2012 Murphy-Brown Grain & Feed Summer & Fall Internship Programs

2012 promises to be a historic year in the grain trade where extreme tightness in corn supplies and reduced South American soybean crops drive extreme volatility in commodity futures prices and global cash grain markets. The Murphy-Brown Grain and Feed Internship gives college studentsand recent graduates the opportunity to witness firsthand as futures and cash markets fight to ration demand and keep the country from running out of corn. When it comes to understanding the factors that drive the prices of US food, fuel, and fiber, there are some things that are truly best learned by doing.

Futures levels for both corn and soybeans have reached levels seen just a few times in history and new crop supply relief is still 5-6 months away. Markets must also sort out the transition between remarkable tightness in old crop corn and what look to be the largest corn plantings since 1944. The stage is set for high drama as futures prices, intra-commodity/intra-month price relationships, and cash markets all work to ration domestic feed and ethanol demand. Add to all of thisthe need to receive and store what looks to be an80 million bushel NC, SC, & VA winter wheat crop, and you have the foundation of a dynamic summer internship experience.

Murphy-Brown LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, a Fortune 500 producer of branded consumer pork products. Students selected to participate in this unique internship experience will have the opportunity to better understand the actual mechanics of purchasing grain and producing feed, while building their resumes through employment at one of the country’s largest feed manufactures. Students will gain real world experience with markets and grain operations that can be applied back to classroom work across multiple disciplines from finance and business operations to economics and process engineering. Murphy-Brown will also work with your advisor to develop the projects or experience based goals necessary to qualify this experience for academic credit.

The Murphy-Brown Grain & Feed Internship will give participants hands-on and academic exposure to:

  • Analysis of grain market fundamentals
  • Cash grain buying
  • Grain grading and discounts
  • Farmer relationship management
  • Feed mill operations & production planning
  • Soft ingredient pricing
  • Least cost feed formulation
  • Commodity futures and spread behavior
  • Grain facility and warehouse operations
  • Truck freight
  • Basis Behavior

Space in this year’s internship program is expected to be limited and highly competitive. Interview preference will be given to students who submit resumes early. Deadline for application to this year’s program is April 10. Contact Robbie Montgomery in the Murphy-Brown Procurement Department to submit your resume and schedule an interview (910) 282-4120. Resumes can also be emailed to .

PO Box 759

Rose Hill, NC 28458

Murphy-Brown Grain & Feed Internship

Program Summary:

  • 12-week summer internship for students interested in a career in grain merchandising, grain operations, or feed ingredient procurement.
  • Student will be actively involved in farmer relationship management, grain grading, feed ingredient receiving, and grain inventory management.
  • Students will also spend time in procurement office gaining exposure to US and World grain balance sheets, futures market analysis, feed formulation, and cash grain logistics.
  • $8/hour pay (overtime eligible after 40 hours) plus either free housing or housing allowance.
  • Work schedule 60 hours per week (7am until 5:30pm with a 30 minute lunch break. Mon.-Sat.).
  • Murphy-Brown will also pay for the selected student’s initial trip to Rose Hill.
  • Similar program available during fall semester for students who want to take a semester off.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Student with at least one year of completed undergraduate coursework.
  • Interest in a career in commodity trading, agribusiness management, crop production, agriculture sales, feed manufacturing, or animal production.
  • Willingness to relocate to area of feed mill.
  • We are looking for students interested in commodity trading and grain buying who have the ability to contribute to Murphy-Brown’s procurement and operations strategy as opposed to specific coursework. Successful applicants can come from a wide variety of academic programs (i.e. agronomy, economics, finance, business, agribusiness, math, biology, computer science, horticulture, etc.).

Hiring Process:

  • Submit application, resume, and two letters of recommendation (one professor & another from a non-relative of the student’s choice).
  • Interview with Members of Murphy-Brown Procurement Team.
  • Pre-employment drug screen before reporting for work.

Interested students contact:

Robbie Montgomery, Murphy-Brown Ingredient Procurement

(910) 260-1633

Rhonda Norris, Murphy-Brown Human Resources

(910) 282-4243

Murphy-Brown, LLCMBgrain.com