University of Tennessee announces 2018 Farm Credit Scholars

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ― For now they’re bright, talented students. In the near future, they’ll be charged with taking their passion for agriculture and helping to feed the world and care for our planet.

The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is announcing the selection of five new members of the Farm Credit Scholars Program, which is funded by Farm Credit Mid-America and provides scholars with a $3,000 annual scholarship and many educational and professional development opportunities.

These students will study customized coursework, travel to Washington, D.C., take field trips to agricultural enterprises, have mentoring opportunities and work in a Farm Credit internship. This partnership was formed in 2012, and 37 students have received the honor of participating in this program.

This year’s Scholars are Erin Bacon, a sophomore from Dandridge, Tenn., in ag leadership, education & communication and animal science; John Calvin Bryant, a junior from Lawrenceburg majoring in food science; Cora Beth Key, a sophomore from Celina in animal science; Hailey Rose Viars, a sophomore from Loudon in ag leadership, education & communications and public relations; and Madison Kilbarger, a sophomore from Jamestown, Ohio, majoring in food and agricultural business.

The students will take courses in agricultural law, farm management, agricultural finance, communications and leadership. In addition, they are required to complete a special project during their internship with written and oral reports to Farm Credit administrators, as well as UT faculty and fellow students. The recipients may renew the scholarships each year of their undergraduate studies provided they meet the requirements.

DOE announces grant in excess of $1 million for UT biofuel

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ― Researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture continue to be at the forefront of the development of commercial applications for biofuel as well as biobased energy and biobased products.

David Harper, an associate professor of materials science in the UT Center for Renewable Carbon, will lead UT’s newest effort, which is a $1.4 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The funding will be made available over the next two years through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), a joint program organized through DOE and the USDA.

The research will build on existing science to use plant materials from grasses, hardwoods and softwoods to produce commercially valuable products like chemicals, fuels and industrial materials. The goal is to get the biobased products, including fuel, more cost-effective.

A stated goal for the DOE-funded projects is to help lower the costs of the production of biobased fuel and help the Bioenergy Technologies Office to meet its goal of less than $3 per gallon gasoline equivalent for advanced biofuel. Also named in this DOE announcement is Northwestern University.

Ohio State department presents scholarships to students

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership awarded more than $53,000 in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students at its annual banquet:

•The Carl E. Pickering Memorial Scholarship, Wyatt Jones

•Stephen Brock Memorial Scholarship, Jordan Boyer

•Ruth and S.N. McIntosh Memorial Scholarship, Melanie Fuhrmann, Emma Johnson and Kaylynn Knauff

•Roger W. LeValley, D.D.S. Agricultural Education Endowment, Caleb Hickman

•Pat R. & M. Susie Whittington Undergraduate Teacher Education Scholarship, Cody McClain

•Jo and Warren Weiler Scholarship Fund in Agricultural Education, Samantha Wander

•James J. Kreglow Agricultural Education Fund, Micah Mensing

•E. Ivor Jones Endowed Scholarship Fund, Elizabeth Landis

•Clyde and Crystal Beougher Scholarship in Agricultural Education, Abigaile Motter

•Birkenholz Leadership Award, Emily Paulsen

•Alice Lucile Russel Scholarship Fund, Summer McLain

•Albert B. Davis Agricultural Scholarship Fund, Dakota Sayre

•Agricultural Education Scholarship, Kristen Eisenhauer, Katie Fath, Maggie Hovermale, Alaina Kessler, Sarah Longo, Olivia Pflaumer, Milan Pozderac, Charlee Prushing, Dakota Sayre, Paige Schaffter, Sydney Stinson and Kayla Walls

•John Hancock Klippart Memorial Fund for Agriculture, Mary Jenkins

•Earl and Wilma McMunn Agricultural Communication Scholarship, Kaylee Reed, Lea Kimley, Sydney Snider, Hannah Martin, Jan Hulse, Paige Hamrick, Skylar Buell, Kamala Sweeney, Carley Copper, Kalyn Swihart, Madeline Bauer, Cole Wallis, Haley Plahuta, Danielle Leeper, Maria Stavridis, Lesley Shanahan, Hanna Fosbrink, Claudia Clemmons, Jessica Woodworth

•Bill Zipf 4-H Memorial Scholarship, Meghann Winters

•Ohio Agribusiness Assoc. Ag Communication Scholarship, Meredith Oglesby

•Lindsay Hill Memorial Scholarship, Courtney Fulton

•Leo L. Rummell Endowed Scholarship Fund, Marlee Stollar

•George R. Gist Graduate Scholarship Fund in Extension Education, Julie Aldridge, Fally Masambuka, Kelly Wilson and Kat Zelak

•J. Robert and Catharine P. Warmbrod Graduate and Research Fund, Larry Overholt and Emily Isaacs

•Agricultural Education Program Excellence Fund, Julie Aldridge and Jacqueline Nolting

•Ralpha J. Woodin Graduate Scholarship Fund, Aaron Giorgi, Stephanie Jolliff and Melissa Bell

Indiana Farm Bureau names 2018 adult scholarship winners

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) and the Farm Bureau Foundation recently awarded 13 scholarships to college students involved in agriculture, and two adult education scholarships.

Peyton Mohler, Clinton County, received the Marion Stackhouse Memorial Scholarship for $1,000. Mohler is a Purdue University student studying farm management.

In addition, two $1,000 scholarships are offered to members of two collegiate Farm Bureau chapters. This year, Purdue students Kathleen Jacobs and Josephine Cameron received these.

Ten students, one per INFB district, received $500 Carolyn Hegel Memorial Scholarship awards. Students are listed below with the school they attend and their home county.

•Andrew Chupp, Purdue – Marshall County

•Abigail Weaver, Purdue – Elkhart County

•Peyton Mohler, Purdue – Clinton County

•Cora Hill, Black Hawk College, East Campus – Huntington County

•Ryan Solomon, Purdue – Boone County

•McKayla Mohr, Undeclared – Hancock County

•Jake McCormick, Purdue – Sullivan County

•Kylie Arnholt, Purdue – Bartholomew County

•Lisa Bloodworth, Vincennes University – Gibson County

•Morgan Ritzi, Purdue – Dearborn County

In addition, INFB awarded two Career Enrichment Scholarships. Winners must be 21 years of age or older and intend to use the funds to enrich their professional career, for a workshop, seminar, credit or non-credit class, or degree program, up to $500. Jamie Schilmiller of Floyd County and Alan Duttlinger of Tippecanoe County were awarded the scholarships.

USPOULTRY approves $300,000 in new research grants

TUCKER, Ga. — USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have approved approximately $300,000 for five new research grants at four institutions through the comprehensive research program.

The committee evaluates research proposals to determine their value to the industry and then makes recommendations to the boards for funding. Committee members are professional specialists from different segments of the poultry and egg industry who represent a variety of disciplines.

The research grants for this region’s institutions include one for the “Mitigation of Ammonia and Odor Emissions; Improving Indoor Air Quality in Poultry Housing with Black UV Light” at Iowa State University (grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Koch Foods).

Another was approved for “Early Post-Hatch Nutritional Strategies to Reduce the Incidence and Severity of Wooden Breast and Other Inflammatory-Myopathies” at The Ohio State University (grant made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Mar-Jac Poultry).

New water research partnership between Monsanto, ISU

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Monsanto Co., along with its subsidiary, The Climate Corp., announced a partnership with the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy to create an infrastructure project designed to monitor water quality and downstream nitrate loss.

The project will provide researchers with valuable information on management practices that help keep nitrogen fertilizer from entering surrounding waterways. Monsanto and The Climate Corp. invested more than $300,000 to fund the initial installation of the infrastructure, which features a system of drainage tiles and water monitoring equipment on 30 acres of ISU research plots. The installation will be owned and operated by the university.

USPOULTRY Foundation awards student recruiting grants

TUCKER, Ga. — The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded two student recruiting grants to Purdue University and Tennessee Technological University. The Purdue grant was made possible in part from an endowing Foundation gift from Midwest Poultry Services; the $6,865 will be used to recruit students into the university’s poultry program.

Indiana has a vibrant poultry industry, and many students attend Purdue to study animal science. The USPOULTRY Foundation recruiting grant will provide current and potential students with exposure to the poultry industry as a viable career option.

The Tennessee Tech grant for $7,100 will similarly be used to recruit students into the university’s poultry program. It was made possible in part from an endowing Foundation gift from the Hubbard Farms Charitable Foundation.

Tennessee Tech will use the funds to raise both high school and college student awareness of the new poultry science opportunities being offered at the university. Tennessee Tech is also planning to host a clinic to provide training and instruction to FFA poultry judging teams and recruit potential students at the Tennessee FFA Convention and more.