
Dustin Oesau
Hometown: Gilmanton, WI
Major: Agricultural Engineering Technology
Position Title: Contracted Test Technician (CTT) Intern
Employer: John Deere
As a seasoned sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, I have been fortunate to have already had two internships. I believe that coming from a strong farm background before that may have helped me in getting those opportunities early in my college career. I started in the farm industry in 8th grade when I worked for my two uncles who own a custom chopping business. Over the years, I have gained a good work ethic as well as the ability to work independently. Once I graduated from high school, the decision was clear that college was the next experience for me to take on and once I got here, UWRF opened the door to more experiences in the form of internships. All my internships so far have been with Adecco Engineering and Technical where I was most recently a Contracted Test Technician for John Deere.
In this latest internship, I dealt with the durability testing of the new John Deere 8000 series self-propelled forage harvesters. This involved operating the machine about half of the time, while also performing maintenance, adding design updates and doing repair work for the other half. It was a unique commitment for me since it required working away from home in Tulare, CA, for a two and a half month period. I do not regret this decision at all. I learned so much on how other custom operations work in other parts of the country. The way they farm in that part of California is very different from what we see back in Wisconsin. "Hot, dry and dusty" is how I can best describe the first half of my internship! The second half was more like the stereotypical sunny and 75 degree.
By taking a chance and going out of my normal comfort zone, I had a great experience with my internship. None of it would have been possible without going to UWRF and being encouraged to apply for internships by CAFES. I strongly encourage all current students and even incoming freshman to feel confident in themselves to take a chance at an internship like this.