March 05, 2010
ANAHEIM, CA, March, 5, 2010 – BASF, the American Soybean Association (ASA) and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced the winners of scholarships during the 2010 Commodity Classic, March 4-6 in Anaheim, California. The scholarships support future agricultural leaders who are pursuing industry-related studies at colleges across the country.
“BASF is committed to investing in the next generation of agricultural business leaders and is doing so through support in education; an important way we add value to the industry,” said Nevin McDougall, Group Vice President, North America Crop Protection Division at BASF. “These scholarships give future leaders the opportunity to further study advances in crop production and related fields to help maintain the success and vitality of the industry.”
ASA Scholarship
Ben Bellar, a high school senior from Howard, Kansas, was named the 2010-2011 ASA Scholarship recipient. An active member of the ASA and FFA, Bellar has been raising soybeans since he was a child and plans to study agriculture technology management at Kansas State University next year.
“At a young age I started raising soybeans, entering yield contests, and tagging along with my parents going to farm shows and meetings to better educate myself,” said Bellar. “This scholarship gives me an opportunity to continue educating myself and play a role in agriculture’s sustainability.”
As part of Bellar’s scholarship package, which includes a one-time $5,000 education award, Bellar will also attend Commodity Classic in March and receive special recognition during the ASA Awards Banquet. The scholarship is offered and managed by the ASA and is made possible through a grant by BASF.
NCGA Scholarships
In partnership with BASF, the NCGA Academic Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship Program awarded five $1,000 scholarships to undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field during the 2010 Commodity Classic.
“BASF is proud to work side-by-side with the NCGA, an esteemed industry player, to help prepare tomorrow’s agricultural leaders with the education they need today,” said McDougall.
Recipients of the NCGA scholarship include:
- Charlene Barlieb of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania – Charlene graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2009 and will be returning to Penn State this fall to pursue her graduate degree in animal sciences.
- Carly Cummings of Pleasantville, Iowa – Carly is a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in agricultural business.
- Gina Meyer of New Ulm, Minnesota – Gina is a junior at the University of Minnesota pursuing a major in animal science.
- John Schultz of Dyersburg, Tennessee – John is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville studying food and agricultural business.
- Lisa Tronchetti of Paton, Iowa – Lisa is a sophomore at Iowa State University majoring in agricultural business and international agriculture.
"It's been a goal of the NCGA to provide more educational opportunities for students who are pursuing a career in agriculture," said Tim Dolan, chair of NCGA's Grower Services Action Team. "We thank BASF for partnering with us on these scholarships, and want to recognize those who've worked hard and encourage them to continue on a successful path in our industry. These are the individuals who will be contributing new ideas and surging the agricultural industry in the right direction."
For more information about the BASF portfolio of crop protection products, visit www.agproducts.basf.com.
About the Crop Protection division
With sales of € 3.4 billion in 2008, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the Web at http://agproducts.basf.us.
BASF - The Chemical Company.
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
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