County awards scholarships to 22 local agriculture students
EL CENTRO — College has become a little bit more affordable for 22 current and future students of Imperial Valley pursuing degrees in agriculture, thanks to matching scholarships from various agriculture organizations and the County of Imperial’s Agricultural Benefits Program.
Each student received up to $3,000 in matched funding from the county, to go along scholarships awarded from Imperial County Farm Bureau, Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, Imperial County 4-H and other organizations.
The monies can be used for tuition, books and other college-related expenses.
The students received a joint total of $43,750, according to Linsey Dale, Imperial County public information officer.
The money “is going to help me be successful in a lot of ways because we all know school is getting more expensive,” Sergio Montes, 21, of Imperial, said Tuesday. “Each year the prices are going up, and I also have to drive to Yuma every day and gas is expensive, so any little bit helps me a lot and I appreciate everything.”
Montes, a junior at the University of Arizona branch in Yuma, Ariz., was one of 11 scholarship recipients on hand Tuesday morning to receive checks and formal recognition from the Imperial County Board of Supervisors during their regular meeting at the County Administration Center.
Some of the students said Tuesday they intend on returning to Imperial Valley after obtaining degrees to work in the local agriculture industry.
“My dad deals with livestock, and I want to take over that aspect of the business,” said Daniela Abatti, 21, of El Centro.
Daniela’s father, Alex Abatti, Jr., is the founder of Abatti Companies, which specializes in the production of seeds and fertilizer for use by farmers, according to www.abatti.com.
“I’ve looked up to my dad from day one,” Daniela said.
Scholarship recipient Jerryca Haller, 20, of Imperial, also intends on returning to Imperial County after completing her agriculture degree at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in Stillwater, Okla.
“I do want to come back to the Valley,” she said. “I would like to become a teacher for a while and see where that goes.”
While not every scholarship recipient will return home to work in Imperial County, those who choose to do so are invaluable to the local agriculture economy, said Brea Mohamed, Imperial County Farm Bureau executive director. The Farm Bureau was one of the agricultural organizations that contributed scholarships matched by Imperial County.
“It is a great opportunity to be able to give back to our local students and encourage them to study agriculture and come back here to the Valley, hopefully, and to [support] our ag industry, which is the No. 1 industry here in Imperial County and has a huge economic impact for the community,” Mohamed said.
According to Mohamed, in 2016 agriculture production contributed $2.06 billion to the local economy.
“When you include indirect economic output as well, that number increases to $4.5 billion,” Mohamed said. “Additionally, the agricultural industry provides over 24,000 direct and indirect jobs. Compared to the rest of the state, Imperial is the No. 9 county in terms of the value of ag production. We hope that these numbers are encouraging to local students and will motivate them to pursue degrees in agriculture and then come back to help our industry and community continue to grow and strengthen.”
After earning a degree at the University of Arizona, scholarship recipient Addyson Rubin, 17, of Holtville, intends on championing water rights for local farmers.
“I want to become a lobbyist for ag policy, specifically regarding water,” she said Tuesday. “It is really important. If our water leaves, then we will wither away into nothing.”
The students who received matching scholarships this year are Daniela Abatti, Paul Abatti, Kimberly Aguirre, Derek Denton, Kyle Deol, Shelby Dill, Madison Goswick, Jerryca Haller, Natalia Hernandez, Joshua Klockman, Amanda Leckband, Sydney Mange, Mikalla McFadden, Sergio Montes, Nash Ohland, Sabrina Pavon, Julissa Reyes, Addyson Rubin, Samantha Rubin, Megan Smedley, Josh Trimm and Jordyn Wilson.
The Agricultural Benefit Program was established by the Board of Supervisors to mitigate losses to agricultural production, jobs, and the local economy resulting from renewable energy development on farmland in Imperial County, according to the county website. About 10 percent of monies in that program are contributed to matching scholarships for students living in Imperial County who are pursuing agricultural degrees.
For more information about the scholarship program, visit http:// www.co.imperial.ca.us/ ag/?page=abp