Our program
Interning at Loma Vista Nursery starts with a two week rotation though each department. This year our interns started by rotating through Plant Health, Production, Inventory, Irrigation, and Shipping. Throughout the summer each intern also experienced Propagation, Accounting, and Marketing. Interns were given scouting areas and helped to conduct EC (Electrical Conductivity) testing each week. As the summer went on the interns chose which department they would like to specialize in. After specializing they were allowed to manage specific tasks, work on projects, and develop research experiments. The highlight of our program is bringing the interns to Cultivate, the American Horticulture Conference. They attended numerous sessions, industry networking events, and learned about new technology within the industry.
Caitlyn Bond: Nursery Production
Working with plants is something Bond has always wanted to do. Originally from Eldon, Missouri Bond worked in nursery production this summer. She recently graduated high school while also taking classes at Lake Career and Technical Center. She started the program by rotating though each department here on the nursery. She chose to specialize in Shipping, Propagation, and Perennials. When asked her favorite part of the internship, “I’d say the variety…each department is unique and I really like every single one of them.” Working in propagation Bond took cuttings, planted cuttings, and watered houses. During her time in shipping she worked to inspect loads, tag plants, and manage orders on SBI (our inventory control system). She enjoyed her time at Loma Vista and plans to start full time work at the conclusion of the internship.
Caitlyn Bond tagging plants on the shipping dock.
Renata Goossen: Nursery Production
A Junior Horticulture Production major from Kansas State Goossen also served as a nursery production intern this year. After her rotation through the departments she choose to specialize in plant health. Working in plant health she tested diseased plants, scouted plant sections, applied chemical applications, and watered sections of the nursery. “I’ve been able to connect things that I learned in the classroom to practical application out in the field,” Goosen said, “…I learned how to calculate chemical applications amounts and then I actually get to spray it in the field.” Goossen is from Potwin, Kansas and is taking another internship in Ohio this fall. Working on the nursery this summer she explained that coming to working with plants every day was a satisfying experience.
Renata Goossen with Thomas Minter in Plant Health.
Mallory Unverfehrt: Marketing & Communications
A Junior at Murray State University with an Agribusiness major, Marketing emphasis, and Mass Communications minor she served as our Marketing and Communications intern. Originally from Okawville, Illinois Unverfehrt explained, “I loved working with all the incredible people here at Loma Vista and learning about business to business marketing.” As a Marketing and Communication intern she rotated through all departments within the nursery for two weeks before starting on various marketing projects. She recreated the entire employee training video, sent out our weekly availability newsletters, managed our Instagram account, wrote blog posts, and developed YouTube Videos. She also worked the UGC Trade show in Saint Louis.
Mallory Unverfehrt in one of the many propagation houses.
Knowledgeable of nursery production and full of potential our interns are now leaving our company with a better understanding of their future careers. Want to learn more about our internship program? Apply to be an intern here! Want to see more about our internship program? Check out Interning with Loma Vista!
Learn More About Plants From Us!
We may be a wholesale grower, but our staff are experts in the field. What’s more, is we love helping people learn more and understand more about plants. We grow healthy plants, and we want our plants (and any plants really) to be successful in the landscapes they are planted in. Feel free to email us at sales@lomavistanursery.com or call us at (785) 229-7200 if you ever have plant-related questions.
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