Farm Bureau to offer ag scholarships

ALBANY – The Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is offering $58,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree in agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences, or a related field, Dougherty County Farm Bureau President Laney Wooten announced.

Since 1959, the Farm Bureau has awarded scholarships to students planning to pursue careers in agriculture or family and consumer sciences. In 2016, the GFB Foundation expanded the scholarship program to offer scholarships to rising college juniors and seniors, technical college students and veterinary college students. In 2018 the GFB Foundation for Agriculture will award scholarships in the following four categories:

Agriculture – This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enter a college that is part of the University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an ag program during the 2018-19 academic year to pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, or a related agricultural field. Five scholarships of $3,000 each and seven scholarships of $1,500 each will be awarded.

Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enroll in a Georgia accredited technical college who will major in an area of agriculture or an agricultural-related field of study. The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $1,000 each.

Rising College Junior/Senior Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for college students who have at least two semesters of college work remaining to receive an undergraduate degree from a unit of the University System of Georgia, Berry College, Emmanuel College or any accredited college/university in Georgia with an ag program. Applicants must be majoring in agriculture and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences, or a related agriculture field. The Foundation will award 10 scholarships of $2,000 each.

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship — This scholarship is for students currently enrolled in the UGA Veterinary Medicine program specializing in large animal/food animal practice. GFB will award three scholarships of $2,500 each.

“I encourage any student who qualifies for one of the Georgia Farm Bureau scholarships to apply,” Wooten said. “Agriculture offers many exciting career opportunities. Both farmers and consumers depend on the many jobs agriculture creates, from cooperative extension agents to food quality control managers who inspect our food to make sure it’s safe.”

The deadline to apply for all of the scholarships is March 2. Visit http://bit.ly/18GFBAgFoundationscholarapps online for a list of eligible majors/schools, application instructions and to apply. All applications must be submitted online by March 2. Transcripts and letters of recommendation may be submitted online with the application or mailed. Supporting materials that are mailed must be postmarked by March 2.

Scholarship recipients will be announced in spring 2018. Scholarship checks will be sent to the qualifying college/university the recipient is attending and placed in their school account upon verification the student has met all qualifications for the scholarship. The GFB Foundation Scholarships for Agriculture awarded to graduating high school seniors will be distributed upon receipt of first semester transcript indicating the recipient is pursuing an ag-related course of study and has at least a 3.0 GPA.

Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, district and state activities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors.