New scholarship inspires youth to think how agriculture impacts their community.

The Thanks for Farming Tour and Meridian Manufacturing Inc. (Meridian) announce a new joint scholarship initiative.

The Meridian Agriculture Scholarship is open to students in grades 11 and 12 in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The scholarship directly connects students with their communities to understand and recognize the importance of agriculture and the role it plays within their communities.

“We are excited to be offering the Meridian Scholarships in conjunction with the Thanks for Farming Tour events this Summer” said Jeremy Matuszewski of the Thanks for Farming Tour. “We cannot say enough about the next generation of farmers and we want to ensure they are supported in their journeys to be the next leaders in agriculture.”

“This scholarship encourages students to uniquely describe their own personal experiences and views on how agriculture is important in their communities.” Says Sid Lockhart, from Meridian “Agriculture is a community in itself, the industry is constantly working together, but many people don’t understand or see how important and involved agriculture is within communities.” Lockhart says. “We’re looking forward to hearing the views on this topic from our next generation.”

The top finalists for the scholarship in Saskatchewan and Manitoba will present at the Thanks for Farming Tour events in their perspective provinces in July.

Meridian has spent over 50 years serving the Ag Community. We’ve continually incorporated the latest in manufacturing and technological innovations to set the industry standard. “We’re excited to be a part of the Thanks for Farming Tour in giving back to these communities. These scholarships allow Meridian to say thank you, while supporting the future of ag communities.” Says Sid from Meridian.

“The Thanks for Farming Tour was started to say ‘thank you’ to the hardworking farmers that keep the
Canadian economy going, regardless of conditions. The event hosts farmers from all over Canada to thank them for all they do to feed the world. We thank them by giving back to their communities, and give them a chance to get off the farm, hear about the latest in ag education, and hear from industry speakers and entertainment. We offer complimentary beverages and lunches provided by Meridian Manufacturing Inc.” says Matuszewski.

Prospective applicants will need to submit a 1-minute video answering the question:

• How is agriculture important in your community?
• For its pilot year, two deserving students will be awarded $1,000 CAD each.

The scholarship is officially open for applications. Full details and information on the scholarship can be found here.