CAB scholarships reward industry leadership
College juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply for one of five scholarships sponsored by Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) and the Colvin Scholarship Fund.

CAB will award a total of $9,000 to students committed to the beef industry and pursuing a degree in meat, food or animal science or marketing, business, communications or other related degrees.
The application deadline is Dec. 15.

The top two scholarship recipients receive an all-expense paid trip to the Certified Angus Beef  (CAB) Annual Conference, September 17-19, 2009 in Scottsdale, Ariz. There they can interact with leaders throughout the production, packing, retail and foodservice industries. The student receiving the $3,500 scholarship may also have a chance to intern with the company, although it is not a requirement of the award.

Developed in 1999, the scholarship honors CAB’s first Executive Director Louis M. “Mick” Colvin, who retired that year.
Qualified applicants should visit http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/corp/press/colvin/ or contact June Studer, jstuder@certifiedangusbeef.com for more information.

Illinois 4-H livestock judging team wins
URBANA, Ill. — The Illinois State 4-H Livestock Judging Team finished first overall among 10 teams competing in the Ak-Sar-Ben contest held in Omaha, Neb. More than 40 contestants competed in the event held Sept. 27.

Jill Johnson, a member of the Illinois team from Cambridge, was the high individual in the contest and also won the reasons category. Other Illinois team members placing in the top 10 were Colby Taber of Cameron who was fourth and Ryan Gietz of New Windsor, fifth.

Andy Frerichs of Clifton placed eighth in overall reasons and Chance Meeter of Blue Mound was sixth in the same category. Sara Dean of Monmouth was the second high individual in both swine and sheep judging.

The Illinois team was first in oral reasons and in the overall categories.

The team is coached by Taylor Braungardt and Brandon Yantis, both graduate students in the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences.

Farm Credit Services launches 2009 scholarship program
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Farm Credit Services of Mid-America recently reaffirmed its commitment to educational success by making $45,000 in scholarships available to children of members who are studying agriculture or business at four-year universities.

Thirty six scholarships with values of $1,500 and $1,000 will be awarded for the 2009 school year based on academic record, leadership qualities, and community involvement.

The scholarships will be awarded to students choosing to pursue careers in agriculture, financing or ag business and are part of the cooperative’s stewardship program which involves returning greater value to rural America by increasing the association’s investment in education and youth activities.

Available to members, their dependents and spouses of the ag lending cooperative, the deadline to apply is Feb. 27, 2009. Scholarships will be awarded in May.  To apply, go online to www.e
-farmcredit.com and click on “Community Support” to download the application. You may also call 1-800-444-FARM to talk your local office about obtaining an application.

Ft. Recovery FFA members attend the national convention
FT. RECOVERY, Ohio – Twenty-two members of the Ft. Recovery FFA Chapter attended the 81st National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. the week of Oct. 20-25, 2008.

Over 55,000 FFA members represented all 50 states, and more than 7,200 FFA chapters were in attendance. The National FFA Convention is held annually to highlight and award member success through the FFA and agricultural education. Eleven members of the Ft. Recovery FFA Chapter received the American FFA Degree including: Kyle Brockman, David Fortkamp, Nick Grey, Jennifer Guggenbiller, Melanie Lennartz, Kyle Nietfeld, Kyle Rauh, Bruce Schoen, Craig Sutter, Matt Tobe, and Scott Will.

The American FFA Degree is the highest degree a member can receive. To earn the degree, they needed to work more than 2,250 hours and earn or productively invest $7,500 or more in a Supervised Agricultural Experience Program. These 11 members make up a total of 56 members that have ever received the prestigious American FFA Degree in the history of the Ft. Recovery FFA Chapter.

The Ft. Recovery Ag Mechanics Team placed 2nd in the nation, while representing the state of Ohio in the National Ag Mechanics CDE. Team members included Chris Gehret, Jeremy Siegrist, Ben Tobe and Brandon Wilker. The Ag Mechanics Team performed skills in welding, electricity, hydraulics, maintenance and service, and much more. Individual placings were as follows:  Gehret-15th, Siegrist-3rd, Tobe-21st, and Wilker-100th.

The weeklong trip was packed with convention sessions, educational tours, and good fun.  Tours included the Kentucky Speedway, Toyota Manufacturing, Louisville Slugger, Kentucky; Schimpfs Confectionary,  and the Forest Discovery Center.