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Iowa and young adults benefit from Extension networks Nick Jones, a recent Iowa State University graduate, is right where he wants to be — living in Central Iowa and working at a job that offers something new every day, along with an occasional business trip to California and New York City. By living and working in State Center, he also stays in touch with his family in southeast Iowa and ISU. An ISU Extension connection initially brought Jones and Kelly Biensen, Eden Natural Certified Berkshire Pork owner, together. This set the course that made it possible for this young Iowan to stay in Iowa. Biensen’s company provides quality pork products to restaurants on the west and east coasts and Midwest restaurants and food service. He came to ISU Extension — the Pork Niche Marketing Working Group and the Center for Industrial Research and Service — seeking general business development assistance and specific help getting certified to the USDA Process Verified program for traceability of products back to the farm gate. To address the issues of logistics, transportation and distribution, Extension called on a logistics class in the ISU Business College, where Jones was a student, as a resource. “I helped create a general pamphlet on trucking terms, so business people like Kelly could talk trucking firms’ language,” Jones said. “Now, as operations manager for Eden Natural Pork, I begin every week setting up customer orders and determine how many pigs need to be slaughtered. Then I contact farmers and coordinate trucking from the farm to the packing plant in Des Moines. I’m very much involved with the online inspection of products at the packing plant and making appropriate arrangements with trucking companies for the delivery of products to our customers.” It wasn’t a direct route from transportation pamphlet to operations manager. Jones’ internship in Cincinnati brought the possibility of leaving Iowa for a promising job. Conversations continued between Jones and Biensen, as Biensen implemented ISU Extension recommendations for his business and established an office in State Center. It came together simultaneously — the creation of a position and a young Iowan ready to come on board. In the background, Extension was supporting the progress. Amy Freiburger is another young Iowan whose desire to stay in Iowa after college graduation was driven by some ISU Extension connections. “ISU Extension’s Life in Iowa class was my best ISU class,” Freiburger said. “Not only did it help me realize the benefits of living in Iowa and the value of community, but through my internship I built a network of contacts.” That network led to a position with the Humane Society. Freiburger continued the Extension networking this past summer
when she supervised two Life in Iowa interns. “The Life in Iowa
work Katie Katzer and Jon Alexander did in Sioux City this summer brought
them in
contact with citizens who appreciated their skills and training,” Freiburger
said. “They applied their expertise in ways that helped all of
us grow. People they worked with this summer are anxious to help them
stay in Iowa and find employment here.”
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The Extension Connection is a quarterly publication of Iowa State University Extension. Laura Sternweis, editor, lsternwe@iastate.edu Nondiscrimination statement and information disclosures Last update: October 2004
* Edible or non-edible -- It's all in the carbs * Urban Iowa has agriculture too * Optimism rippling through Horizons communities * Iowa soybean rust team prepares for possible Asian disease * Community and Extension planning a future for Lakeside Laboratory |
