Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation

Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation recently awarded $34,000 in scholarships to students across the state. The foundation annually recognizes Ohio students for their academic effort, community engagement and career interests that link agriculture to community service, education or scientific research.

Cindy Hollingshead Scholarship:

Recipients are Sarah Lehner of Delaware County; Meredith Oglesby of Highland County; Katie Frost of Fayette County; Todd Peterson of Fayette County; Louisa Pullins of Wood County; Sumedha Kappagantula of Butler County; Kady Davis of Carroll County; Kaitlyn Evans of Richland County and Danielle Leeper of Union County. This fund honors Cynthia Anne (Cindy) Hollingshead for her 39 years of service as Ohio Farm Bureau’s executive secretary, as well as a lifetime of volunteer commitment to local government and community service activities. Financial assistance goes to students who are pursuing careers focused on agriculture, community service and association leadership.

Darwin Bryan Scholarship:

Recipients are Kristen Eisenhauer of Richland County; Katie Frost of Fayette County; Melanie Fuhrmann of Scioto County; Sarah Lehner of Delaware County and Todd Peterson of Fayette County. This fund was established in 1985 in honor of Darwin R. Bryan whose enthusiastic leadership during his 37 years of service to Ohio Farm Bureau has been an inspiration to rural youth throughout Ohio. The fund assists students who have been active in Farm Bureau’s youth program and/or whose parents are Farm Bureau members.

Jack Fisher Scholarship:

Recipients are Cora Dorman of Licking County; Kady Davis of Carroll County; Mary Baker of Wayne County; Garrett Stanfield of Adams County; Todd Peterson of Fayette County; Meredith Oglesby of Highland County; Savannah Ireland of Jackson County; Kayla Walls of Mercer County; Abigail Durheim of Delaware County, and Sarah Lehner of Delaware County. This fund is named after John C. “Jack” Fisher, Ohio Farm Bureau’s executive vice president for 20 years. His vision for this scholarship is to enable people to acquire the necessary tools for a more fulfilling life.

Kenny Walter Scholarship Fund:

Kady Davis of Carroll County and Cora Dorman of Licking County received this award, which honors Kenny Walter, a long-time Farm Bureau staff member, leader and advocate for rural Ohio. The fund provides scholarships to students pursuing post-secondary education in agriculture who come from the 29 northeastern counties Walter served as a regional supervisor and organization director.

Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation Scholar Award:

Receiving this award are Clare Sollars of Fayette County; Todd Peterson of Fayette County; Garrett Stanfield of Adams County and Meredith Oglesby of Highland County. This award recognizes students for academic effort, community service and career interests that use agriculture to enhance the partnership between producers and consumers in rural, suburban and/or urban settings.

Women’s Leadership in Agriculture Scholarship:

Receiving the scholarship are Sarah Lehner of Delaware County; Melanie Fuhrmann of Scioto County; Katie Frost of Fayette County; Meredith Oglesby of Highland County; Holly Schmenk of Putnam County; Olivia Blay of Portage County and Courtney Heiser of Seneca County. This scholarship is for students who have chosen a career path that benefits agricultural or community development such as food production, scientific research, education/outreach or leadership development. The program was established by an endowment from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee.

For more information about Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation and its mission, visit ofbf.org/foundation.

This is a news release for use by journalists. Questions should be directed to Joe Cornely, 614-246-8230.

Labor has always been an issue, mainly because we are a seasonal operation. So that's a challenge finding somebody who only wants to work three months out of a year, sometimes up to six months.
Mandy Way's avatar
Mandy Way

Way Farms

Farm Labor Resources
I appreciate the benefit of having a strong voice in my corner. The extras that are included in membership are wonderful, but I'm a member because of the positive impact to my local and state agricultural communities.
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Ernie Welch

Van Wert County Farm Bureau

Strong communities
I see the value and need to be engaged in the community I live in, to be a part of the decision-making process and to volunteer with organizations that help make our community better.
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Matt Aultman

Darke County Farm Bureau

Leadership development
Farm Bureau involvement has taught me how to grow my professional and leadership experience outside of the workforce and how to do that in a community-centric way.
Jaclyn De Candio's avatar
Jaclyn De Candio

Clark County Farm Bureau

Young Ag Professionals program
With not growing up on a farm, I’d say I was a late bloomer to agriculture. I feel so fortunate that I found the agriculture industry. There are so many opportunities for growth.
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Jenna Gregorich

Coshocton County Farm Bureau

Growing our Generation
Knowing that horticulture is under the agriculture umbrella and having Farm Bureau supporting horticulture like it does the rest of ag is very important.
Jared Hughes's avatar
Jared Hughes

Groovy Plants Ranch

Groovy Plants Ranch
If it wasn't for Farm Bureau, I personally, along with many others, would not have had the opportunity to meet with our representatives face to face in Washington.
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Austin Heil

Hardin County Farm Bureau

Washington, D.C. Leadership Experience
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
Mary Smallsreed's avatar
Mary Smallsreed

Trumbull County Farm Bureau

Advocacy
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