Sam Mclaughlin has a deep tie to agriculture as a member of the 6th generation of McLaughlin's to farm the family land near Defiance, Iowa. The family farm features corn, soybeans, and a wean-to-finish swine operation for Smithfield. Cattle are also being reintroduced to the operation this fall. McLaughlin grew up participating in 4-H and FFA and showed pigs at the county fair. 

When it came time to choose a college, Iowa State was the perfect fit for McLaughlin. "My interest in agribusiness and my farm background made it an easy choice. ISU has a great agricultural business program," explains McLaughlin. 

He has held three internships as a student. As a freshman, he worked for E4 Sons Crop Intelligence as a crop scout in Woodbine, Iowa. During his sophomore year, he worked as an agronomy sales intern for Landus Cooperative in Gowrie, Iowa. As a senior, he currently works for Steven Brockshus at FarmlandFinder through the Semester, Inc. internship program.

FarmlandFinder wasn't the obvious internship choice for McLaughlin. "I had an entrepreneurial question about an interest of mine, and I went into the Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) office to ask instructor Kimle about it. This led to a conversation about internships for the summer," relates McLaughlin. Kimle introduced him to the idea of working with Brockshus at FarmlandFinder, an interview was set-up, and McLaughlin was hired as the quality control data technician shortly after. 

"I really enjoy my weekly meetings with my boss, Steven. It's fun to swap ideas and pick his brain about FarmlandFinder and other interests," relates McLaughlin. 

When he isn't studying or working, McLaughlin enjoys spending time with his two fun-loving dogs who are full of personality and staying active with his family. "My family loves to go boating at Lake Panorama in the summertime, and I especially like to wakeboard while we are there," he comments. They also take trips during the winter to snow ski in Colorado. He makes frequent visits back home to watch his younger brothers' football games and his sister's volleyball matches. 

After graduation, McLaughlin would like to work as an ag lender in the agricultural finance sector. We wish him the best of luck on his future endeavors!