The goal of this internship is to research how counties similar in size, demographics and agricultural production as Larimer County staff and manage agricultural issues and programs. Some of the questions to be considered include:
o What are some of most critical agriculture issues facing the sample counties and how do the county support staffing to address these issues?
o How do county governments’ staff and encourage agriculture in areas such as access to land and water, local food systems and markets, climate change, or urban encroachment?
o Do the sample counties support and fund staff to work specifically on agricultural issues, and if so, what qualifications do staff have and what department supports these position(s)?
• The intern will identify a representative sample of County governments across the United States by collecting data on agricultural production, population, demographics, etc. They will develop a list of criteria for measuring county agriculture policies, programs and practices around local food systems and climate-smart agriculture, and staffing. They will identify appropriate staff that could be the subject of an interview. Using these criteria, they will develop an interview questionnaire and interview these contacts.
• Through these interviews, they will seek to benchmark best practices and develop a report showing how Larimer County can change and improve support for the agriculture community.
• The student will prepare a report detailing the research findings, conclusions, and best practices for county agricultural management/development and staff support and how other entities support local food systems through policy.
