URBANDALE, Iowa - The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) is proud to announce this year’s winners of the Iowa Soybean Association Ag Scholarship Program. ISA will award a $2,000 scholarship to eight Iowa high school seniors who are pursuing a degree in an agriculture-related field.

“This year we had more than 100 qualified seniors apply for the ISA Ag Scholarships,” says Curt Sindergard, ISA scholarship committee chairman. “Having so many qualified applicants makes the decision very difficult, as each applicant could very well be a potential winner. The committee goes through each application to find the top candidates, looking particularly at his or her school and community activities as well as future plans.”

The following students were chosen as this year’s ISA Ag Scholarship Program winners:

• William Davenport of Thayer, Iowa, is the son of Charles Davenport and Jean Davenport. William is a senior at East Union Community High School and will be attending Iowa Lakes Community College in Emmetsburg, Iowa, this fall to pursue a degree in Farm Equipment Mechanics. William hopes to one day have his own repair business that will offer onsite repairs for local farmers.

• Mary Foell of Schaller, Iowa, is the daughter of William and Laura Foell. Mary is a senior at Schaller-Crestland High School and will attend Iowa State University after high school to study Public Service Administration in Agriculture. Mary plans to use her education to develop policy that will help agriculture and the environment and to educate the public about the importance of agriculture to the world.

• Jacob Hunter of DeWitt, Iowa, is the son of Charley and Susan Hunter. Jacob is a senior at Central Clinton Community High School and has been accepted to Iowa State University to begin studying Agricultural Education this fall. After college, Jacob would like to become an agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.

• Elizabeth Juchems of Plainfield, Iowa, is the daughter of Rick and Jane Juchems. Elizabeth is a senior at Nashua-Plainfield High School and will start classes at Iowa State University in August to study Agricultural Engineering. She hopes to return to the family farm while working in the development, testing and evaluation of new and existing agricultural products.

• Megan Kregel of Guttenberg, Iowa, is the daughter of Gary and Darlene Kregel. Megan is a senior at Clayton Ridge High School and plans to study Dairy Science and Agricultural Education at Northeast Iowa Community College before transferring to Iowa State University. After college, Megan plans to work as a high school teacher while running her own dairy operation.

• Cameron Luedtke of Marion, Iowa, is the son of Kurt and Dee Luedtke. Cameron is a senior at Alburnett Community High School and will be attending Iowa State University to study Agricultural Systems Technology. Cameron hopes to assist agricultural leaders in expanding the use of agricultural products while promoting renewable resources. He also plans to raise a small herd of Angus cattle. Luedtke is the recipient of ISA’s John Pesek Scholarship.

• Brad McDonald of Hopkinton, Iowa, is the son of Tom and Nancy McDonald. Brad is a senior at West Delaware High School and plans to attend Iowa State University to study Agricultural Business. Brad hopes to one day work for an agricultural-based company where he can promote the agriculture industry.

• Blake Woebbeking of Gladbrook, Iowa, is the son of Duane and Laura Woebbeking. Blake is a senior at Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School and has been accepted to Iowa State University where he will study Agricultural Business. After college, Blake plans to work for an agricultural-based company and also return to his family farm.

ISA raises the money for the ISA Ag Scholarship Program during the annual Iowa Soy Golf Classic. The 2007 Iowa Soy Golf Classic is scheduled for July 24 at Jester Park golf course in Granger, Iowa.

“These scholarships are vital to the continued success of agriculture in Iowa and hopefully the retention of these great students for Iowa agriculture,” says Sindergard. “ISA would like to thank last year’s sponsors of the Iowa Soy Golf Classic because without their support, we would not have been able to raise $16,000 for the ISA Ag Scholarship Program.” Sponsors of the 2006 Soy Golf Classic were Cargill, Monsanto, Garst Seed, REG (West Central), John Deere D/M Operations, Growmark, Pioneer (A DuPont Company), Cenex, Stine Seed, CHS, West Bank, Farm Progress Companies, the American Soybean Association, Mercer Health & Benefits, Latham Seed, AGP, Team Effort and Heart of America.

Students interested in applying for a 2007 ISA Ag Scholarship or golfers wishing to participate in the 2007 Iowa Soy Golf Classic should visit ISA’s Web site www.iasoybeans.com and watch for upcoming information.