This year's Fourth of July is one Leonard Polzin likely won't forget.

He spent it sitting on the steps of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., overlooking the National Mall as fireworks painted the sky behind the Washington Monument.

Polzin, the son of George and Marie Polzin of Cadott, was one of four summer interns for the National Farmers Union.

Polzin's involvement with the Farmers Union began early on. He participated in a local youth education program and attended Wisconsin Farmers Union youth camp at Kamp Kenwood on Lake Wissota. In 2007, Polzin interned at the Wisconsin Farmers Union office in Chippewa Falls.

The National Farmers Union internship program offers internship positions year-round, with internships typically lasting two months.

According to the National Farmers Union Web site, internships can be tailored to fit individual career goals, with interest areas in communications, cooperative development, economics, education, membership marketing, policy research and political science.

Polzin, who is a fourth-year student majoring in dairy science and agricultural business at UW-River Falls, saw the internship as a way to study another facet of U.S. agriculture.

"I always have known I want to be a part of the agriculture industry in some shape or form," Polzin said. "Growing up I was involved in the production end of it, but I believe personally that in order to understand any part of the industry, you need to understand the whole industry."

Adjusting to life on Capitol Hill took some time for the Wisconsin farm boy.

"Out there everything is fast-paced," Polzin said. "In the policy world things are changing all the time.

"The biggest shock came from the understanding or education curve. In a way you have an anticipation of what it's going to be like, but I never expected to learn so much so fast."

Polzin's internship tasks included attending meetings, luncheons and conferences to gather information about legislative issues. The issues he followed were climate change, health care, rural education and the dairy crisis.

"There was very seldom one day where I focused on just one issue," he said.

Another of Polzin's duties involved writing letters to constituents.

"It was really neat to see a letter I wrote printed off and sent to these people," Polzin said. "It was an example of how somebody who cares can be involved in the political system."

During his internship Polzin watched the climate change bill progress through the different levels of government.

"Seeing how much really goes into passing legislation and how many well-educated people it takes to make these things happen - and then coming back to River Falls or Cadott, Wisconsin - it really opens your eyes to how much there is to know," he said.

Polzin said the experience gave him a new appreciation for the legislative process - and a few memories along the way.

One of the highlights of his internship happened at a research dinner where he was visiting with a stranger, who he later found out was Monsanto's chief executive officer.

"Here I was talking to one of the managers of one of the largest companies in the world," Polzin said. "That was crazy."

Another fond memory was the day he donned a bee mascot costume to promote National Pollinator Week.

"People were grabbing me and hauling me into their offices for pictures," Polzin said, recalling the hot summer day with a laugh. "I think I lost 10 pounds that day."

While Polzin encourages youth to participate in any internship, he said the National Farmers Union internship program particularly helped him excel by making his tasks hands-on and applicable.

"It wasn't one of those internships where you're just stuffing envelopes," Polzin said. "You're meeting people, building your network - you're learning."

His time in Washington affected the way he views politics, Polzin said.

"Now when new legislation comes up, even if I may not be in favor of it, I know and can assure you there are well-educated people watching its progress, and there are people out there who will make sure the right things do happen."

Polzin said his summer experiences have motivated him to be involved in local government and national issues.

"It made me aware of what I didn't know and what I should know, even if that means serving on a local board or just seeing an issue on CNN one morning and taking the time to follow up on it so I can be a knowledgeable resource if someone asks me about it," he said.

As for next summer, Polzin said he'll move on to study another branch of the agricultural world, maybe credit and lending. He plans to graduate in 2011.

Danielle Begalke can be reached at 800-236-4004, ext. 3827 or danielle.begalke@ecpc.com.