BASF, in partnership with the National Corn Growers Association, awarded five passionate and motivated agriculture students with the William C. Berg Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship. The scholarships, which recognize outstanding undergraduate or graduate students pursuing degrees in agriculture, were presented to recipients during a ceremony at the 2017 Commodity Classic tradeshow in San Antonio.
“These students have shown a commitment to the future of our industry through their enthusiasm for learning and desire for sustainable agriculture,” said Neil Bentley, Director of Marketing, U.S. Crop, BASF. “The growth of agriculture starts with promising students like these, and we look forward to seeing their impact.”
“Our industry needs a well-educated and dedicated group of future leaders to help create demand and feed our growing world,” said NCGA President Wesley Spurlock, a corn grower from Stratford, Texas. “These five scholarship winners will help this happen.”
Scholarships of $1,000 were awarded to each of the following students:
- Izak Christensen of Ames, Iowa – a concurrent undergraduate and graduate student at Iowa State University studying agricultural business and agronomy, and pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.
- Jose Rodrigo Mendoza Jimenez of Guatemala City, Guatemala – a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying food science and technology.
- Kelsey Barnes of College Station, Texas – a graduate student at Texas A&M University studying international agriculture.
- Michael Tupper of Ionia, Iowa – a junior at Iowa State University studying agricultural engineering.
- Rachel Stevens of Falls City, Nebraska – a graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studying mechanized systems management.
NCGA and BASF are committed to fostering the next crop of talented agriculture students, thereby providing generations of critical growth in our industry.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.