Two pig farmers will be joining in as mentors for the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s annual College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship competition that kicks off on Sept. 13. Undergraduates, graduate students and collegiate clubs are competing for more than $20,000 in scholarships throughout the nine-week program.
CAO invites you to spread the word about this competition, according to a release. Refer someone to sign up for the 2021 CAO scholarship competition and if they list your name as the person who recommended them when they sign up for the competition, CAO will enter you in a drawing to win a $100 gift card! Each referral will count as one entry and there is no limit on the number of entries for referrers, the organization said. All signups with a referral listed made through Sept. 12 will be entered. Clubs and classes have the special opportunity to win one of ten $100 Domino’s gift cards by being one of the first to sign up. For more information or to sign up, visit https://collegeaggies.animalagalliance.org.
CAO connects college students who are interested in promoting agriculture and gives them the skills they need to effectively engage with key audiences online and on campus through training from experts like Iowa pig farmer Lexi Marek Beeler with Pig Improvement Company and Missouri pig farmer Kylie Epperson.
Club participants are challenged to host events virtually or on their campus to talk about modern agriculture with their peers. Events include “Scary Food Myths” where students hand out candy with myths and facts about food and agriculture; “Undeniably Dairy” where students host a booth on their concourse about dairy farming; and “Newbies on the Farm” where students invite their peers to tour a local farm. Last year, CAO reached 4.6 million people on social media and at club events.
“The College Aggies Online program is the ultimate resume-building ‘ag-vocacy’ program for collegiate students and clubs looking to grow their consumer engagement skills,” Emily Solis, Alliance communications specialist, said in a release. “As a former participant, I was able to grow my communication skills through the program and find new ways to advocate for agriculture while networking and engaging with students and mentors that I’m still connected with to this day.”
Mentors for the 2021 competition include:
• Don Schindler, Senior Vice President, Digital Innovations, Dairy Management Inc.
• Rebecca Hilby, Wisconsin Dairy Farmer
• Jenell Eck, Maryland Chicken, Grain and Beef Farmer, Thompson Ag Consulting
• Casey Kinler, Director, Membership and Marketing, Animal Agriculture Alliance
• Lexi Marek Beeler, Iowa Pig Farmer, Pig Improvement Company
• Liz Wilder, Idaho Sheep Farmer, Idaho Wool Growers Association
• Chandler Mulvaney, Director of Grassroots Advocacy and Spokesperson Development, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
• Natalie Kovarik, Nebraska Cattle Rancher
• Beth Breeding, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, National Turkey Federation
• Emily Shaw, Founder and Personal Trainer, Dairy Girl Fitness
• Alexander Strauch, DVM, Poultry Veterinarian
• Kylie Epperson, Missouri Pig and Grain Farmer
• Joe Proudman, Associate Director for Communications, CLEAR Center at University of California, Davis
• Brandi Buzzard Frobose, Kansas Cattle Rancher, Red Angus Association of America
Read More:
Iowa State Students Win Top 2020 College Aggies Online Scholarships
Illinois Farmers Build Opportunity For Next Generation to Raise Pigs
