Avery Mather, Swine Production Intern
Avery is originally from State Center, IA. She grew up heavily involved within the agriculture industry where she showed hogs and cattle for 4H. Avery is currently studying Agricultural Business at Iowa State University. In her free time, she works at the Iowa State Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
“While I’ve been working at the lab, I take in samples every day and prepare them for labs,” said Avery. “One of those customers has always been Reicks View Farms. I’m excited to learn and see first hand how to overcome animal health challenges with my internship. This will allow me to see how my role at the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab plays a bigger role for producers.”
In Avery’s free time, she enjoys being a Youth and Shelter Services volunteer. She works with high risk kids on a weekly basis. When Avery isn’t volunteering her time to help kids, there’s a good chance she is traveling across the country showing cattle!
Shane Duffy, Swine Production Intern
Shane is originally from Sumner, IA where he grew up on a row crop and cow-calf farming operation. Shane just finished his sophomore year of college at Iowa State University where he’s pursuing a double major in Animal Science and Agriculture Business.
While growing up, Shane heard about Reicks View Farms from their community outreach. “I knew I could learn a lot from working at Reicks View Farms,” said Shane. “That’s why I pursued the Swine Production Internship.”
Shane will be working on multiple research projects this summer with his primary focus being on biosecurity. He will be looking into new ways to improve Biosecurity practices across all stages of production to help ensure animal health.
“I’m looking forward to being able to learn and gain hands-on experiences within the pork industry. I find it pretty fascinating to see how all areas of the agriculture industry work together to produce food for consumers.”
Blake Price, Swine Production Intern
Blake is originally from New York. She came to Iowa when she was around 12 years old. “I didn’t grow up on a farm,” said Blake. “I did grow up as a consumer though, and as a consumer I saw a lot of misinformation being spread across the agriculture industry; specifically within pork. Whenever I came across misinformation, I would advocate for the farmers. That’s what sparked my passion for wanting to pursue a career in the agriculture industry.”
In 2019, Blake served on the #RealPigFarming Student Social Forces team where she would advocate for pig farmers. She is now a Junior studying Animal Science at Iowa State University. She is currently Public Interest Chair for the Pre-Veterinary Club where she helps network and coordinate industry speakers for monthly meetings.
Blake is most looking forward to meeting other professionals within the swine industry through her internship. She’s excited to be surrounded by others who share the same passion as she does. As well as gaining hands-on experiences in animal husbandry.