Equity Livestock awards $5,000 in scholarships

The Baraboo-based Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association has announced the names of 10 college students who will receive $500 scholarships.

The winners were chosen from more than 60 applicants this year. The scholarships are funded through Cooperative Network's Federated Youth Foundation and selected by the Cooperative Network.

To be eligible, students or their parents are patron members of Equity Livestock. Applicants must have completed at least two semesters at a post secondary college or university and one semester at a technical school, as well as maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale. One recipient was selected in each of Equity's 10 districts.

Winning scholarship recipients include:

• District I - Arlington/Johnson Creek - Kelly Vierck, Juneau, studying food science with a meat science emphasis at Oklahoma State University.

• District II - Lomira - David Condon, Oshkosh, studying agribusiness management at Southwest Minnesota State University.

• District III - Reedsville - Nicholas Colle, Luxemburg, studying natural science-life at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

• District IV - Bonduel/Marion - Jayme Close, New London, studying wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

• District V - Stratford - Jessica Radcliffe, Weston, studying agriculture and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

• District VI - Altoona/Barron - Gabe Janke, Humbird, studying agricultural business management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• District VII - Sparta - Caitlin Malin, Westby, studying therapeutic recreation at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

• District VIII - Monroe - Sarah Silver, Monticello, studying agribusiness at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

• District IX - Richland Center - Whitney Ederer, Spring Green, studying paralegal/pre-law at Winona State University.

• District X - Waukon - Jared Winkie, Waukon, Iowa, studying animal science at Iowa State University.

Applicants were judged on their scholastic achievement, extra curricular activities, leadership abilities and academic and personal goals.

Equity operates 12 auction markets and services producers in six states with the marketing, managing and financing of their agricultural business.