The Pork Checkoff has awarded 22 scholarships to college students around the United States as part of its strategy to develop the pork industry’s future leaders. Recipients were selected based on scholastic merit, leadership activities, involvement in the pork production industry and future plans for a career in pork production.

“The 2016 scholarship winners will positively impact the swine industry in the future,” said the National Pork Board President Derek Sleezer, a pork producer from Cherokee, Iowa. “We have an ongoing obligation to producers to help develop the next generation of pork producers. The goal is to ensure a sustainable source of leaders who will be ready to produce safe, wholesome food in a socially responsible way.”

The 2016 Pork Industry Scholarship recipients are:
Taylor Homann, Pipestone, Minnesota – University of Minnesota
Kyle Anderson, Abilene, Kansas – Kansas State University
Ashton Yoder, Welda, Kansas – Kansas State University
Kristin Hansen, Elk Horn, Iowa – Iowa State University
Marissa Lorenz, New Paris, Indiana – Purdue University
Rachel Stika, Ames, Iowa – Iowa State University
Tyler Dick, Mountain Lake, Minnesota – University of Minnesota
Julia Holen, St. Paul, Minnesota – University of Minnesota
Riley Wattonville, Huxley, Iowa – Iowa State University
Katlyn Kahler, Cambridge, Iowa – Iowa State University
Tana Luna, Troy, Texas – Texas A&M University
Scott Schroeder, LeMars, Iowa – South Dakota State University
Kayla Hoenert, Wadesville, Indiana – Purdue University
Sarah Battista, Suffield, Ohio – West Virginia University
Morgan Weinrich, Yuma, Colorado – Colorado State University
Caleb Plett, Duncan, Oklahoma – Cameron University
Carly Lukas, Galesburg, Illinois – Western Illinois University
Madison Furr, New Braunfels, Texas – Texas A&M University
Sarah Morton, Nehawka, Nebraska – University of Nebraska Lincoln
Keegan Vander Molen, Pella, Iowa – Oklahoma State University
Camille Ogdon, Normandy Park, Washington – Washington State University
Madalyn Tessa Cowser, Elmwood, Illinois – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

“The next generation of industry leaders will face new challenges, so we definitely need a skilled workforce and strong leadership,” Sleezer said. “We are excited that this group of young people look at pork not just as a food choice, but also as a career path. On behalf of the Pork Checkoff, the National Pork Board and the pork industry, I congratulate this year’s Pork Industry Scholarship recipients and look forward to welcoming them into our industry in the future.”