Nebraska Farmer is pleased to announce that Albion native Addy Donelson is our 2024 scholarship recipient.

Donelson, who is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is an agriculture and environmental sciences communication major, with minors in Engler entrepreneurship and public policy.

The Boone Central High School graduate just added public policy as a minor to her collegiate path because of a passion she has found for giving voice to farmers and ranchers who may not believe they are being heard when it comes to policy development in agriculture.

In high school, Donelson enjoyed participating in 4-H and FFA. She was vice president of her FFA chapter as a senior. In 4-H, she exhibited Simmental breeding heifers and market lambs.

“These two programs were both monumental to me, because I wouldn’t be who I am without 4-H and FFA,” Donelson says.

This summer, Donelson is working at home where her family has a small cow-calf operation, and she continues to participate in 4-H. Donelson participated in track in high school and also continues to play softball with a team out of Shelby, Neb.

Ag policy

Donelson caught the policy bug while still in high school, enjoying social studies and government classes and learning the process of policy development. She attended a conference as a voting delegate, and that offered her a taste of what policy development is all about.

Fast-forwarding to college, since February, Donelson has been a student intern for the political action committee for Nebraska Farm Bureau, and she is a member of the collegiate Farm Bureau organization on campus, learning ag policy firsthand.

Her favorite class in college so far has been ALEC 207, “Communicating Sciences with Public Audiences.”

“I really enjoyed that class because we had the freedom to write about topics that I was passionate about, and the class helped me learn more about those topics,” Donelson says.

Having taken numerous college credit classes already in high school, Donelson walked onto campus at UNL last fall with a unique set of courses on her schedule, more pointed to her major than most freshmen. She homed in on the ag communications major in high school, but once she arrived at school last August, she knew she was in the right place.

“I resonated with my classes,” she says, “because in ag communications, you are giving voice to people in agriculture who aren’t always being heard. That Sandhills rancher or farmer isn’t always able to fight for what they need and want in their operation. So, ag communications offers a great way to help farmers write their stories and write their policy.”

Donelson sees farmers being challenged with the changing landscape of operating. With the advancement and rapid development of technology and machinery, she knows that some farmers struggle to keep up, knowing they can’t operate in the same way as previous generations.

She looks with excitement to her own future. “I would like to stay in the ag communications and policy fields,” she says. “I want to connect with farmers and ranchers and tell their stories, maybe being a lobbyist for agriculture interests.”

Scholarship legacy

The Nebraska Farmer scholarship dates back to 1962. Glenn Buck, president of Nebraska Farmer Co. at that time, created the scholarship to support agricultural journalism students at UNL. According to the University of Nebraska Foundation, which administers the scholarship, Buck was the first agricultural journalism graduate from UNL, receiving his degree in 1927.

Nebraska Farmer is honored to continue that legacy and award Donelson the 2024 scholarship as she continues her education at UNL.