Wallaces Farmer

Pork Checkoff, PIC Announce Scholarships

Scholarships were awarded to 15 students around the United States, with the aim of developing the pork industry's 'human capital.'

April 17, 2012

12 Min Read

It's a big goal - enhancing the pork industry's human capital for the future - but that's just what the Pork Checkoff and PIC scholarship is designed to do. This year, 15 college students around the United States received the awards.

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"Helping to develop the next generation of pork professionals is one of the top issues the Pork Checkoff has identified as critical for the industry's future," said Everett Forkner, president of the National Pork Board and a pork producer from Richards, Mo. "Our ongoing service and obligation to producers includes ensuring that there is a sustainable source of young people ready to take on the industry's charge of producing a safe, wholesome food product in a socially responsible way."

The table below offers information on all 15 students from 11 universities, and seven swine-related fields of study. The 2012 recipients are:

Applicant

Home Town

Institution

Samson, Anna Marie

Three Forks, MT

Montana State University

Kerns, Karl

Clearfield, IA

Iowa State University

Kryzer, Andrew

Lewiston, MN

University of Minnesota

Fahn, Ryan

Portsmouth, IA

Iowa State University

Bookbinder, Steven

Weston, FL

Pennsylvania State University

Feldpausch, Julie

Hastings, MI

Michigan State University

Jordan, Kyle

Gloster, LA

Louisiana Tech University

Little, Kelsey

Winchester, IL

University of Illinois

Loppnow, Zachariah

Lake City, MN

University of Minnesota

Newman, Monica

Menasha, WI

Iowa State University

Park, Jessica

Reynoldsburg, OH

Ohio State University

Peterson, Mathias

Willmar, MN

University of Minnesota

Rohloff, Tanner

Morris, MN

North Dakota State University

Smith, Courtney

Michigantown, IN

Purdue University

Jordon, Craig

Cypress, TN

Mississippi State University


The top candidate, Anna Samson, will receive a $5,000 scholarship, and the runners-up, Karl Kerns and Andrew Kryzer, will receive $3,500 scholarships. The other 12 students selected will receive $2,000 each.


"A skilled workforce is essential for the competitiveness of this industry," Forkner said. "We need young leaders to look at pork not just as a food choice, but as a career. This is a chance for the industry to encourage these young people to join a workforce that offers many diverse opportunities. 


"On behalf of the Pork Checkoff and its partners, the National Pork Board and the pork industry, we congratulate this year's Pork Industry Scholarship recipients," Forkner said. "We look forward to welcoming them into our industry in the future."

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