Growing the Future Together
Story: Danielle Luebbe
Photos: Courtesy Concordia Marketing
Concordia University, Nebraska’s partnerships with leading agriculture businesses provide students with invaluable hands-on experiences, fostering career-ready skills and a strong community connection in the ag industry.
Concordia University, Nebraska’s agriculture programs equip students with the skills and values they need to lead in one of the world’s most essential industries. Through partnerships with local and national agriculture companies, Concordia provides agriculture majors with unmatched hands-on experience in the field. These collaborations benefit not only our students but also our business partners, who are eager to support the next generation of leaders in agriculture. Together, Concordia and its partners are building a vibrant community of students, faculty and industry professionals who are dedicated to making a meaningful impact on agriculture in Nebraska and beyond.
Building a Network of Partners
The relationships built with agribusiness leaders and mentors not only offer students real-world experience but also pave the way for meaningful careers. Concordia’s agriculture academic programs—agricultural science, agricultural education and agribusiness—and the Uzziah Scholars ag scholarship program benefit from the industry involvement and mentorship opportunities that truly sets Concordia’s ag programs apart.
“The ag business industry partners include agribusinesses who provide financial support, internships, hands-on experience and opportunities, serve as guest speakers for classes, and much more for the agriculture program,” said Dr. Kimberly Clark, assistant professor of agricultural science.
Partnerships with industry leaders such as Beck’s Hybrids, Farmers Cooperative, McLean Beef, Corteva, Hefty Seed, Aurora Coop, Central Valley Ag, Max-4 Agronomy and other agribusinesses and farmers and ranchers allow students and to engage in activities such as soil sampling, livestock management and food processing. The hands-on application of knowledge is essential to student success.
Learn by Doing
For Concordia Nebraska students, learning goes beyond lectures and textbooks. Fieldwork, internships and job shadowing offer students a more profound connection to their field of study.
“Through shadowing, working with livestock, spending time on farms, in fields, conducting research and internships, ag students have many practical learning opportunities,” said Clark.
An excellent example of this is the year-long partnership Concordia has with Corteva. Beginning in the spring, students dive into seed corn production by field mapping, creating growth plans and participating in planting. Summer is filled with field inspections and supervision, and as fall approaches, students help prepare for harvest and perform yield mapping. Students not only develop critical technical skills but also earn course credits along the way, making this collaboration a holistic learning experience.
Another partnership with McLean Beef offers a culinary spin. When Concordia’s Food Products and Processing course needed a professional kitchen for its Five-Star Dining Experience, McLean Beef agreed to help right away. The students took their foundational knowledge and used it to create appetizers, main dishes and desserts, utilizing planning, preparation and teamwork skills they can carry into their vocations after graduation.
Internships as Pathways to Employment
Internships play a crucial role in preparing Concordia students for their future careers, often leading directly to full-time positions.
According to Clark, most of Concordia’s agriculture students are offered jobs at the businesses where they intern.
This pathway to employment is seen in numerous success stories from Concordia alumni. Wyatt Ehlers ’22 interned with Bresnahan Crop Consulting and now works part-time for them and will even mentor a Concordia intern next summer. Tyler Walford ’24 graduates this December and has a full-time position lined up with Farmers Cooperative, who he interned with last summer. Gabe Ellis ’23 had an internship on a bison ranch in Montana and is now managing a bison ranch in Nebraska. These are just a few of the many examples of students benefiting from internship partners.
These experiences help students make connections that guide them toward fulfilling careers while also adding value to local businesses.
We are setting the Concordia ag program apart from other programs.
Uzziah Scholars
The Uzziah Scholars ag scholarship program at Concordia Nebraska offers agriculture students additional opportunities. Kellie (Rhodes) Nelson ’24, Uzziah Scholars Program Director, noted that Uzziah students are matched with mentors from many different areas of agriculture each semester.
“This allows them to observe their mentor in the workplace and learn from them in many ways,” she said. “The Uzziah mentors are readily available, willing to aid students in many different endeavors and communicate effectively with students to give them the best experience possible.”
The Uzziah Scholars are further equipped with skills that enhance their career prospects.
“Uzziah Scholars work hard in the classroom but also have a broad understanding of how the agriculture industry meets their Christian faith,” Nelson explained.
By blending professional development, communication and leadership training with a grounding in faith, the Uzziah Scholars program uniquely prepares students to become well-rounded stewards of God’s creation and successful future employees.
Benefits for Industry Partners
The partnerships with Concordia also offer tangible benefits for the agribusinesses involved. Concordia students bring enthusiasm, curiosity and a willingness to learn, making them valuable assets to their internship hosts. Additionally, through these partnerships, businesses gain access to highly motivated, faith-centered students who are passionate about agriculture and poised to contribute positively to the industry.
By aligning with Concordia’s agriculture program, companies have a direct line to students who not only excel academically but are also developing hands-on skills that align with the latest industry needs. This mutually beneficial setup helps partners build a pipeline of future talent that understands the values and goals of the industry.
Goals for the Future
As Concordia’s agriculture program grows, so does its vision for expanding partnerships. “We are using the partnerships to create new, additional learning opportunities on campus for students to study plants and animals,” said Clark. The goal is to broaden the learning environment by building on-campus facilities that allow students to apply their knowledge in plant and animal production, creating opportunities for collaboration with students in business, marketing and other fields.
“We are setting the Concordia ag program apart from other programs and setting up students for success as we grow the financial business supporters and through the supporters that give students learning opportunities and provide their time to the program,” Clark added. “Our opportunities for growth are endless with these partnerships.”
As Concordia Nebraska continues to strengthen its connections with industry leaders, students will enjoy even more diverse opportunities to gain practical experience, shaping their education in ways that set them up for success. These collaborations ensure that students are prepared not only to enter the workforce but to thrive in it.
A Growing Legacy of Impact
Concordia University, Nebraska’s agricultural partnerships exemplify the power of collaboration between education and industry. By offering students experiences that align with the industry’s needs, these partnerships create a pathway from academic study to meaningful careers.
As Concordia Nebraska’s ag program continues to flourish, it remains grounded in values that emphasize faith, practical experience and a commitment to community and stewardship. Concordia is not just preparing students for a job; instead, it is cultivating leaders who will make a difference in the world of agriculture and beyond. Through the hard work and dedication of our faculty, students and industry partners, Concordia University, Nebraska is planting seeds for a brighter, more fruitful future in agriculture.