Local students awarded $63,000 in Ag Benefit college funds this year

EL CENTRO — Imperial County Agricultural Benefit program has awarded $63,000 in scholarships to 31 students from Imperial County, according to county Agricultural Commissioner Carlos Ortiz.

The Agricultural Benefit Program was established by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to mitigate losses to agricultural production, jobs, and the local economy resulting from renewable energy development on farmland in Imperial County.

Included in this year’s budget for Ag Benefit funds was a match of up to $3,000 in scholarship money for Imperial County enrolled in college and pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field.

A total of $75,000 was allocated to the program this year. The grants awarded ranged from $700 to $3,000, Ortiz said.

Ortiz said the program began in 2015 in a way to entice these future college graduates to return to live and work in the Imperial Valley upon graduation.

“The students get a degree in ag or an ag-related degree and they come back to work here,” Ortiz said.

The colleges the students are attending varies, with most students staying in California, but a few chose the University of Iowa and the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Ortiz said two employees of county Department of Agriculture are examples of Imperial Valley natives who attended college elsewhere before returning to work for the county.

He said there are a lot of opportunities in the Valley for those with an education in agriculture, including the Imperial Irrigation District, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as working for the county.

“I personally feel there is a need for these scholarships,” Ortiz said.

Those students who do not graduate in the spring can apply for the grant in future years. The matching grants are capped at $3,000 per student per academic year, regardless of how much scholarship money the student actually receives from other sources.

While the Imperial County Board of Supervisors has made some revisions to the program, it always was going to be a matching grant, Ortiz said.

He said students have heard about the program from agriculture teachers and school counselors and other organizations.

Scholarship certificates were presented to the students or family members at the July 9 Board of Supervisors meeting.