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College Scholarships Available For Regional Ag Leaders
ST. LOUIS, MO.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders program. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the program will provide over $500,000 in college scholarships across rural America next spring to support the next generation of agriculture. Last year, students from mid-America were awarded nearly $240,000 in scholarships.
Under the program, now in its second year, $1,500 scholarships are awarded to high school and college students pursuing ag-related degrees. Because farmers are the heart of the industry, applicants must obtain endorsements from at least three local farmers to be considered.
Grow Ag Leaders is designed to encourage rural youth to remain in agriculture and to help them develop the skills needed to fill thousands of jobs in a variety of fields – including farming, agronomy, education, engineering, business management and many more.
Many of the past recipients are not waiting until after they graduate to begin their ag careers. Instead, they are already actively engaged in their field of interest. Examples include a future agriculture teacher who developed an agri-science camp to educate her peers on ag literacy and a farm and ranch management major who maintains 240 acres of wheat while earning his degree.
Joe Morman of Monroeville, Indiana, was a member of FFA and 4-H, which gave him the opportunity to care for animals and ignited his passion for agriculture. He is excited to begin his career in ag business.
“Being part of an industry that carries this much responsibility brings a challenge – to do our part to increase efficiencies and logistics to deliver food across the globe,” said Morman. “Ag is an industry that demands constant innovation and needs new minds to overcome the issues that are ahead.”
With 57,900 average annual job openings in agriculture and only 35,400 college graduates expected to fill them, there is a great opportunity for students considering careers in this rapidly growing industry. Grow Ag Leaders depends on farmer participation to help identify talented young people for those positions.
Since 2014, the Grow Ag Leaders program has awarded over $600,000 in scholarships to rural students across the country. Recipients are chosen based on academic achievement, leadership skills, community service and commitment to agriculture. Scholarships are administered by the National FFA Organization, but applicants need not be FFA members to apply. November 15 through February 1, students can apply online at FFA.org/scholarships. For more information, visit GrowAgLeaders.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Grow Ag Leaders is part of the America’s Farmers initiative. Since 2010, the America’s Farmers campaign and programs have advocated on behalf of farmers and their efforts to meet society’s needs through agriculture. Learn more at AmericasFarmers.com. ∆
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