In all, 67 Canadian students pursuing post-secondary education in agriculture and food-related disciplines received scholarships based on their academic achievements and leadership in their schools and communities. Applicants had to be nominated by a farmer or food professional, and write a short essay outlining the role they envision themselves playing in advancing Canadian agriculture in a sustainable way. The scholarship program received 140 applications from across Canada this year.

The Alberta recipients are Caryn Baxter (Whitecourt), Heidi Burrell (Sundre), Reid Caukill (Red Deer County), Luke Loman (Picture Butte), Alysia Medema (Fort Macleod), Reegan Molenaar (Picture Butte), Carson Neitz (Stettler), Esther Nooijen (Stettler), Ashley Owen (Wrentham), Allison Pudlowski (Morinville), Carter Reed (Delia), Courtney Taylor (Warner), and Jacob Togstad (Beiseker).

Bayer also offers a $5,000 Scholarship for Future Leaders. For information on both, go to cropscience.bayer.ca and scroll down to Scholarship Information at the bottom of the home page.

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The 2018 edition of Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities received 758 farmer applications (a 68 per cent increase from 2017) and 337 charity suggestions (a 200 per cent increase from 2017). Two winners from each of the country’s 33 farming regions (selected by a random draw) were chosen to share $165,000 in funding.

The 2018 Alberta winners (with the nominating farmers in parentheses) are: Acme Swimming Pool (Kelli Becker, Acme), Airdrie & District Victims Assistance Society (Bob and Ellen Cornish, Airdrie), Alberta Central Railroad Museum (M Jean Angus, Wetaskiwin), Donalda Animal Rescue (Marijke Maltais, Stettler), Alberta Legacy Development Society (Douglas Schneider, Leduc), Friends of the Newbrook Public Library (Dalton Trenholm, Newbrook), Beaverlodge Rural Crime Watch (Cori Blum, Hythe), Saskatoon Lake Agricultural Society (David Hegland, Wembley), Stavely And District Agricultural Society (Travis Husted, Stavely), Wrentham Library Society (Alvin Waldner, Wrentham), Peace Region Dance Academy (Derrick Dechief, Falher), Warriors Youth Rec Hockey Team (Marc Brochu, Girouxville), Drumheller & District Humane Society (Lisa Rosgen, Drumheller), Trochu Valley Historical Society (Francis deBeaudrap, Trochu), Beaver County Victim Services Association (Colleen Sears, Tofield), The Heather Curling Club (Cathy Freed, Vegreville), Clandonald & District Recreation Association (Audrey Cusak, Clandonald), and Provost Lions Community Handi-van Service Society (Menzies Farms, Provost).

The money for the initiative comes from the Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer. Applications for the 2019 edition of the program will open in January (and be accepted until next September) at canadasfarmers.ca.

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The event, sponsored by Bayer, brings together 100 young people aged 18 to 25 from across the globe to develop solutions on how to feed a hungry planet in a more sustainable manner. The first summit took place in Calgary in 2013 and has since been held in Australia in 2015 and Belgium in 2017.

“The Youth Ag Summit allowed me to work together with like-minded peers on a project to tackle food insecurity in the context of gender equality,” said Cassandra Hayward, an undergraduate student in sustainable development from Dartmouth, N.S. who represented Canada at the 2017 summit.

“Together, we created AgriKUA, a non-profit organization aiming to provide post-secondary female students in Kenya with agricultural, business, and legal knowledge through an online platform. Our goal is to cultivate a group of female mentors and leaders who can drive a sustainable cycle of local empowerment within their own communities.”

“To date, 300 delegates from more than 50 different countries have taken part, and alumni have gone on to participate in such prominent global events such as the UN Committee on Food Security in Rome, the EAT Stockholm Food Forum, and the European Development Days,” Bayer said in a news release.

Four Canadians will be chosen to attend the 2019 event in Brasilia — two of which will be current members or alumni of 4-H Canada — with Bayer covering all travel, accommodation, and related costs. Details about the summit and how to apply (which includes submitting a short video about why you want to attend) can be found at the Youth Ag Summit website. Applications must be received by Jan. 10.

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