“Practical work experience and networking within the agricultural industry are some of the strongest tools a college student can possess to prepare them for full-time employment,” says David Thorbahn, president and CEO of Select Sires. “Select Sires offers hands-on internship opportunities each year that help to expand knowledge of the industry and give interns the chance to contribute to our day-to-day operations.”
Mitch Angove of Warren, Pennsylvania, serves Select Sires as a research intern in the veterinary department. Angove is pursuing his Master’s in animal biology at the University of California, Davis. Being raised on his family farm in northwest Pennsylvania, he developed a passion for agriculture from a young age that only continued to grow. Angove first became aware of Select Sires through working with his neighbor’s dairy operation and he recalls his fascination with something as simple as a straw of semen being able to affect monumental change throughout an entire operation.
Sarah Belmonte, a Marysville, Ohio native, joins
Select Sires as a livestock technician in the production department. Currently attending The Ohio State University, Belmonte will graduate with her bachelor of science degree in animal science in 2024 on a pre-veterinary track. She is very involved
on campus as a member of the Sigma Alpha professional sorority, the treasurer of Protection and Awareness for Endangered Species, and an active member in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Belmonte has been showing
dairy heifers and steers for much of her life, with these shows leading to some of her fondest memories and experiences.
Samantha Jo Edwards of Johnstown, Ohio, joins Select Sires as a veterinary intern. Edwards is a graduate of Ashland University with a degree in biochemistry and currently attends The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her passion for livestock and agriculture began at a young age. Growing up on her family farm, she helped raise dairy cattle, horses, goats, rabbits and various poultry species. Her enthusiasm for agriculture led her to join 4-H and FFA, where she enjoyed competing across the state and showing dairy cattle.
Hailing from Athens, Georgia, James Holton also joins Select Sires as a veterinary intern. Holton is a student at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and his experiences include working at the Parker Veterinary Clinic in South Dakota. He has been connected to the dairy industry throughout his life, watching his father practice large animal veterinary medicine. He showed registered Jersey cattle throughout high school.