Evan Hansen Completes Summer Internship with Latham Seeds

With a 98 percent placement rate, Iowa State University’s Ag Career Fair it’s just as important that a company make a positive impression on a candidate as it is for the candidate to make a good first impression. Evan Hansen of Spencer in Northwest Iowa sought out Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ booth because his family planted Latham® seeds.

“My interest in Latham Seeds started three years ago when we first planted Latham on our farm. We have increased our use of Latham® seed,” says Evan. “I spoke with Laura (Cunningham) and Kilah (Watson) at the Iowa State College of Ag and Life Sciences career fair and was excited to hear that Latham was planning to release its own data management platform, Data Forward^SM. I have had the opportunity to work with three other management applications in my past summers and was excited to have the chance to see something new. After an enjoyable interview process and learning more about the family-owned company, I knew it was the place for me to spend my summer.”

This summer has presented its challenges due to the pandemic, but Evan says he has thoroughly enjoyed his internship.

“When I first started working with the Data Forward program in May, I was impressed with its capabilities,” says Evan. “I have enjoyed talking with growers about how Latham can continue to help their operations prosper. Working with Phil (Long) and Darin (Chapman) has been awesome. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from the team at Latham and always felt like I could reach out with questions. This team was welcoming and gave me, as a young person in ag, an excellent summer internship.”

Evan is heading back to Ames for his fourth and final year of studies. He plans to graduate in May 2021 with a double major in Agronomy and Animal Science.

“I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to help producers improve their operations. This, along with my desire to work hands-on, led me to a degree in Agronomy,” says Evan. “The addition of my Animal Science major is a product of many factors. As our cow-calf herd grew, we needed pasture management, cover crops, corn stover, corn silage, and hay. I developed a greater desire for knowledge on livestock production as our home beef operation grew.”

Evan grew up on his family’s row crop and cattle farm in Northwest Iowa. His father, Curt, farms fulltime with help from Evan’s uncle. Evan’s mom, Julie, is an elementary educator. She’s starting to help more on the farm now that Evan’s grandparents are not as actively involved. Evan’s oldest sister, Jordan, graduated from The University of Iowa and is pursuing a graduate degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs at The Ohio State University. Evan’s younger sister, Kaylee, will be a senior at Spencer High School. His brother, Ethan, is starting eighth grade this fall.

“As I have grown, my roles have progressed from riding in the buddy seat to giving rides as we move between farms to eventually operating in separate fields from my dad. I spend time processing cows and calves, and I do the artificial insemination for our cattle,” says Evan, who showed cattle through 4-H and desires to raise Angus cattle after he graduates from Iowa State.

This year will be another busy one for Evan as he is a member of FarmHouse Fraternity where he has served on the Executive Committee as Assistant Alumni Director and as New Member Educator. He has participated in the Polar Bear Plunge, which supports Special Olympics. He also takes parts in various other Homecoming and Greek Week activities. In addition, he has been a waiter at Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

“What stands out about my time at Iowa State are the connections I have made. I am confident that I have met individuals whom I will work with for years to come. In addition, I have enjoyed bringing the knowledge I gained home to see it applied in the real world,” says Evan. “Iowa State has challenged me to think about doing things differently on not only my home farm, but also in the operations of growers I have had the opportunity to meet through my internships. Through this, I have seen that thoughtful change often brings growth.”

We certainly wish Evan in the future! With students heading back into the classrooms, it’s a reminder to us that fall harvest also is just around the corner. Today Evan is sharing with us one of his favorite harvest meals.