MN Prescribed Grazing Internship

Internship Description:  Get your boots wet and your hands a little dirty in this summer internship with Pheasants Forever in partnership with NRCS.  This internship is designed to teach the aspiring wildlife professional about a career in natural resources.  The internship will focus on the field portion of USDA’s farm bill related grazing conservation practices.  Your direct supervision will come from Pheasants Forever, in partnership with NRCS.  Your supervisor will spend two to three weeks teaching you the ins and outs of plant identification, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) standards and practices, forage balance worksheets, pasture conditioning, pasture scoring, and other agency standards.  You will then take what you learned and put it into practice while traveling between counties within your work area working with livestock producers on their rotational grazing plans. 

When you are not in the field, you will spend your time at training events led by other resource professionals.  You will be assisting other resource professionals put on training events.  Even though you won’t have a speaking role, you will be vital in helping at registration desks and helping to set-up and tear-down when the events are over. 

When in the office, you will assist Pheasants Forever and NRCS staff with field work follow-up projects like application submittals, status review documentation, and documenting action items for conservation practices. 

During the school year you will work 10 to 15 hours per week.  These hours can be flexible based on your class schedule.  During the summer you will work 30 to 40 hours per week.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experience with livestock! Cattle, goats, and sheep.
  • The ability to distinguish between a cow, heifer, steer, calf, wether, kid, doe, buck, etc.
• The ability to identify tree, shrubs, cool season grasses, and warm season grasses. Or the ability to learn them within three weeks of employment.    
• The ability to make minor fence repairs and report major fence issues before they become a problem.
• A basic understanding of livestock husbandry.
• Be able to clearly communicate livestock condition and pasture condition to partners through pictures, measurements, emails, phone calls, and other communication methods as needed.
• Interest in habitat outreach events and the ability to communicate habitat management practices with the general public.
• The ability to effectively communicate with landowners and the general public.
• The ability to walk several miles through uneven terrain and vegetation while carrying GPS equipment and monitoring vegetation and habitat.
• The ability to work with co-workers handling survey equipment and inventorying resource concerns.

• Valid driver’s license required; some use of personal vehicle required (mileage reimbursement provided).
• Able to obtain USDA Federal Security Clearance.

Job Locations:

Luverne, Marshall, Perham, or Thief River Falls are where staff and office space are available.  This internship will involve travel within 100 miles of the office location.  Travel will occur in USDA vehicles and some personal vehicle use will be needed (mileage reimbursement provided). 

Starting Salary: $15 to $18.50 per hour, commensurate with experience. Average of 30 to 40 hours per week. During the school year, hours can be flexible to accommodate class schedule. Eligible for mileage reimbursement, tech stipend, MN Safe & Sick Leave (Minnesota employees will earn 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked).