Monsanto Hands Out University Scholarships to Farm Kids

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2011) - More than 50 graduating high school students from farm families across Canada have secured $1,500 entrance scholarships to pursue studies in agriculture thanks to the Monsanto Opportunity Scholarship program. In total, Monsanto has awarded $76,500 in scholarship funding to 51 students as part of its 2011 commitment to agricultural education.

The Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship program received almost 200 applications from rural students across the country this year. The winners were selected by a panel of judges based on their academic performance, leadership capabilities and involvement in giving back to charitable or other service groups in their local communities. All applicants were also required to submit an application essay that answered the question, "In what area of agriculture would you like to work and why?"

Since its inception in 1991, Monsanto Canada has provided well over $1 million to hundreds of rural kids who have chosen to study agriculture and pursue careers in the agricultural sector.

"The most important thing we can grow is the next generation of farmers and agricultural professionals," said Trish Jordan, public affairs director with Monsanto Canada. "The Monsanto Opportunity Scholarship program supports young people who want to pursue studies, and hopefully careers, in agriculture. And because we focus on farm families, it helps us give back to the rural communities and rural residents that have helped make us successful."

The 2011 Opportunity Scholarship winners are all Grade 12 graduates from a farm family who are enrolled in a first-year degree or diploma program in agriculture or an agricultural-related field this fall at a recognized Canadian educational institution.

This year's scholarship judging panel included: Bob Adamson, a high school science teacher within the Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg; John Morriss, associate publisher and editorial director Farm Business Communications; and Johanne Ross, executive director, Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba.

"Reviewing the applications is a rewarding, but challenging, experience because the quality of every student who applied is so impressive," said Ross. "All the applicants have achieved a lot in their young lives and I know they will all be successful in their chosen fields. It certainly is encouraging to me that they are choosing to study agriculture and find a way to give back to the industry, whether they return to the farm or choose a different career path."

The Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship Program is one component of Monsanto's larger corporate giving program which seeks out opportunities to support groups that have a direct connection to agriculture and rural communities, specifically those with a focus on science and agriculture education; agriculture awareness; leadership and development opportunities for rural youth and farm safety.

Details on the launch of the 2012 Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship Program will be released in February 2012 and will also be available online at www.monsanto.ca.

Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is part of the larger global Monsanto family. Monsanto Company is an agricultural company and a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. Learn more about our business and our commitments at www.monsanto.ca.

NOTE: The complete list of Monsanto Canada 2011 Opportunity Scholarship winners, by province, is included below.

Monsanto Canada 2011
Opportunity Scholarship Winners
ALBERTA		SASKATCHEWAN
Carla Chomistek	Rolling Hills	Olivia Denomie	Kuroki
Patrick Fortier	Waskatenau	Kristina Disney	Rockglen
Bailey Hughson	Foremost	Tracy Fehr	Rosthern
Tessa Manners	Pincher Creek	Jason
Jennifer		Fleischhacker	Fulda
Nichiporik	Hotchkiss	Taylor Heck	Sceptre
Kale Scarff	Oyen	Traci Henderson	Gainsborough
Courtney Stroeder	Tilley	Moria Petruic	Avonlea
Blair Whitfield	Marwayne	Kathryn Sarauer	Annaheim
		Deandra Stachura	Yorkton
		Melissa Turner	Springside
		Cordell Young	Bredenbury
MANITOBA		BRITISH COLUMBIA
Breanna Anderson	Swan River	Beverly Chard	Dewdney
Kelsey Bailey	Carberry	Gabriel
Erin Cathcart	Neepawa	Lessard-Kragen	Quathiaski Cove
Erin Chorney	East Selkirk	Shannon Palmer	Port Alberni
Kendra Elliott	Cromer
Kiah Helgason-Stoyanowski	Arborg
Sean Horner	Minnedosa
Macey Ostberg	Dominion City
Davis Wright	MacGregor
ONTARIO		QUEBEC
Christopher Albrecht	Wellesley	Hélène Boulay	Marieville
Michelle Baker	Ancaster	Emmanuel Brisson	Sainte-Barbe
Jennifer Charlton	Brantford	Malcolm Duncan	Ormstown
Branden Domm	Cambridge	Simon Ouellet	St. Alexandre
Kenny McRae	Vankleek Hill	Daniel Sutherland	Huntingdon
Sylvia Megens	Goodwood
Jacob Nederend	Breslau
Erica Pate	Brantford
Jackie Shaw	Palmerston
Rudi Spruit	Woodstock
Kaitlyn Van Engelen	Thedford
Alexander Zelem	Georgetown
ATLANTIC CANADA
Harris Bakker	Killoween, NB
Courtney Blois	Kennetcook, NS
Kelsey Brydon	Waterville, NS