In 2013, Southern States Cooperative and John Deere Financial established a scholarship fund available to rising college sophomores pursuing an associate’s degree with a focus on agriculture. Applications for the 2015 academic year are now being accepted through February 13, 2015.
Up to five scholarships, in the amount of two thousand dollars each, are awarded annually to students who demonstrate academic excellence, strong individual character and significant personal involvement in agriculture. Following the completion of the academic year, scholarship recipients will also receive a paid summer internship at a Southern States Retail or Agronomy location.
Students receiving scholarships for the 2014 academic year were enthusiastic about the award. Lee Moore, a student at NC State said “The scholarship has been a great financial help to me while attending college. I also look forward to the internship.”
Another benefit of the scholarship is an invitation to attend the annual Southern States Management Meeting and Product Show held in September. “The Southern States meeting and Product show was eye opening to me and it showed what a great company Southern States really was,” said Virginia Tech student Holland Edwards. He added “The best part about it, I think, was meeting people from both the agronomy side along with the retail side of the business.”
For more information about the Southern States / John Deere Financial Scholarship Program including requirements and application forms, visit southernstates.com/scholarship or contact us through email at scholarship@sscoop.com.
In addition to the Southern States / John Deere scholarships, Southern States continues to fund a traditional four-year scholarship program through twelve land-grant universities in the Southern States territory. For more information, please visit the Southern States scholarship information page at southernstates.com/community/sponsorships.
Southern States is a Richmond, Virginia-based farm supply and service cooperative, founded in 1923, which now has more than 200,000 farmer-members. As one of the nation’s largest agricultural cooperatives, it provides a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilizer, seed, livestock feed, pet food, animal health supplies and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home. The cooperative serves its members and non-member customers through 1,200 retail outlets in 23 states.