Ag Day 2021 scholarship recipients announced

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[May 21, 2021] 

This year’s Ag Day Scholarship Breakfast had to again be cancelled again due to the pandemic. However, Jim Drew of the Logan County Farm Bureau hosted a Zoom meeting to meet the scholarship recipients on May 14.

The five scholarship recipients this year included Conner Zinser, Madeline Cook, Kate Eskew, Drew Martin and Tyler Miller.

Logan County Farm Bureau President Ron Kindred said the scholarship program is important to the Farm Bureau Board. The Farm Bureau works hard to support businesses and the businesses help support the scholarships, making them possible.

Knowing the impacts of Covid-19 on so many businesses, Kindred said the support of businesses this year is overwhelming. This support is a tribute to the businesses for understanding the importance of the role agriculture plays in the county. Kindred said agriculture needs more young people because it is an aging business.

Each scholarship recipient then had a chance to briefly share who their parents are, their background, and school they attended. Kindred also asked them to tell about activities during high school, plans for college and their major.


Conner Zinser

The $2,500 trade school scholarship winner is Conner Zinser of Hartsburg Emden High School. His ag advisor is Sarah Burton.

Zinser is the son of Craig and Tammy Zinser. He plans to enroll in the electrical program at Illinois Central College in the fall. During his time at Hartsburg Emden High School, Zinser was involved in FFA and basketball.


Madeline Cook

One $5,000 scholarship winner was Madeline Cook of Lincoln Community High School. Her ag advisor was Penny Haase.

Cook’s parents are Hope and Anthony Cook. At LCHS, Cook participated in poms and FFA. In the fall, she plans to attend the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. Cook will major in Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication. The concentration will be on Agricultural education.


Kate Eskew

Another $5,000 scholarship winner was Kate Eskew of Lake Fork. She attended Mount Pulaski High School and her ag advisor was Ralph Allen.

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Eskew’s parents are Bobby and Christine Eskew. She was involved in FFA all four years of high school and played basketball for three years. She plans to go to Midwest Technical Institute to get certified in HVAC.


Drew Martin

The third $5,000 scholarship winner was Drew Martin. He also attended Mount Pulaski High School.

Martin’s parents are Doug and Erin Martin. Martin was in FFA all four years of high school and served as FFA president this year. He also played baseball and basketball. In the fall, he plans to attend Heartland Community College and study ag business.


Tyler Miller

The final $5,000 scholarship winner was Tyler Miller of Olympia High School. His ag advisor was Bryson Hoffman.

Miller’s parents are Jay and Tara Miller. After high school, Miller plans to attend Lake Land Community College and major in Pre- Veterinary Medicine.

Earlier in the meeting, Kindred read of list of the many area businesses that support the scholarship program through different levels of giving.

The Cultivator Sponsor giving $2,500 was the Logan County Young Leaders. They give this amount annually and Kindred said they do a lot of work for the Farm Bureau.

Many other area businesses and individuals were Planter Sponsors donating $1,000, Ground Breaker Sponsors donating $500, and Friends of Ag Sponsors donating $250.

Without sponsorships, Kindred said this program would be nothing.

Kindred said the Farm Bureau is happy to sponsor the program They see the benefits of these students coming back to the communities and providing a service for agriculture.

As the meeting ended, Jim Drew also thanked Heartland Community College for judging the applications.

[Angela Reiners]

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