Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Apply by Monday, March 23, 2026.

Participating Organizations:

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE)

Project Background: 

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) works to advance regenerative agriculture as a key solution to pressing environmental threats, including water‑quality degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. A central pillar TNC’s Regenerative Crop Systems strategy focuses on understanding and supporting the critical and underutilized role that trusted advisors (e.g.,ag retailers,private sector agronomists) play in shaping farm management decisions.

A key component of the farmer‑advisor strategy is demonstrating the business value for agribusinesses to diversify revenue streams beyond traditional input sales. For example, ag retailers who offer services such as advanced nitrogen management planning, strip tillage, or cover crop sourcing and seeding can help farm customers optimize production and environmental outcomes. This transition creates new channels for revenue and customer acquisition. However, this opportunity depends on the assumption that farmers see meaningful value in receiving these services from their ag retailer and that sufficient demand exists to make these offerings commercially viable.

While some research has explored motivations and barriers for farmer and ag retailer to align, further investigation is needed to clarify the true farmer “demand signal” for nitrogen‑management services. This includes understanding farmers’ economic considerations, preferred support models, priority practices, and the perceived role of ag retail in delivering such offerings. Strengthening this evidence base is essential to articulating a clear, compelling value proposition that encourages agribusinesses to invest in service‑based business models.

This interdisciplinary internship project will address this knowledge gap by assessing farmer needs, preferences, and economic drivers related to nitrogen‑management support delivered through ag retail. The intern will synthesize existing literature, analyze available economic data, and potentially conduct informational interviews directly with farmers and ag retailers to gain new insights. The project will result in actionable messaging and evidence that strengthen the business case for ag retailers to expand service offerings that advance regenerative agriculture.

The primary focus will be on commodity row‑crop systems in the U.S. Midwest, however, the learnings and resulting communications will be designed for broader applicability across geographies and production systems.

Internship Objectives:

The primary goals of this interdisciplinary project are:

1. To further assess farmer needs, preferences, and economic drivers related to nitrogen‑management support delivered through ag retail.
2. Develop high level recommendations and messaging to effectively convey farmer demand signals for these services to ag retail partners.

By helping to address knowledge gaps and communicate key findings, the research will support and guide the applied work of TNC and its partners in developing and implementing strategies to enhance the role of private-sector farm advisors in providing nutrient stewardship services to their farm customers. While this research will focus on commodity row‑crop systems in the U.S. Midwest, the learnings and resulting communications will be designed for broader applicability across geographies and production systems.

Key Activities:

• Synthesize existing literature and identify specific knowledge gaps in current research related to farmer demand for nitrogen management technologies and practices
• In collaboration with TNC agriculture staff, develop and implement a plan to address key research gaps, using methods such as literature review, analysis of available farm economic data, and in-person or virtual key informant interviews with farmers and ag retailers.
• Develop actionable messaging guidance for use by TNC and partners to more effectively convey farmer demand and needs for relevant services to ag retailers.
• Share internship results at the Nitrogen Summer Institute and with relevant NICCEE working groups
• Draft a short web summary/blog for the NICCEE website documenting the internship experience

Internship Location:

Remote from student’s home institution.
Limited visit(s) to field locations or TNC offices may be possible to conduct interviews with farmers and ag retailers; dependent on student location, funding source and applicable visa or legal requirements.

Internship Duration:

~3 months. 20 hours per week.
Preferred timing: May-July or June-August 2026, flexible

Internship Support:

Student will remain enrolled in their graduate program during the internship.
Location-based travel support up to approximately $3,000 may be available for students to visit TNC or field locations. Budget with justification will be required if requesting funding support for travel.

Internship Supervision:

The intern will be primarily supervised remotely by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) staff. The lead mentor at TNC will be Luke Petersen. The student intern will remain enrolled in their graduate program during the internship and may continue to receive mentorship support from their graduate advisor as needed.

Selected interns will be required to submit an internship-research action plan prior to the start of the internship, co-signed by the student, their graduate advisor, and internship mentor. Mutual expectations will be agreed upon at the start of the internship.

The student will be responsible for their own visa, insurance, accommodation, travel and/or transportation, and other similar arrangements for any travel conducted.