Autaugaville native Madison Thrailkill joins Alabama Farmers Federation internship

Madison Thrailkill, an Autaugaville native who grew up showing cattle on her family’s farm, has joined the Alabama Farmers Federation as a summer intern, putting an Autauga County student inside one of the state’s most influential farm organizations.

The 21-year-old started the internship May 19 in the Federation’s Department of Organization, where she will help with Young Farmers programming, support the Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute in Prattville, assist Women’s Leadership events at the Farm & Land Conference and contribute to agricultural literacy projects such as Ag Mags and a Careers in Ag brochure.

For Autauga County, the placement carries a local connection well beyond a summer job. Thrailkill is the daughter of John Thrailkill, who serves on the Autauga County Farmers Federation board, and she is also a Federation scholarship recipient. She said she is grateful for the chance to “learn, grow and contribute to an organization that invests in students and Alabama agriculture.”

The Federation welcomed three Auburn University students as interns this year, but Thrailkill’s path stands out because it comes out of Autaugaville and circles back to the county’s farm community. The Alabama Farmers Federation says it is the state’s largest farm organization, representing agricultural and associate members in all 67 counties, which means work inside its headquarters can reach farmers and policy discussions far beyond Montgomery.

Thrailkill is a rising senior at Auburn, where she majors in agricultural business and economics with minors in agricultural leadership and poultry science. Auburn says the agricultural business and economics program is built to prepare agribusiness leaders through business, agricultural science and biology coursework, while poultry science trains students for leadership in the poultry industry, government and academia.

On campus, Thrailkill has built a resume that fits the Federation’s work. She is active in several organizations, serves as incoming vice president of Auburn’s Agribusiness Club and works with the university’s Agricultural Advancement Department. She also interned last summer with Alfa Insurance, the Federation affiliate, giving her a second direct link to the organization.

Matthew Durdin, a Federation director, called Thrailkill a strong fit for the team, citing her drive and love for agriculture. That combination matters in a state where the Federation’s Young Farmers program is designed to give young producers a voice and build leadership around current farm programs, while Ag in the Classroom has been teaching agricultural literacy to Alabama students in all grade levels since 1987. The statewide Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute is set for June 10-12 in Prattville, putting Thrailkill’s internship at the center of the Federation’s education work at exactly the right time.