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Ag Scholarships:
Securing the future, supporting youth in the pursuit of agricultural careers

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[March 23, 2012]  "There is a common misconception corporations are heavily involved in agriculture production. Agriculture, for the most part, is still family-oriented." -- John Fulton, University of Illinois Extension director serving Logan, Menard and Sangamon counties.

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Agriculture in Logan County:
Percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 86.13 percent
Average age of principal farm operators: 56 years
--City-Data.com

With the stated mission to enhance the Logan County economy by strengthening ag and business relationships and by recognizing that a community's strength lies in the future of its youth, the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce formed an agriculture committee in 1998, and the Ag Scholarship Breakfast launched two years later.

"The chamber's ag committee feels that the key to the future of agriculture in Logan County is to invest in these students." -- Michael Turner, 2010 ag committee chairman

Now in its 13th year, the ag scholarship program has provided $68,000 to 57 students. 

Chamber director Andi Hake is excited to see that in the last four years, funding increased $6,000 to $9,000 a year, with this year's goal set at $18,000.

Where does the money come from, go to? 

The funds are raised from the business community, in large part the ag business community, Hake said. "One hundred percent of that money goes to new scholarships and to fund the breakfast, and not just any breakfast, a Guzzardo's breakfast," she said. 

 In the four years Hake has been involved with the scholarship program, she has seen two interruptions in the applications. Last year there were no ag scholarship applications from Hartsburg-Emden. Hartem FFA sponsor and teacher Betsy Pech said she had no students going into ag education. Another year the scholarship committee had no graduating high school students apply; all the scholarships went to students already in college, which is OK, "as students are allowed to win this scholarship twice."

"I'm hoping this is not a trend, because it (agriculture) is an important field in our community. It is part of our economy."

A changing world requires diversity

Another observation made by Fulton not only demonstrates Logan County's strength in agriculture, but alludes to the complexities of an expanding world market: "Producers have been using extra income to invest in machinery and technology. The outlook for the upcoming season is greatly dependent on global economies, markets and supplies. We truly have become global in our economy, and this is especially true in agriculture."

Long-term economic health in any place depends on having an educated and skilled workforce. Today, in an ever-changing marketplace and a global economy, ag-related careers are more diversified, and education has become key.

The chamber of commerce is in tune with these needs as well.

Hake said the scholarship committee is "pretty liberal" about who might qualify: "We've given scholarships to someone going into becoming a diesel mechanic, because that's really important in maintaining the machinery and trucks; accounting for those who want to go into farm management or financing fields. We're liberal because agriculture encompasses so much."

According to the Agriculture Council of America, only 10 percent of Americans are involved in traditional farming, and there are approximately 22 million people who work in agriculture-related fields.

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The council has identified over 200 agricultural-related careers. Categories include agribusiness management, agricultural and natural resources communications, building construction management, agriscience, resource development and management, parks, recreation, tourism resources, packaging, horticulture, forestry, food science, and fisheries/wildlife.

What are past scholarship recipients doing?

While there is no formal tracking of the scholarship recipients, they can be found even if they move, because their parents are still here, usually at the same address. Many of the awardees are from farm families that have been here for generations. 

Hake didn't have to look far to identify one past recipient. Ally Leesman recently worked in the chamber office, and her husband, Kent, was a recipient one year. Leesman has been a fieldman for Illinois Farm Business Farm Management, as well as farming locally.

In alternating years the committee plans to have a former recipient come back and talk about how the scholarship money helped in their pursuit of an education. This year's speaker, Chad Yagow, is from the first-year scholarships that were awarded in 2000. He currently works for John Deere Global Crop Harvesting.

Hake explained the application process. Applications are reviewed by the current director and ag committee chair, as well as the scholarship committee, using a set criteria scale.  The top nine are chosen. In the last couple of years there have been 15-16 applications.

Hake said a fair amount of students come out of Mount Pulaski and other places besides Lincoln High School, including Logan County students who attend schools outside the county, such as Olympia.

What Hake has been most excited to see is an increase in sponsorships. "More partnerships with local businesses means we can give away more money in scholarships and help more students," she said. Since 2009, the scholarships were raised to a minimum amount of $1,000. 

[Jan Youngquist]

Resources:

Careers in Agriculture:

Education-Portal.com:

This is one of the articles you will find in our special Spring 2012 Farm Outlook Magazine.

The magazine is online now. Click here to view all the articles, which include:

Introduction by John Fulton
Weather: The biggest variable
2011 crop yields
Productivity: Corn-on-corn
Alternative income
Protecting your income with insurance
The value of land conservation
Property taxes on farmland
Land value in Logan County
Increasing yield with aerial application
The importance of Ag Scholarships

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