The Pork Checkoff, Pioneer Hi-Bred and PIC are awarding 19 scholarships to college students across the country as part of their strategy to foster human capital for the future.

“The development of human capital is one of the issues the Pork Checkoff identified as critical for the industry to address,” explains Steve Weaver, National Pork Board president. “Our service to producers includes ensuring there is a sustainable source of capable people ready to take on the industry’s charge of producing a safe, wholesome food product in a socially responsible way,” adds the California pork producer.

The 19 recipients come from 14 different colleges and seven different fields of study. The 2008 Pork Industry Scholarship winners include:

Recipient	College or University	Area of Study
Hyatt Frobose	Kansas State University	Nutrition/Behavior
Carrie Highfill	Oklahoma State University	Meat Science
Douglas Albright	Kansas State University	Nutrition
Emily Arkfeld	University of Nebraska	Meat Science
Kyle Baade	South Dakota State	Veterinary Medicine
Scott Baker	University of Illinois	Nutrition
Angela Black	Ohio State University	Ag Economics
Jonathon Ertl	University of Minnesota	Veterinary Medicine
Ashley Hop	Redlands Community College (OK)	Nutrition
Arthur Leal	University of Arkansas	Nutrition
Elizabeth Legan	Purdue University	Ag Economics
Neal Martin	University of Missouri	Veterinary Medicine
Jeremiah Nemechek	North Carolina State University	Nutrition
Stephanie Raney	University of Missouri	Behavior
Kate Richter	South Dakota State	Nutrition
Hannah Rothe	University of Illinois	Nutrition/Environment
Mitchell Schaefer	University of Wisconsin-River Falls	Nutrition
Trever Shipley	Iowa State University	Breeding/Genetics
Grant Tomsche	University of Minnesota	Veterinary Medicine

The top candidate, Hyatt Frobose, will receive a $10,000 stipend and the second candidate, Carrie Highfill, will receive $5,000 in a scholarship sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred. The remaining 17 students selected will receive $2,500 each.

“A skilled workforce is essential for the competitiveness of this industry,” Weaver says. “We need young leaders to look at pork not just as a food choice, but as a career. This is a chance for the industry to court these young people into a workforce that can offer many diverse opportunities. We have needs in production management, veterinary medicine, environmental management, food safety, genetic improvement and much more.”