actually meeting our customers and seeing the faces,” Blanchard shared. “But, I really like that we're able to experience different departments within the company of GreenStone. Last week, I did a chattel valuation where I was able to go out to a Hutson dealership. I shadowed a senior appraiser from the appraisal team, and she showed me how to evaluate various pieces of farm equipment such as tractors, sprayers, planters, and more. This was a beneficial learning experience for me, and I had fun doing something other than crop insurance. While I love getting to be an expert in my own department, it's nice to see different departments throughout the company.”
Blanchard has enjoyed each of her internships and shared some advice for students considering or looking for internship experiences.
“I think that internships are great because they aren't a full-time commitment,” she said. “They are temporary, but they get your foot in the door in whether it be the industry that you are interning in or the actual company. You're getting your name out there, you're getting your face out there, you're meeting people, and you're also gaining experience in different roles. So, you're not down to just one job, you can experience many. And you get to learn what you like, what you dislike, and that's crucial to experiencing what you want to do.”
Blanchard will finish her current internship with GreenStone Farm Credit Services at the end of August. She hopes to continue with GreenStone part-time during her final year at MSU.
