Farm Credit East Awards $68,000 in Higher Education Scholarships

Farm Credit East, the Northeast’s largest agricultural lender, recently awarded $68,000 in higher education scholarships to 40 student recipients. Farm Credit East’s scholarship program supports students with diverse career aspirations in agriculture, commercial fishing, forest products and related fields from across the association’s eight-state territory, including four diversity candidate recipients.

“This year’s scholarship recipients aspire to make a difference in their communities and are well on their way to becoming future industry leaders and entrepreneurs,” said CEO Mike Reynolds.

Farm Credit East Board Chair Laurie Griffen commented, “The Farm Credit East Board of Directors congratulates these deserving students and wishes them the best for a successful educational experience.”

The following students each received a $1,500 Farm Credit East scholarship. Additionally, four individuals who plan to pursue a career in production agriculture received a Farm Credit East “Futures” Scholarship. Futures recipients receive a $2,000 scholarship in addition to their $1,500 award.

FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

• Allison Gabel, of Lawtons, N.Y., will attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in animal science. Allison plans a career as a dairy herd manager.
• Royal W. Smith Jr. Scholarship Recipient: Lincoln Michaud, of East Hardwick, Vt., will attend Cornell University to major in animal science. Lincoln plans to return to his family’s farm after graduation.
• John Pellechia, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, majors in finance and entrepreneurship at Babson College. John is working toward a career as a commercial lobsterman.
• Amy Wiknik, of Middletown, Conn., will attend the University of Connecticut to major in animal science. Amy plans to own a farm producing local meats and vegetables.

NEW YORK RECIPIENTS

From the Batavia, N.Y., office territory:

• Enock Bondo, of Buffalo, N.Y., is studying agricultural sciences at Cornell University.

From the Burrville, N.Y., office territory:

• Hanna Lighthall, of Croghan, N.Y., will attend Cornell University to major in global development and international agriculture.

From the Claverack, N.Y., office territory:

• Brendan Scoralick, of Poughquag, N.Y., attends SUNY Cobleskill where he majors in ag business management.

From the Cooperstown, N.Y., office territory:

• Aiden Ainslie, of Clayville, N.Y., studies dairy nutrition at Cornell University.
• Grace Dunham, of Summit, N.Y., majors in global and public health sciences at 
  Cornell University.
• Timothy Vanlieshout, of Verona, N.Y., attends SUNY Morrisville where he majors in dairy science.

From the Cortland, N.Y., office territory:

• Dwight Eldridge, of Cortland, N.Y., will attend SUNY Cobleskill to major in agricultural equipment technology.
• Jared Walters, of Marietta, N.Y., majors in agricultural sciences at Cornell University.

From the Geneva, N.Y., office territory:

• Molly Mueller, of Clifton Springs, N.Y., majors in environment and sustainability at Cornell University.
• Teagan Werner, of Rush, N.Y., will attend SUNY Geneseo to major in biology/pre-veterinary.

From the Greenwich, N.Y., office territory:

• Hannah Koval, of Stillwater, N.Y., studies agricultural sciences at Cornell University.
• Caitlyn VanDeusen, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will major in secondary education at Delaware Valley University.
• Jacob Ziehm, of Greenwich, N.Y., will attend Michigan State University to major in agribusiness management.

From the Hornell, N.Y., office territory:

• Jade Atherton, of Greenwood, N.Y., majors in agricultural sciences at Cornell University.
• Brynn Scholl, of Rexville, N.Y., will attend SUNY Alfred State to study agriculture business management.

From the Mayville, N.Y., office territory:

• Charles Agle, of Eden, N.Y., studies plant sciences at SUNY Cobleskill.
• LynnDee Nagel, of Clymer, N.Y., majors in animal science at SUNY Cobleskill.
• Holly Niefergold, of Lawtons, N.Y., will attend SUNY Cobleskill to study agriculture business management.

From the Middletown, N.Y., office territory:

• Rebecca Coombe, of Grahamsville, N.Y., majors in agricultural and animal science at Cornell University.
• Colin Phelps, of Callicoon, N.Y., will attend SUNY Alfred State to major in heavy equipment operations.

From the Riverhead, N.Y., office territory:

• Raymond Pan, of New York, N.Y., is studying environment and sustainability at Cornell University.

For the full list of recipients, click here.

Farm Credit East is a member-owned cooperative with 25 locations in its eight-state service area. In addition to loans and leases, the organization also offers a full range of specialized financial services, such as tax preparation, payroll, record keeping, appraisal and consulting for farming, forest products and commercial fishing businesses. Farm Credit East is governed by an 18-person board of directors, comprised of 15 customer-elected, two customer appointed and one outside appointed directors. For more information, visit FarmCreditEast.com.