The National Pork Producers Council has opened the application period for the 2023 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship is now open. The scholarship is sponsored by CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation and is managed and administered by the National Pork Producers Council.
Ten $2,500 scholarships are awarded to students annually who intend to pursue a career in the pork industry with hope that they may emerge as future pork industry leaders themselves.
Any undergraduate student enrolled in a two-year swine program or four-year college of agriculture can apply. Applicants are evaluated by essay submissions that describe current or future issues confronting the pork industry with proposed solutions. Winners will be announced at the National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, March 8 to 10, 2023. The application deadline is Jan. 3, 2023.
“Our industry is evolving, and the success of America’s pork farming will depend on the next generation of leaders,” said Terry Wolters, NPPC president and owner of Stoney Creek Farms in Pipestone, Minnesota. “That is why the Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship is so important because it inspires and supports students seeking careers in the pork industry.”
The scholarship program was introduced in 1990 by CME Group and NPPC, and the award was renamed in 2006 to honor the passing of NPPC Board Director Lois Britt. Britt, a lifetime supporter of agriculture, spent 34 years with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, finishing out her career with 15 years with Smithfield Hog Production doing public and government relations. She was inducted into the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Pork Council Hall of Fame, and awarded the N.C. 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2017, the National Pork Industry Foundation joined this effort as a sponsor of the Lois Britt Scholarship, increasing the number of scholarships presented from five to 10.
