Students Awarded Pork Industry Scholarships
ATLANTA, March 2, 2017 – The National Pork Producers Council today at its annual business meeting – the National Pork Industry Forum – awarded scholarships to 10 college students who intend to pursue careers in the pork industry. The 2017 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship is sponsored by CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation and managed and administered by NPPC.
The 2017 winners of the $2,500 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarships – named after the late NPPC vice president from Mt. Olive, N.C. – are:
- Lexi Marek, Iowa State University
- Mitchell Juhl, Iowa State University
- Nora Faris, University of Missouri
- Mary Heiller, Iowa State University
- Samuel Johnson, South Dakota State University
- Adam Stevermer, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- Joshua Beam, Pennsylvania State University
- Caleb Grohmann, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Brittney Kozenko, Kansas State University
- Haley Stark, Butler Community College
The scholarship program was introduced in 1990 by CME Group and NPPC to celebrate the 25th anniversary of CME Hog futures. The scholarship was renamed in 2006 to honor the passing of NPPC Board of Director Lois Britt, a lifetime supporter of agriculture. Britt spent 34 years with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, finishing out her career for 15 years with Smithfield Hog Production in public and government relations. She was inducted into the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame, the N.C. Pork Council Hall of Fame and awarded the N.C. 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.
To be eligible for a scholarship, students must be undergraduates in a two-year swine program or a four-year college of agriculture, provide a brief letter describing their expected role in the pork industry, write an essay on an issue affecting the pork industry and submit two letters of reference from professors or industry professionals.
“These outstanding young people represent the future of the U.S. pork industry,” said NPPC President John Weber, a pork producer from Dysart, Iowa. “They are the next generation of leaders, and NPPC and CME Group are pleased to recognize their commitment to the pork industry with these scholarships.”
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NPPC is the global voice for the U.S. pork industry, protecting the livelihoods of America’s 60,000 pork producers, who abide by ethical principles in caring for their animals, in protecting the environment and public health and in providing safe, wholesome, nutritious pork products to consumers worldwide