Iowa Soybean Association Press Release

	FUNDED BY SOYBEAN CHECKOFF DOLLARS
		FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: April 27, 2005 Contact: Pam Molitor, Communications Director 1 800-383-1423

FIVE IOWA STUDENTS RECEIVE $2,000 AG SCHOLARSHIPS
FROM THE IOWA SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION

URBANDALE, Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) is proud to announce the five recipients of this year’s ISA Student Scholarships. The winning Iowa high school seniors will each receive a $2,000 scholarship to help pay for college tuition as they pursue agriculture-related degrees.

“As a grower organization, we’re interested in investing our money in programs that improve our yields, our markets and the future of our industry,” says Ray Gaesser, director on the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board and grower from Corning, Iowa. “Helping Iowa students pursue careers in agriculture guarantees us that agriculture will always have a future in the state of Iowa. It gives us great pleasure to see young, bright minds like these express an interest in the agriculture industry. We hope the scholarships start these students on what we believe will be the path to a very promising future.”

More than 90 students from across the state applied for the ISA scholarships. Each applicant was required to list his or her community involvement, agriculture-related activities, school activities and honors, leadership positions and career goals. Applicants were required to have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and to write an essay about their role in the future of agriculture. Preference was given to applicants who had a parent or grandparent who is a member of ISA.

The following students were chosen to receive this year’s ISA Student Scholarships:

Evan Schnadt of Sumner, Iowa, is the son of Dennis and Deb Schnadt. Evan is a senior at Sumner-Fredericksburg High School and plans to pursue a dairy science major at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. His future plans include developing his own herd of registered Holstein cattle and bringing back a dairy operation to his family’s farm.

Jennifer Rae Hansen of Ames, Iowa, is the daughter of Barb Osborn and Ray Hansen. Jennifer is a senior at Boone High School and plans to pursue a food science degree at Kirkwood Community College. Her future plans include working in the food science industry where she would like to create high protein foods from corn and soybeans.

Mark Porter of Fairfield, Iowa, is the brother of Nathan Porter. Mark is a senior at Fairfield High School and plans to major in agriculture business with a minor in agronomy at Western Illinois University. After graduating from college, Mark would like to return to his family farm to help his two older brothers expand their farming operations. Mark is also interested in managing a marketing service for farmers, as well as managing a grain elevator and an ag dealership.

Nathan Alber of Independence, Iowa, is the son of Greg and Susie Alber. Nathan is a senior at Independence High School and plans to major in agriculture systems technology at Iowa State University. Following college, he hopes to return to his family farm and help expand its operations. He believes specialty crops, such as corn with higher ethanol producing traits, will be the cornerstones of his farming enterprise.

Danielle Heeren of Greene, Iowa, is the daughter of Steve and Jennifer Heeren. Danielle is a senior at North Butler High School and plans to major in agricultural communications with a minor in genetics at Wartburg College. Danielle hopes to use her degree to tell the story of agriculture and become a spokesperson for farmers. She is the first recipient of the ISA/Gary Wergin Ag Communications Scholarship. ISA created this scholarship to honor the memory of WHO-Radio farm broadcaster Gary Wergin, who passed away in 2004.

“Gary Wergin was a friend and champion to all Iowa farmers and we hope the recipients of the ISA/Gary Wergin Ag Communications Scholarship will follow in his footsteps,” says Gaesser. “His passing was a great loss and we are proud to honor his memory with this scholarship.”

ISA raises the money for the student scholarship program during the annual Soy Golf Classic. The 2005 Soy Golf Classic is scheduled for July 26. ISA would like to thank last year’s top sponsors, Cargill and Monsanto, as well as our other corporate sponsors, for their generous support. With their contributions, ISA was able to raise $10,000 for the scholarship program.

Students interested in applying for the 2005 ISA Student Scholarship program or golfers interested in the 2005 Soy Golf Classic should watch for upcoming information on ISA’s Web site at www.iasoybeans.com or contact ISA’s Mary Whitcomb at 800-383-1423.

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ISA • 4554 N.W. 114th Street • Urbandale, IA 50322-5410 • Ph. 515-251-8640 • Fax 515-251-8657