70 Students Net Over $100,000 in Scholarship Prize Money From Monsanto Canada
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Sept. 15, 2009) - 70 outstanding students from across Canada who plan to pursue studies in agriculture are $1,500 richer after Monsanto Canada announced the list of winners in its 2009 Opportunity Scholarship Program. And after 18 years of offering its scholarship program, Monsanto has now provided more than $1 million to students from farm families who have chosen to pursue academic studies in agriculture.
The 2009 Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship Program received over 160 applications from students across the country. The winners were selected by an independent 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 or forestry would you like to work and why?"
"Monsanto Canada is always looking for ways to support young people from farm families and to give back to rural communities that have helped our business be successful. It is important to our business to enhance awareness of opportunities in the agricultural sector and to find a way to support students who want to pursue agriculture as a career path," said Trish Jordan, Monsanto Canada's director of public affairs and coordinator of the scholarship program.
The 2009 Opportunity Scholarship winners are all high school graduates from a farm family who are enrolled in a first-year agriculture or forestry-related degree or diploma program at a recognized Canadian educational institution.
This year's scholarship judging panel included: Bob Adamson, director of the Agriculture Biotechnology Enrichment (ABE) program; John Morriss, associate publisher and editorial director Farm Business Communications; Ellen Pruden, education and promotions coordinator with the Manitoba Canola Growers Association; and Johanne Ross, executive director, Agriculture in the Classroom - Manitoba.
Monsanto Canada has been awarding entrance scholarships since 1991 as a means to support rural youth and encourage students to explore studies and hopefully a career in agriculture or forestry. Since the program's inception, over $1 million has been awarded to hundreds of deserving students. Details on the launch of the 2010 Monsanto Canada Opportunity Scholarship Program will be released in February 2010 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.
