Midwest Dairy is proud to award scholarships to deserving high school and college students for the 2024-2025 academic year. Recipients were chosen based on their past and present leadership involvement in their school, local community, and dairy community. On the application, recipients also addressed what they see as the biggest challenge facing the dairy industry and how their future career plans address those challenges.
The educational scholarships are awarded to full-time college students whose family (parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling) owns a dairy farm or those employed on a dairy farm contributing to the Midwest Dairy checkoff. These scholarships are part of the organization’s ongoing commitment to investing in creating dairy advocates and developing the next generation of dairy leaders.
Applications and requirements for the 2025 Midwest Dairy Scholarships will be available December 1, 2024. For more detailed information about the Midwest Dairy Educational Scholarships, click here.
Congratulations to the following 2024 Scholarship Award Recipients:
Nebraska
- Kaitlyn Hanson of Mead will be attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in animal science and minoring in agricultural economics, fisheries, and wildlife.
- Allison Engelman of Diller will be attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in agriculture education.
- Shan Sherwood of Lincoln will be attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln pursuing his master’s degree in animal science.
- Makenna Held of Leigh will be attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in business management with a minor in accounting.
- Brooke Hilgenkamp, of Arlington, will be attending Kansas State University, majoring in animal science and minoring in Spanish.
- Halie Racicky, of Mason City, will be attending the University of Nebraska at Kearney, majoring in early childhood education and minoring in special education.
Iowa
- Owen Bentley of Castalia will be attending Northeast Iowa Community College, majoring in dairy science with a minor in agriculture business.
- Alia Domeyer of Delhi will be attending the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in marketing with a minor in finance.
- Louis Hamlett of Aurora will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in dairy science and agronomy.
- Olivia Hanson of La Porte City will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in agriculture and life sciences education – teaching certification with a minor in event management.
- Grace Hingtgen of Bellevue will be attending Black Hawk East Community College, majoring in agriculture education.
- Noah Richards of Fairbank will be attending Hawkeye Community College, majoring in agriculture business.
- Haley Ronnebaum of Earlville will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in dairy science.
- Troy Schmitt of Fort Atkinson will be attending the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in accounting.
- Sarah Vacura of Le Mars will be attending South Dakota State University Vacura, majoring in animal science with a minor in agricultural communications.
- Addison Wemark of Ridgeway will be attending the University of Wisconsin–Platteville, majoring in dairy science with a minor in agribusiness.
- Elizabeth Westra of Primghar will be attending Dordt University, majoring in agriculture marketing with a minor in photography.
South Dakota
- Jessemy Sharp of Aberdeen will be attending South Dakota State University, majoring in dairy manufacturing.
- Josephine Sutherland of Flandreau will be attending South Dakota State University, majoring in dairy production.
- Margaret Molitor of St. Cloud, Minnesota, will be attending South Dakota State University, majoring in dairy production.
- Sam Czech of Watertown will be attending South Dakota State University, majoring in Dairy Production.
North Dakota
- Kendra Kisner of Albany, Minnesota, will be attending North Dakota State University, majoring in Nutrition Science and a master’s degree in health, nutrition, and exercise science.
Illinois
- Benjamin Brenner of Pearl City will be attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, majoring in agribusiness markets and management.
- Allyson Aves of Belvidere will be attending Iowa State University, majoring in agriculture and rural policy studies and minoring in food science and political science.
- Wyatt Zehr, of Pontiac, will be attending South Dakota State University, majoring in dairy manufacturing and minoring in food safety.
- Cassandra Bohnert, of East Moline, will be a student at Iowa State University, majoring in dairy science and minoring in Spanish.
- Nevin Erbsen, of Lanark, is a student at Iowa State University, majoring in agricultural systems technology.
Ozarks
- Brock Gray of Mansfield will be a student at Missouri State University majoring in animal science.
- Emma Parrigon of Stotts City will be a student at Ozarks Technical College, majoring in agricultural communications and minoring in agribusiness.
- Ashton Stuber of Niangua is a student at Truman University majoring in rural education studies.
- William “Ross” Stuber of Niangua will be a student at Ozarks Technical College and majoring in animal science.