University of Idaho Program Focuses On Grain Supply Chain

Roughly half of the wheat raised in the United States is exported abroad, and 60% of those foreign exports pass through the Columbia River system.

Representing seven different universities, ten undergraduates participated in the University of Idaho’s new AgBiz Summer Fellow Program and got a first-hand look at the vital role the river and its ports serve for America’s grain industry, while also witnessing operations at every link of the grain supply chain.

The fellowship, offered under U of I’s Agricultural Commodity Risk Management Program, includes a two-week crash course in market concepts and logistics at U of I’s Moscow campus, as well as a week-long tour of the grain supply chain in Portland and five weeks devoted to a related research and Extension project.

School officials said the aim is to train future leaders for careers in agricultural economics, agribusiness and policy.

“I wanted to do something that would introduce me to things I would be doing in graduate school, such as econometrics,” said Connor Wells, a program participant from Meridian, referring to a branch of economics that applies statistical methods and mathematical models to analyze economic data. “I wanted to get a head start on that.”

The U of I is recruiting the next class right now, with the application deadline March 25th, 2026.  Participants receive a $5,015 stipend and a $600 travel allowance, plus costs of the Portland trip are covered.  Some schools also award internship credit to participants.

The eight-week, paid summer fellowship, hosted from mid-May through mid-July, is funded with a five-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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