GFB expands scholarship program
Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) is offering up to $65,000 in scholarships to Georgia students pursuing a degree related to agriculture, veterinary medicine, family and consumer sciences or a related field.
GFB is expanding its scholarship program after establishing the GFB Foundation for Agriculture earlier this year, James I. Casey, Polk County Farm Bureau president, recently announced.
For more than 40 years the organization has annually awarded scholarships to high school seniors entering college with plans to pursue a degree in agriculture or family and consumer sciences. In 2016 GFB will award scholarships in the following four categories.
Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enter a college that is part of the University System of Georgia or Berry College during the 2016-2017 academic year to pursue an undergraduate degree in agricultural and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agricultural field.
The GFB Foundation will award five scholarships of $3,000 each and seven scholarships of $1,500 each.
Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for high school students who plan to enroll in a Georgia accredited technical college who will be majoring in an area of agriculture or agriculturally related field of study. The GFB Foundation will award 10 scholarships of $1,000 each.
Rising College Junior/ Senior Scholarship for Agriculture – This scholarship is for college students who have at least two semesters of college work remaining to receive an undergraduate degree from a unit of The University System of Georgia or Berry College and are majoring in agriculture and environmental sciences, family and consumer sciences or a related agriculture field. The GFB Foundation will award 10 scholarships of $2,000 each.
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Scholarship - This scholarship is for students currently enrolled in the UGA Veterinary Medicine program specializing in large animal/ food animal practice. The GFB Foundation will award two scholarships of $2,500 each.
“I encourage all students who qualify for one of the Georgia Farm Bureau scholarships to apply,” said Casey. “Agriculture offers many exciting career opportunities. Both farmers and consumers depend on the many jobs agriculture creates from seed salesmen who provide farmers with dependable seed to food scientists who develop new food products.”
The deadline to apply for all of the scholarships is Feb. 5, 2016. Applications and scholarship eligibility requirements may be obtained from Polk County Farm Bureau office or downloaded at the GFB Foundation for Agriculture website at www.gfbfoundation.org.
Polk County Farm Bureau also offers scholarships to graduating seniors. Submit your applications in to the local office at 121 East Ware Street, Cedartown. Call 770-748-5641 for more information.
The scholarship recipients will be announced in spring 2016, and the scholarships will be distributed in the summer of 2016.