Minnesota Select Sires Announces "Future Leaders" Scholarship Winners
Today's youth are the agricultural leaders of tomorrow. Minnesota Select Sires is continuing its tradition of supporting the future of the local dairy industry by awarding scholarships to students pursuing agricultural careers. Two deserving students were selected as winners of the $500 scholarships. "We are humbled by the strength of the youth originating in Minnesota and North Dakota thanks to the families that are part of this cooperative," stated Joel Ebnet, Minnesota Select Sires Board. "We are proud to be able to recognize students from the area with strong dairy career interests who are already distinguishing themselves as leaders in our industry."
Minnesota Select Sires General Manager, Chris Sigurdson comments, "This scholarship program is one part of our effort to be a foundational supporter of the local dairy industry. The program has allowed us to get a great sense of the impact our leaders of tomorrow are already having on our industry. Being responsive to our members' needs is one of the fundamental goals of our cooperative, and helping their children achieve their educational pursuits has been well received."
This year's winners are: Andrew Krause, son of Charles and Robyn Krause, Buffalo, MN; Susan Hintz, daughter of Bob and Debbie Hintz, Flasher, ND.
Andrew Krause has known for many years that upon graduation from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with his degree in Animal Science Dairy Production, he wants to return to work on his family dairy farm. His family's dairy is moving their herd into a new 250 cow freestall barn which will allow room for him to enter the operation and provide opportunity for future expansion. He is currently involved in organizations including the Gopher Dairy Club, 4H, the Junior Holstein Association, FFA and more. He believes it is important to be passionate and open minded about the dairy industry and that his experiences in youth development programs have put him on track to successfully represent the industry in the future.
Agriculture has been a large part of Susan Hintz's life. Growing up on her family's 125 cow dairy farm she enjoys any outdoor activities including feeding calves, baling, chopping and driving silage truck. She also held the title of North Dakota State Dairy Princess and is active as a Junior Coach Volunteer for the North Dakota Leadership Seminar. She is no stranger to the ups and downs of agricultural life which has sparked her interest in completing a degree in Addiction Counseling from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. She hopes to one day raise her own family on a farm and serve the agricultural community as a counselor.
Qualifying candidates must be a family member of a Minnesota Select Sires cooperative member in good standing, and must be completing at least the first semester of the second year in a two or four year program. Applicants need to submit an application, grade transcripts, and a written essay. In a blinded approach to judging, the selection committee evaluates 1) dairy industry pursuits, 2) academic achievement, 3) active involvement in activities aligned with support of the dairy industry.
If you or someone you know is interested in this year's scholarship, applications are due October 31, 2015. For more information, contact Minnesota Select Sires at 800-795-1233 or mnselect@mnss.coop.
Based in St. Cloud, MN; Minnesota Select Sires Inc., is part of North America's largest A.I. organization which is comprised of 10 farmer-owned and controlled cooperatives. As the industry leader, it provides highly fertile semen as well as excellence in service and programs to achieve its basic objective of supplying dairy and beef producers in Minnesota and North Dakota with North America's best genetics tailored for individual production systems at a reasonable price.3.2.2015