View of brown folders, with focus on grants label, Concept of funding, 3D illustration
April 4, 2022 – Farm Credit Illinois named 30 high school seniors as agriculture scholarship recipients and awarded 50 community improvement grants to FFA chapters and 4-H clubs in central and southern Illinois. A total of $60,000 in scholarships was awarded to high school seniors pursuing agriculture-related majors and careers. Each of the 30 recipients received a $2,000 agriculture scholarship.
The following students were selected to receive a 2022 Farm Credit agriculture scholarship:
- Wesley Bland of Eldred (Greene County) will graduate from Carrollton High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study agribusiness economics. Wesley’s parents are Steve and Julie Bland.
- Luke Boesdorfer of Auburn (Sangamon County) will graduate from Auburn High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study agri-business management. Luke’s parents are Ben and Tammy Boesdorfer.
- Josephine Brunner of Springfield (Sangamon County) will graduate from Lutheran High School and attend Olivet Nazarene University to study zoology with a minor in business and biology. Josephine’s parents are Tom and Amy Brunner.
- Caitlin Corzine of Watseka (Iroquois County) will graduate from Watseka Community High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study animal sciences with a pre-veterinary and medical concentration. Caitlin’s parents are Paul and Lesa Corzine.
- Anna Crites of Rantoul (Champaign County) will graduate from Rantoul Township High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural and consumer economics with a concentration in finance. Anna’s parents are James and Nicole Crites.
- Celeste Cummings of Danforth (Iroquois County) will graduate from Iroquois West High School and attend Purdue University to study animal sciences. Celeste’s parents are Will and Jill Cummings.
- Quentin Day of Lovington (Moultrie County) will graduate from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural and consumer economics with a concentration in farm management. Quentin’s parents are JW and Jennifer Day.
- Murphy Foster of Ridgway (Gallatin County) will graduate from Gallatin County High School and attend Southwestern Illinois College to study business. Murphy’s parents are Tom and Sheila Foster.
- Quinn Gajewski of Scheller (Jefferson County) will graduate from Waltonville Community High School and attend Rend Lake College to study engineering science. Quinn’s parents are Eric and Amanda Gajewski.
- Jace Green of Arthur (Douglas County) will graduate from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School and attend Western Illinois University to study agriculture business. Jace’s parents are Justin and Monica Green.
- Tiffany Hediger of Alhambra (Madison County) will graduate from Highland High School and attend the University of Central Missouri to study animal science. Tiffany’s parents are Scott and Cindy Hediger.
- Carissa Jefferson of Ellery (Wayne County) will graduate from Edwards County High School and attend the College of the Ozarks to study agronomy. Carissa’s parents are Blake and Ora Lee Jefferson.
- Maddie Karcher of Dahlgren (Hamilton County) will graduate from Hamilton County Senior High School and attend Rend Lake College to study agriculture business management and finance. Maddie’s parents are Mark and Irma Karcher.
- Adam Keeney of Casey (Clark County) will graduate from Casey-Westfield Junior/Senior High School and attend McKendree University to study computational science with a focus on physics. Adam’s parents are Stanley and Deanna Keeney.
- Katrina Korsmeyer of Highland (Madison County) will graduate from Highland High School and attend Illinois State University to study agricultural education. Katrina’s parents are Kenneth and Janice Korsmeyer.
- Colby Luth of Hume (Edgar County) will graduate from Shiloh High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study crop sciences. Colby’s parents are Brad and Stacy Luth.
- Grace Middendorf of Marissa (St. Clair County) will graduate from Marissa High School and attend Wabash Valley College to study agricultural education. Grace’s parents are Travis and Melody Middendorf.
- Ben Miller of Ullin (Alexander County) will graduate from Century High School and attend Shawnee Community College to earn certificates in welding and truck driving. Ben’s parents are Brent and Holly Miller.
- Barbara Pavon of Beardstown (Cass County) will graduate from Beardstown High School and attend the University of Missouri to study animal sciences. Barbara’s parent is Elizabeth Prieto.
- Sara Poletti of Jerseyville (Jersey County) will graduate from Jersey Community High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural and consumer economics with a concentration in marketing and management. Sara’s parents are Ben and Melissa Poletti.
- Bree Portz of Marissa (Washington County) will graduate from Marissa Junior/Senior High School and attend the University of Missouri to study agricultural communications. Bree’s parents are Brent and Kim Portz.
- Cole Rappe of Macon (Macon County) will graduate from Meridian High School and attend Illinois State University to study agronomy management. Cole’s parents are Chad and Sheila Rappe.
- Elizabeth Schafer of Owaneco (Christian County) will graduate from Taylorville High School and attend Butler Community College to study agricultural communications. Elizabeth’s parents are Aaron and Sue Schafer.
- Anna Sellars of Winchester (Scott County) will graduate from Winchester High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study animal sciences. Anna’s parents are Andrew and Jennifer Sellars.
- Dane Steber of Claremont (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Wabash Valley College to study agriculture business. Dane’s parents are Mark and Becky Steber.
- Olivia Steber of Olney (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Olney Central College to study civil engineering. Olivia’s parents are Tony and Stacey Steber.
- Skylar Stewart of Nokomis (Montgomery County) will graduate from Nokomis Junior/Senior High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study agri-business management. Skylar’s parents are Todd and Erika Stewart.
- Jackson Welsh of Gays (Shelby County) will graduate from Windsor Junior/Senior High School and attend Lake Land Community College to study welding. Jackson’s parents are Doug and Jennie Welsh.
- Audrey Wilhour of Altamont (Fayette County) will graduate from Saint Elmo High School and attend Lake Land College to study agriculture business and supply. Audrey’s parents are Chad and Monica Wilhour.
- Irene Yoh of Makanda (Jackson County) will graduate from Carbondale Community High School and study agribusiness in college. Irene’s parent is Taeho Yoh.
4-H clubs and FFA chapters throughout central and southern Illinois will implement valuable improvement projects in their communities with help from grants provided by Farm Credit Illinois. FCI awarded $500 grants to 50 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to deliver projects that will make their local communities better places to live.
The 4-H club and FFA chapter grant recipients (listed by county) will complete the following projects:
- Liberty 4-H Club (Bond County): Improve curb appeal of Pleasant Mound Community Center in Smithboro
- Pocahontas Dreamcatchers 4-H Club (Bond County): Grow community garden for Pocahontas residents
- Fantastic 4-Hers of Fisher (Champaign County): Build picnic table for Heritage neighborhood pond in Fisher
- Philo 4-H Friends (Champaign County): Make improvements to multi-purpose room in Philo Township Hall
- Royal Ag 4-H Club (Champaign County): Install water bottle filling station at Royal Community Building
- Sadorus All Stars 4-H Club (Champaign County): Improve livestock gates at Champaign County Fair
- Casey Achievers 4-H Club (Clark County): Build a reading nook outside of Casey Township Library
- Triple T 4-H Club (Clark County): Install an accessible entrance at Martinsville Ag Fair office
- St. Rose Clover Crew 4-H Club (Clinton County): Build gaga ball court at St. Rose Park
- Coles County 4-H Club (Coles County): Create a community garden program at Douglas-Hart Nature Center in Mattoon
- Farmer City Cloverbuds 4-H Club (DeWitt County): Plant sunflower garden in Farmer City square
- Blue Ribbon 4-H Club (Edwards County): Beautify Edwards County Fairgrounds
- Bone Gap Cardinals 4-H Club (Edwards County): Create a community garden in West Salem
- Carrollton FFA Chapter (Greene County): Color up Carrollton – plant flowers around town square
- Greenfield FFA Chapter (Greene County): Revitalize the Greenfield square flowerpots
- Barbwire Gang 4-H Club (Hamilton County): Repair and stain benches on courthouse lawn in McLeansboro
- Funny Farmers 4-H Club (Hamilton County): Make repairs and paint at Kids Kingdom in McLeansboro
- Hamilton County 4-H Federation (Hamilton County): Build flower boxes and refresh paint at the Elks Lodge in McLeansboro
- Pioneer Country Kids 4-H Club (Hamilton County): Paint and fill 30 flower pots around the McLeansboro square
- Piopolis Busy Bees 4-H Club (Hamilton County): Plant fruit bearing plants and butterfly habitat at GIFT Garden in McLeansboro
- TRICO FFA Chapter (Jackson County): Create a farm-to-plate garden for TRICO High School
- Waltonville FFA Chapter (Jefferson County): Install landscaping at Waltonville High School
- Trailblazers 4-H Horse & Pony Club (Lawrence County): Install a horse wash rack at Lawrence County Fairgrounds
- Cloverdale 4-H Club (Logan County): Install landscaping at Hope Grows Neighborhood Center in Lincoln
- Scream 4-H Club (Macon County): Plant pollinator garden at Macon County Extension office
- Clover Cadets 4-H Club (Macoupin County): Provide hygiene kits at North Mac schools
- Macoupin County Hunger Ambassadors 4-H Club (Macoupin County): Provide extended break meal packages for Macoupin County neighbors
- Northwestern Green Machines 4-H Club (Macoupin County): Beautify basketball court area at Scottville Park
- Alhambra Garden 4-H Club (Madison County): Refurbish community garden at Alhambra Primary School
- Willoughby Wanderers 4-H Club (Madison County): Create ADA-accessible community garden at Collinsville Faith in Action
- Joppa FFA Chapter (Massac County): Update courtyard at Joppa High School
- Athens FFA Chapter (Menard County): Build wood duck houses for Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area
- Backyard Bandits 4-H Club (Monroe County): Install a community blessing box at Monroe County Annex in Waterloo
- Country Roots 4-H Club (Montgomery County): Host a food stand for 4-H and livestock shows at Montgomery County Fair
- Berea Ag 4-H Club (Morgan County): Update landscaping at Berea Christian Church
- Buckeyes 4-H Club (Perry County): Repair bleachers at Perry County Fairgrounds
- Cisco Clovers 4-H Club (Piatt County): Refresh paint at Dewitt-Macon-Piatt Fairgrounds
- Pope-Hardin County 4-H Federation (Pope County): Build community blessing boxes at Dixon Springs Agricultural Center
- West Side 4-H Club (Sangamon County): Add activities at the HAYLOFT at Sangamon County Fairgrounds
- Neighborhood Guys and Gals 4-H Club (Scott County): Spruce up the shelter at Scott County Nursing Center
- Shelby County Cloverbuds 4-H Club (Shelby County): Plant community garden at HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville
- Shelby Sparklers 4-H Club (Shelby County): Beautify veterans memorial in Sigel Park
- Windsor FFA Chapter (Shelby County): Make improvements at Windsor Community Park
- Allendale Twisters 4-H Club (Wabash County): Gravel the food pantry parking lot in St. Francisville
- Wabash County 4-H Livestock Judging Team (Wabash County): Landscape around barns at Wabash County Fairgrounds
- Okawville FFA Chapter (Washington County): Update landscaping in downtown Okawville
- Grayville Go-Getters 4-H Club (White County): Establish community blessing boxes in Grayville
- Mad Hatters 4-H Club (White County): Build “Little Free Food Pantry” in Carmi
- Norris City-Omaha-Enfield FFA Chapter (White County): Establish a quail habitat outside Carmi
- White County 4-H Federation (White County): Expand White County 4-H GIFT Garden
