At Southeast Missouri State University, experience is more than a resume builder, it’s how students move fearlessly forward into their futures. For agribusiness majors Colton White, Emjae Mosier and Gant Gibson, that meant spending their summer immersed in innovation at Saluna, an agricultural technology startup in St. Louis working to advance hemp as a sustainable, high-value crop alternative for farmers.
This was Saluna’s first summer in partnership with the SEMO leasing space at the University’s Sikeston campus to conduct seed trials while hiring students as interns. Saluna’s mission to develop a specialty seed oil crop competitive with soybeans in the oil market is reshaping what’s possible in modern agriculture, and SEMO students are right there making it happen.
As a field intern, White, a senior majoring in agribusiness: horticulture, took on responsibilities from maintaining experimental test plots to gathering detailed data on plant vigor, flowering time and yield.
“This experience showed me a new side of agriculture that I wasn’t familiar with,” White said. “I’ve built or improved on skills I know will be important for employers like collecting data, teamwork and resilience.”
Mosier, also majoring in agribusiness: horticulture, worked across nearly every part of Saluna’s operations from field prep and watering to data collection and harvest support.
“Saluna has given me the chance to build a broad skill set I can apply anywhere,” Mosier said. “It’s been flexible and practical, helping me balance classes and work while gaining real-world experience.”
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Saluna’s forward-thinking work mirrors the direction of the agriculture industry with sustainability, innovation and diversification. Through experience-driven programs in agriculture, SEMO students are prepared not just to enter that future but to shape it.
Gibson, a senior agribusiness: horticulture major, manages all indoor plant-care and breeding operations for Saluna at the Sikeston SEMO campus. He also helps with data collection, fieldwork and agronomic operations at two test fields.
“I applied for the internship in St. Louis and continued to do some compliance work for Saluna during winter break,” said Gibson. “At the end of last semester, the CEO of Saluna approached me to take a position in Sikeston. This opportunity has allowed me to exercise what I’ve learned from my coursework and develop real-world skills for the workplace.”
White, Mosier and Gibson show that SEMO agriculture students don’t just study the field—they step into it. Armed with knowledge and grit, they’re proving that confidence comes from doing, and that real growth happens where the soil meets determination.
Learn more about SEMO’s Department of Agriculture at semo.edu/agriculture.