UW welcomes Faucett

Laramie – The University of Wyoming (UW) Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, housed in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, welcomed Kendra Faucett on Aug. 8 as program coordinator for the new GrowinG Internship program.

Launched in summer 2022, the program offers beginning farmers and ranchers meaningful experience in agriculture through hands-on internships at agricultural operations across Wyoming.

The GrowinG project operates in cooperation with the UW Extension and other educational institutions, producer organizations and hosts on working farms and ranches. 

Faucett is the program’s first full-time coordinator. 

“We are really looking forward to building the GrowinG Internship program into a premier experience for both interns and those hosting them,” says John Hewlett, ranch and farm management specialist for the UW Extension and co-director of the three-year, U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded Beginning Farmers and Ranchers project. “Kendra brings a variety of valuable skills and resources to the position.”

Originally from Wisconsin, Faucett attended Ripon College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science. She earned her master’s in kinesiology and academic advising certificate from Kansas State University.

Ag has been a constant in her life since age five years old, when she joined 4-H. After completing her goal of showing every possible type of animal at the county fair, Faucett moved on to a multi-summer internship with the local Extension office.

As GrowinG Internship coordinator, she is working remotely but will visit UW’s Laramie campus in the fall to recruit potential interns. 

The GrowinG team hopes to expand the number of students interested in receiving academic credit through hands-on experiences, explains Ben Rashford, head of the UW Agricultural and Applied Economics Department and project co-director. 

“We are eager to benefit from Kendra’s academic advising experience to better reach students interested in practical experience on farms and ranches in the state,” he shares. 

Faucett is excited to engage with producers and interns on site next summer. 

“I want to learn anything people are willing to take the time to teach me, whether it’s going out to ranches or in a classroom at UW,” she says. 

As the first full-time coordinator for the GrowinG program, Faucett will play a significant role in guiding the project forward. “It’s very intriguing because I can have input – I can help steer it,” she comments.

Faucett encourages potential interns and hosts to reach out at any time. The more communication, the better, she says, as it will help ensure interns are paired with hosts who share similar interests.

For more information on the GrowinG Internship program, visit growing-wy.org or e-mail Faucett at kfaucet2@uwyo.edu.

This article is courtesy of University of Wyoming (UW) Communications and Technology Writer and Editor Brooke Stephan Ortel and UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics GrowinG Internship Program Coordinator Kendra Faucett. Send comments on this article to bortel@uwyo.edu or kfaucet2@uwyo.edu.