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 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. [to top of second column] |
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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