Seth Hufford, 2022 Intern
Meet Seth Hufford
A senior at University of Arkansas studying Poultry Science.
Meet Seth Hufford, a senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Poultry Science with a minor in Agriculture Business. This summer, Seth interned at the Decatur Feed Mill for Simmons Foods where he researched and tracked product inventory levels through all stages of the process including milling, storage, loading and delivery to discover opportunities for efficiency and savings.
At Simmons, providing optimal nutrition for our birds is extremely important, and it begins with the feed produced at our feed mills. Feed is one of the largest cost inputs to raising healthy birds, so efficiency is critical for success.
Under the supervision of Zach McGee, Senior Director of Live Operations, Seth explored the factors that impact efficiency in feed inventory management and developed a plan to help team members continue to improve on factors related to efficiency.
“The Simmons Foods’ internship program provides the students with a sense of purpose and aspiration by assigning them with a project that can ultimately improve the company.” - Seth Hufford
Check out our Q&A session with Seth and Zach to get a deeper look into this impactful project:
Seth: Tell us about the project you worked on this summer.
My project this summer highlighted opportunities for efficiency in managing inventory at the Decatur feed mill. I worked alongside another intern, Christina “Moe” Vincent, to complete this project. We decided that the best way to start our project was to get a clear understanding of how the feed mill worked and get to know the team members working there. After that, we met with the mill manager and assistant manager to discuss different areas of opportunity. We then proceeded to investigate further on those areas, including bin densities, receiving, equipment, railcars, and feed spillage, and explored some possible solutions that would aid in improving inventory management. Team members at the mill were already focused on this and taking steps to improve, but I knew there were more solutions we could explore that would make a big impact and help the mill, and ultimately the company, be even more efficient.
Zach: How will this project have a long-term impact on your team’s work as well as the overall goals of Simmons?
Due to their efforts, we have had improved results in regards to inventory management. Our team members have continued to carry out the processes Seth and Christina helped implement, including better processes to fully extract all product from railcars and for measuring bin densities.
Seth: What are two to three lessons you learned this summer that you will carry with you as you head back to school?
I know that I am now a better problem solver, critical thinker, and more of an active listener because of the experiences I had and the people I worked with this summer.
Seth: What do you believe sets Simmons Foods’ internship program apart from other intern programs? What was the most valuable experience you had during your internship?
The Simmons Foods’ internship program provides the students with a sense of purpose and aspiration by assigning them with a project that can ultimately improve the company. Learning how a feed mill operates was very eye opening because of all the different variables that go into making feed. I didn’t have any experience in a feed mill prior to this internship, so this experience was particularly great and unique for me.
Seth Hufford and Christina “Moe” Vincent completed their summer internship together at the Decatur Feed Mill
The 2022 class of summer interns was our largest class to date. Our interns “Do Real Work” by completing meaningful projects that contribute to their chosen department, our company and help build their professional portfolios.