Spend a Day with Stratovation Group Intern, Philip Eviston
Summer internships are about exploration and hands-on experiences, and that is exactly what I experienced this summer during my ride-along with professionals from Meristem Crop Performance and SweetWater Technologies.
For my Meristem Ride Along, I met with Vince Wertman, the Senior Sales Director of Minnesota at Meristem. Vince and I met at a SweetWater Technologies Demo in Byron, MN, hosted by one of SweetWater’s franchise partners, Bill Pirkl. Besides being a franchise partner, Bill also serves as a dealer for Meristem. It was awesome to have two different Stratovation accounts that I have worked on at the same in-person event! The SweetWater Technologies demo was very insightful, as I learned about their agriculture-grade drone operations, spray application processes, and the different roles at SweetWater Technologies.
When I first arrived, while heading inside Bill’s barn for a pulled pork sandwhich, I came across one of the Breakthrough to Excellece “Meristem Local Dealer” Magnets! As an intern working on the Meristem account regularly, I packed hundreds of Breakthrough to Excellence mailers for dealers across the nation. It was a true full circle moment to see a magnet I likely packed attached to a dealers door.
At the demo, many members of the SweetWater Technologies team were present, along with numerous enthusiastic Southern Minnesotan farmers learning how agriculture-grade drones operate in fields with live demos. I was able to speak with farmers and hear about their enthusiasm for drones, as well as learn about the day-to-day operations of the SweetWater Technologies team. When speaking one-on-one with Vince, I learned about his typical day, which involves working with a majority of Meristem’s farmers and dealers in the Southern Minnesota area. It was insightful to hear firsthand from Vince about his experiences as part of the Meristem sales team and to understand how action-packed each day is.
Overall, the demo day was a major success for myself, Meristem, SweetWater Technologies, and the local Southern Minnesotan farmers. It was exciting to be in the field, both literally and figuratively, to learn more about Meristem and SweetWater Technologies.
Meristem Crop Performance strives to give farmers the right tools to fight back and get more bushels for less – sourcing, formulating, and delivering high-quality crop inputs with a keen focus on exceptional customer service. Learn more: meristemag.com
Sweetwater Technologies Powered by Gripp is a full-service drone application and business development company, offering the next generation of farmers and ag professionals turn-key, owner-operator partnerships within precision agriculture. Learn more: sweetwatertechnologies.com