This marks the fifth year of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative’s scholarship program, having awarded more than $115,000 to more than 130 students. This year, FarmFirst has helped another 25 high school and collegiate students, including 17 from Wisconsin, achieve their educational goals through this program.

“We are very proud of the scholarship program that has been established at FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative,” says John Rettler, president of the cooperative’s board of directors. “As a cooperative, we strongly believe in supporting the next generation. Whether that means you are hands-on or in a supportive role in the agriculture industry, in both cases you are accomplishing work that needs to be done to make operations run more efficiently while improving the value and safety in our farms.”

“There are lots of changes taking place in the dairy industry, but one thing that won’t ever waver is our commitment to our youth. They are the future of dairy, and we want them to have the right resources for them to continue succeeding in the classroom, and eventually within their careers,” says David Cooper, general manager of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative.

Wisconsin recipients
This year’s scholarship recipients from Wisconsin are:

• Cameron Goebel, son of Daniel and Theresa Goebel from Gilman. Cameron will be a freshman in the fall, attending St. Olaf University to pursue a degree in business.

• Matthew Griebenow, son of Joel and Lisa Griebenow from Watertown. Matthew will be a freshman in the fall, attending Fox Valley Technical College-Appleton to pursue a career as a farm equipment service technician.

• Emily Hutterer, daughter of Randy and Anne Hutterer from Manitowoc. Emily will be a junior in the fall, attending University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc and pursuing a degree in dairy science.

• Jennifer Judd, daughter of Dale and Theresa Judd from Mount Horeb. Jennifer will be a senior at UW-Stevens Point in the fall, pursuing a degree in elementary education.

• Brian Lash, son of Paul Jr. and Penny Lash from Mindoro. Brian will be a sophomore in the fall, attending Iowa State University to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine.

• Morgan Lund, daughter of Chuck and Betty Lund from Mondovi. Morgan will be a senior at Carroll University in the fall, pursuing a degree in exercise science and physical therapy.

• Trevor Meyer, son of Tom and Tracy Meyer from Unity. Trevor will be a sophomore in the fall, attending Mid-State Technical College and pursuing a degree in farm operations.

• Ashley Moore, daughter of Michael and Jolene Martin from Gratiot. Ashley will be a sophomore at UW-Madison in the fall, pursuing a degree in pharmacy.

• McKayla Nigon, daughter of Marting and Kathleen Nigon from Greenwood. McKayla will be a freshman in the fall, attending UW-LaCrosse to pursue a degree in therapeutic recreation-child life.

• Rose Paul, daughter of Mark and Tracy Paul from Edgar. Rose will be a freshman in the fall, attending UW-Stevens Point to pursue a degree in prephysical therapy or physical education.

• Brittany Rennhack, daughter of Russell and Nancy Rennhack from Watertown. Brittany will be a sophomore at UW-Platteville in the fall and will pursue a degree in agricultural education.

• Deveni Rowley, daughter of Brenda and Donnie Rowley from Loyal. Deveni will be a freshman in the fall, attending UW-Madison and pursuing a degree in diversified agricultural operations.

• Kara Rudolph, daughter of Robert and Wendy Rudolph from Medford. Kara will be a freshman at UW-Oshkosh in the fall and will pursue a degree in nursing.

• Alyssa Seitz, daughter of Dean and Debbie Seitz from Seymour. Alyssa will be a freshman in the fall, attending UW-Madison to pursue a degree in dairy science.

• Kaitlin Twardokus, daughter of Dale and Kathryn Twardokus from Mayville. Kaitlin will be a freshman in the fall, attending Fox Valley Technical College to pursue a career as an agribusiness dairy technician.

• Sheila Weninger, daughter of Ken and Mary Weninger from Rubicon. Sheila will be a freshman at Fox Valley Technical College in the fall and will pursue a degree in agribusiness and science technology.

• Kenneth Wesle, son of Timothy Wesle from Stetsonville. Kenneth will be a freshman in the fall, attending UW-Milwaukee to pursue a degree in IT management.

Scholarship recipients were selected based on leadership, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, essay responses, and their future plans and career goals. All members of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative and their children who attend four-year universities, two-year technical programs or short courses, or are high school seniors planning for postsecondary education were eligible to apply for the scholarships.

FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative was established in 2013 and is based in Madison. The cooperative represents farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Source: FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative