Summer Internship Offers On-Farm Conservation Experience to Undergraduate Students

One of the statues at Lincoln University of Missouri’s Soldiers’ Memorial Plaza shines in the autumn sunshine.

A paid internship with the From the Ground Up project will give Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) undergraduate students the chance to gain hands-on experience with agricultural conservation this summer.

Beginning at the end of May, up to 12 students selected from Lincoln and Central State University (CSU) in Ohio will be matched with teams at LU, CSU, the Ohio State University and the University of Missouri to spend the summer working directly with Missouri and Ohio farmers, researchers and extension staff.

“This is going to be a really fun internship,” said Kimberly Cash, faculty instructor at LU. “There are lots of opportunities for students to work with farmers, look into the extension side and work in a lab.”

Students will spend their internships working in four key areas:

• Field Research — Students will assist researchers in collecting on-farm data and processing lab samples to document how conservation practices impact soil health, crop productivity and environmental outcomes.
• Engagement — Through research and collaborative engagement activities, students will work with local, regional and national stakeholders to promote climate-smart agriculture.
• Extension — Students will work with extension personnel to design and implement outreach activities and materials, including experiential field days, online content and workshops intended to share information about the project.
• Farming — Students will learn practical farming skills, management practices and techniques from real farmers while helping to implement on-farm research.

“One of the coolest things about this entire internship opportunity is working with farmers who got to choose what they want to research, so there’s a lot of options,” Cash said.

In addition to valuable experience, students will receive a $9,000 stipend, a $1,000 scholarship for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters and undergraduate course credits.

To participate, students should submit a completed application form, along with a letter of recommendation, resume and unofficial college transcript, to cashk@linolnu.edu or ssubburayalu@centralstate.edu. Completed application packets should be combined into a single PDF document.

Application materials and instructions can be found on Handshake by searching “Undergraduate Interns for Innovative Agricultural Conservation Practices Project.”

The deadline to apply is Jan. 31, 2026.

From the Ground Up is a farmer-led research initiative focused on improving the performance of conservation practices across the Midwest. Working directly with farmers in Missouri and Ohio, the From the Ground Up uses on-farm research projects to track agronomic, economic and environmental performance of conservation practices under working farm conditions.