The class of 2018 Farm Credit agriculture scholars was recognized during a scholarship luncheon at Farm Credit Illinois (FCI) in Mahomet Thursday, May 31.

A total of $60,000 of scholarships were awarded to 30 high school seniors. Each scholar receives $2,000 from FCI to pursue a degree within the field of agriculture. Twenty-seven of the students attended the recognition program.

This marks the fifteen year of the Farm Credit agriculture scholarship program, which has awarded $400,000 to 329 students in central and southern Illinois since 2004. Scholarship selections are based on a combination of academic achievement, participation and leadership in school and community organizations, and the applicant’s commitment to an agricultural career.

“Farm Credit Illinois is proud to provide positive opportunities and lend support to young people with a passion for agriculture,” says Rod Stoll, vice president of marketplace engagement for FCI. “These scholars will assume careers that shape the future of agriculture and Rural America, in turn Helping Farm Families Succeed.”

Scholars not pictured above: Ryder Flener of Elizabethtown (Hardin County), Leah Hall of Carbondale (Jackson County), Callie McClay of Oakdale (Washington County), Calyssa Richie of New Berlin (Sangamon County)

Farm Credit Illinois is a farmer owned and directed agricultural lending cooperative serving 10,000 farm families, agribusinesses, and rural landowners in the southern 60 counties of Illinois with competitive and flexible financing and crop insurance expertise. The Association manages a $4.34 billion loan portfolio, sells 1.2 million acres of crop insurance coverage, and employs 210 staff based in the Mahomet central office and 14 regional office locations. The U.S. Farm Credit System supports rural communities, farm families, and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services today and tomorrow.