Select Sires Inc. welcomes eight summer interns across multiple departments. Garrett Hastings joins the veterinary team assisting with herd health management. Alex Landis, Kasen Knapp and Malela Fulton will serve as livestock technician interns helping with daily sire care. Leah Meyer joins Select Sires Inc. as the corporate communications intern. Megan Ratka will gain experience as the semen processing and calf campus intern. The talent development team welcomes Rayleigh Carter while Lindsey Ferreira develops skills as the dairy sire development and marketing intern.
“Select Sires Inc. strongly supports the internship program as it allows our teams to work with the best and brightest next generation of leaders,” said David Thorbahn, president and CEO of Select Sires Inc. “Introducing these students to the opportunities available within the Select Sires federation will help them gain valuable experience in the genetics industry, which is a critical component of their professional development.”
From Burton, Ohio, Garrett Hastings joins Select Sires as the veterinary medicine intern. Hastings is entering his second year at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to veterinary school, he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a specialization in veterinary technologies from The Ohio State University. He remains active on campus through the Food Animal, Business Management and Theriogenology Clubs. Hastings looks forward to gaining experience in sire care and health tests that are required to export bovine semen.
Select Sires Inc. welcomes Alex Landis as a livestock production intern. Originally from Delaware, Ohio, Landis attends the University of Findlay majoring in animal science on the pre-veterinary track with minors in chemistry and biology. Outside of academics, Landis is a part of the Findlay women’s soccer team, Christian Veterinary Fellowship and serves as president of Children’s Mentoring Connections. She stays involved in the livestock industry through the Findlay cattle and sheep show teams. During her time at Select Sires, Landis is excited to explore research related to collection frequencies and livestock production.
Malela Fulton from Ferndale, California, joins Select Sires as a livestock production intern. Fulton is a senior studying animal science with a production concentration at Texas Tech University. Fulton is involved in the school’s Collegiate Cattlemen’s Association and works as a student research assistant within the Animal and Meat Science Department. Fulton has been assisting with beef on dairy carcass research to collect data that will be used in the industry. She is looking forward to learning about the genetics industry while growing in her professional endeavors.
From Delaware, Ohio, Kasen Knapp is joining Select Sires as a livestock production intern working at the Kellgren Center. Coming from a beef production background, Knapp attends The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institution (ATI) majoring in livestock production and management. He is a part of the OSU ATI livestock judging team and travels to competitions around the country. Knapp is looking forward to gaining more experience working with dairy sires while ensuring their daily care and management.
Joining Select Sires from Cold Spring, Minnesota, Megan Ratka will be working as the semen processing and calf campus intern. Ratka recently graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities majoring in animal science with a specialization in dairy production and will be attending graduate school at Iowa State University in the fall. At the University of Minnesota, she was involved in Lambda Delta Phi Sorority, Gopher Dairy Club and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) Mentor Program. Ratka continued to stay involved in the dairy industry through her involvement in the collegiate dairy judging team and the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. She looks forward to learning about semen evaluation and management practices associated with sire genetics.
From Anna, Ohio, Leah Meyer joins Select Sires to further her skills in communication as the corporate communications intern. Going into her junior year at The Ohio State University, Meyer is pursuing an agricultural communications degree with a minor in agribusiness. She is heavily involved in the Agribusiness Club, Agricultural Systems Management Club, Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow and College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Student Council. She is an advocate for the college, serving as a CFAES ambassador and CFAES peer mentor. Meyer is excited to further her strategic communications skills by gaining experience in written and verbal communication, branding and photography.
Rayleigh Carter, from Marianna, Florida, joins Select Sires as a talent development intern. Carter is a junior studying agribusiness and ethical leadership at Oklahoma State University. She is deeply engaged in the Oklahoma Collegiate Cattlemen’s Association, Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, student government, China Agricultural University Student Mentor and Cowboy Energy Club. Carter looks forward to hosting international tours that will give her cross-cultural experience, as well as creating educational content that will have a lasting impact beyond her time at Select Sires.
Lindsey Ferreira joins Select Sires from Tracy, California as the dairy sire development and marketing intern. Ferreira is a dairy science and international agriculture major at Iowa State University. There, she is a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences ambassador and a member of the Iowa State Dairy Science Club. Ferreira is looking forward to making new connections and gaining knowledge about the A.I. industry.
