Posted May 4, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

(CLIVE, Iowa) – The Iowa Pork Producers Association has awarded scholarships to 14 Iowa college students who are majoring in an agriculture field and have interest in a pork industry career.

Six high school students who will enter a two- or four-year Iowa college as a freshman this fall have been awarded $1,000 scholarships for the 2015-16 school year. They are:

• Chance Cook, Independence, Iowa State University, agronomy
• Riley Paysen, Wall Lake, Iowa Lakes Community College, agriculture production technology
• Hannah Reisinger, Osceola, Graceland University, animal science
• Nicholas Schroeder, Le Mars, Iowa State University, animal science/agronomy
• Jolee Wessling, Grand Junction, Iowa State University, agriculture business
• Trent Westhoff, Dyersville, Iowa State University, animal science/pre-vet

A half-dozen students who are already attending a college or university have been awarded $1,500 scholarships for the 2015-16 school year. The recipients are:

• Caleb Beer, DeWitt, Iowa State University, animal science
• Levi Cook, Hubbard, Iowa State University, agriculture business
• Abigail Collison, Rockwell City, Iowa State University, animal science
• Garrett Gourley, Webster City, Iowa State University, animal science
• Mary Heiller, Ames, Iowa State University, animal science
• Mitchell Juhl, Ames, Iowa State University, agriculture business

The incoming and returning undergraduate scholarships are awarded annually by IPPA through the Iowa Pork Foundation. Recipients must be Iowa residents who maintain a 2.5 grade point average and major in an ag-related field with an emphasis on swine production.

Each year, two current Iowa State University graduate students are presented $2,500 Nelda Christian Graduate Fellowships from IPPA and the Iowa Pork Foundation. One is presented to a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the other to a College of Veterinary Medicine student. The 2015 winners are:

• Emily Mauch, Ames, PhD, interdepartmental genetics
• Chris Sievers, Albert City, degree of vet medicine, master’s in preventative animal medicine

The fellowships were renamed in honor of the late Nelda Christian of Ames who served on the IPPA Restaurant and Foodservice Committee for several years and helped develop the annual IPPA Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin Contest and was a passionate supporter of the annual IPPA Taste of Elegance culinary contest.