Summer fellow program

Cultivating future ag marketing leaders: a summer research and Extension program on agricultural marketing and risk management

This eight-week, paid fellowship program includes a two-week crash course in market concepts and logistics, a week-long tour of the grain supply chain in Portland, Oregon, and five weeks devoted to a related research and Extension project.

Contact us at commodity@uidaho.edu.

Program information

Eight-week summer research and Extension opportunity
$5,015 stipend in total
$600 travel allowance
One-week covered field trip to Portland
Topics include price forecasting, enterprise budget, market outlook, crop insurance, risk management, basis evaluation and more
Professional development activities

Eligibility

Be enrolled in an accredited undergraduate program
Have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
Be passionate about commodity markets and risk management
Demonstrate interest in research and extension within these vital areas of study
Maintain good academic standing

Program timeline and expectations

The program is eight weeks long and runs from early May to mid July. Fellows are expected to spend the first two weeks in Moscow. Week three is a fully covered field trip to Portland, Oregon. In weeks 4-8, you will work with your mentor on a research or Extension project. You can arrange the location of the workplace with your mentor.

Weeks 1-2 — Orientation and training modules in Moscow
Week 3 — Grain marketing tour in Portland, Oregon
Weeks 4-7 — Work on individual projects with mentors (flexible location)
Week 8 — Project finalization and presentation (flexible location)

Financial support

UI Extension provides:

$5,015 stipend
Up to $600 to cover transportation to and from Moscow. If you have a car on campus, free parking is available on the University of Idaho campus. If you feel you have an extenuating travel circumstance, we will work with you to find reasonable flight accommodation.
Fully covered one-week field trip to Portland, Oregon.

What’s not covered:

Housing and meals are your responsibility. The university offers residential halls for short-term stays in the summer at a low cost (~$30 per room per night). We will also work with you to find the most optimum housing option.

All students must carry private health insurance coverage or will be required to purchase the U of I Student Health Benefit Plan.

All students must have access to a personal laptop with video-conferencing ability.

Application

What you need for the application

Basic background information about yourself.
Resume (two-page maximum, pdf format only).
An unofficial transcript (pdf format only).
Name and contact information of a professional reference.
A one-page, single-spaced statement of motivation (PDF format only). The statement may include, but is not limited to, specific interest in commodity marketing, risk management and applied economics, academic background, general research interests and professional goals, prior work/research experiences and/or limited undergraduate opportunities at the current institution.
Our selection process is competitive, and we encourage you to submit a well-prepared application to stand out.