Welcome to Cargill - Reflections on the First two Weeks

Isn't this so cool!!! I get a helmet
I remember three things my first day at Cargill:
  1. Where are the PA Mountains/Hills
  2. This is a pretty cool job
  3. I wonder what the rest of the summer is going to be like

I was working at Cargill  and I was going to be for the next twelve weeks the FSQR Intern, or as my one supervisor has told me, "You are going to learn so much about what we make here and the Science, Saftey, and Quality Assurance behind it that you are never going to look at food the same way again." This was exciting.

My first three summers I have had great opportunities in PA Teaching with 4-H. I love this chance to really see what Food Industry is like prior to Student Teaching. This way I can have a great comparison of both prior to my final decision as to weather I want to be a teacher or not. I was very excited to be part of this great trip.

Weeks one and two were pretty cool because we went through a lot of training these first two weeks at Cargill.  The first week was the average training everyone gets when they are hired in the plant.  I like to call it Cargill Boot Camp.

The hardest part about Cargill Boot Camp is staying awake.  Its dark, the voices are monotone and are slides after slides after slides after slides ... after slides ... .... ... But it was all valuable information when it comes to working at Cargill. Here are some highlights:

Safety is our number one priority. 
Safety is out number two priority.

Safety is our number three priority.
Good right?
So a lot of the training's we covered focused on the responsibility for your own and other safety. For example Forklift drivers have to beep as they move to make away to others on the floor their location.  The entire week we talked about Personal Safety, Plant Operational Safety, and Food Safety.  This has given me a lot of insight into the Safety side of FSS (Food Science and Safety).  This week though a struggle was very useful.

Week Two was by far my favorite week. This week I got to shadow supervisors from all over the plant and learn the secrets about the daily operations of the plant.  In addition they began to have us all meet with the department managers of the facility and learn about their roles as well in the plant.  Cargill also does an internship speaker series which lets us network with people from across the country where they tell us about themselves and what they have learned as Cargill employees. We are also encouraged to meet and talk with other members of the Cargill Team as well during the summer and begin building our professional network while we are out here.

Personally I think a lot of the experiences I am getting out here are very valuable and I can see the benefits of professional development the company tries to provide for its employees. 

To Be Continued . . .


Comments

  1. Daniel FosterJuly 26, 2017 at 7:37 PM

    George.

    Challenge Question:
    Name three Lesson titles you would teach in a HS Ag Class after this period of time at Cargill?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownAugust 1, 2017 at 5:48 PM

      1. Ingredients: Why are they there and what are they for?
      Explore some of the popular items we all eat and learn what ingredients actually do in food. A lot of ingredients are labelled with their chemical label but don't really explain what their purpose is in the food and if you don't recognize a chemical you worry if its not safe.
      2. The Statistics in Repeat-ability
      Learn why it is important in a activity that we do it multiple times and why it is important in the industry as well. This would teach students the important of multiple tests (the rule of three) in some of the classes I will teach this spring. It also is an important factor in the industry as well.
      3. The Important Roles in the Ag Industry
      This one is kind of like a career fair but also for students to see that not all jobs in the ag industry require College Degrees in an Agricultural Based Major to get into. What is required is the work ethic to want to always do better. For example I know several people who are supervisors which started out as basic floor employees and also people who majored in degrees that have no relevancy in ag yet work in the industry.
      4. How we do Better in the Industry?
      This one I would teach to show students the importance of continuous improvement in the industry. Instead of making a product the same way learning to find ways to improve quality, or reduce costs is also an important aspect in the food industry which is something major I learned this summer.

      Delete

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