6 Agriculture Internships for High School Students
Pursuing internships during high school is a smart way to gain real-world experience and build a strong foundation for your future. Internships allow you to explore your interests, develop new skills, and make informed decisions about your career path. If you're interested in the fields of agriculture and agri-tech, early exposure can be particularly impactful.
Engaging with agriculture through internships not only enhances your understanding of sustainable practices and innovative technologies but also strengthens your college application by demonstrating your commitment to addressing global challenges in food production and environmental sustainability.
In this blog post, we have listed 6 agriculture internships tailored for high school students like you.
The Good Works Summer Teen Agricultural Internship is a 7-week program for high school students passionate about agriculture, food systems, and environmental sustainability. You'll work on projects like organic gardening, food justice initiatives, and composting. Guided by experienced farmers and community leaders, you'll deepen your understanding of sustainable practices. You’ll tend to the gardens of local community members, building relationships with them as you build skills like improving soil health and raising pastured chickens.
Location: Athens County, OH
Program Dates: 3 days/week from June 17 – August 2, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Stipend: $500 upon completion
Eligibility: Students aged 14–17 who live near the internship site
Application Deadline: May 31, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Ladder Internships is a prestigious program for high school students eager to dive into the startup world. Through this selective internship, you will work with high-growth startups across various industries, including tech, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, and more. If you’re interested in agriculture, you can check out their Environmental Science and Non-Profit internships.
Interns collaborate closely with startup managers and receive mentorship from a Ladder Coach, tackling real-world projects and presenting their work to the company. The program includes one-on-one training in communication, time management, and other essential skills, complemented by group training sessions with peers. The virtual internship typically lasts 8 weeks. For more details and to explore internship options, you can check out their application form.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year. December 16, 2024 onwards for the upcoming Winter cohort
Cost: $2,490 (Financial Aid Available)
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. The upcoming Winter cohort deadline is November 24, 2024
The Summer High School Internship at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is for students passionate about science and plant careers. As an intern, you will work closely with expert Garden staff and a small cohort of fellow interns. Your tasks may include working in the plant conservation research lab, cultivating rare plants, and helping maintain outdoor spaces.
The program builds college and career readiness skills, with community leaders guiding your development. You'll keep a journal documenting your experience and present a personal project at the end of the internship. The position is paid, and benefits include snacks, lunch, and bus and parking passes as needed.
Location: Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA
Program Dates: June 4 – July 18, 2025 (tentative, based on the 2024 program)
Cost/Stipend: Students are paid $11/hour in bi-weekly installments
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors in a metro Atlanta Title 1 school who will be 16 years or older by the start of the program and are eligible to work in the U.S. Students must also meet the physical requirements listed here.
Application Deadline: Applications for 2025 will open in January
The Young Scholars Program is a paid five-week summer internship for high school students interested in agricultural, food, and environmental sciences. You’ll work 30 hours per week on research projects under the mentorship of a faculty member at the UGA Athens, Griffin, or Tifton campus. The program includes workshops and visits to agricultural operations to provide insight into different fields and careers in agriculture.
At the end of the program, you'll present your research during a poster session at the Young Scholars Pre-Collegiate Research Conference, held on the UGA Athens campus during the final three days of the program.
Location: University of Georgia (Athens, Griffin, or Tifton) campus, GA
Program Dates: 5 weeks between June and July. The 2024 program ran from May 29 to July 11
Cost/Stipend: Stipend provided
Eligibility: Applicants must:
have completed their sophomore year of high school
be 16 years old by the program start date
have taken one high school science course, including laboratory, and one semester of algebra
Application Deadline: Applications typically open in November and close in January
Rural Action's paid internship program offers high school students the chance to gain hands-on professional experience in the organization, field, or industry they are interested in interning with. Through partnerships with Building Bridges to Careers, the program matches you with local organizations, providing mentorship from professionals who guide your career development. This initiative enhances your skills and resume while supporting local communities by fostering skilled workers and encouraging regional economic growth.
Location: Multiple locations
Program Dates: Can run for a semester, a summer, or a year
Cost/Stipend: Paid, amount unspecified
Eligibility: High school students in Williamstown, WV and Appalachian Ohio counties. See the full list here
Application Deadline: N/A
As a Sacramento high school student, you can participate in a year-long paid internship to build skills in sustainable agriculture, workplace readiness, and personal development through Thousand Strong, the City of Sacramento’s workforce development initiative. This internship includes weekly work hours in your school garden, trips to community farms, guest speakers from the agriculture industry, and a workforce development class. You'll explore various agriculture and environmental careers, make valuable industry connections, build professional skills, and learn what it means to farm sustainably. Currently, 20-25 students from Luther Burbank and Grant Union high schools are involved in this program.
Location: Sacramento, CA
Program Dates: Year long
Cost/Stipend: No information available
Eligibility: Sacramento high school students
Application Deadline: No information available
One other option — the Lumiere Research Scholar Program
If you’re interested in pursuing independent research, you could also consider applying to one of the Lumiere Research Scholar Programs, selective online high school programs for students founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.
Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students. Last year, we had 150 students on full need-based financial aid!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.