Feed Energy announced today the recipients of its 2019 “Excellence in Ag” Scholarship Program. Each recipient receives a $1,500 scholarship from Feed Energy for the 2019-2020 academic year. These four students were chosen for their superior leadership in the classroom, perspectives on the future of animal agriculture and for their overall support to the future of the industry. Read their winning essays on the following topic, “Can you contrast the desires of the food consumer from the time you were young, to present, to 20 years ahead?”
Larissa Becker
Larissa is a senior at Iowa State University majoring in animal science with a minor in international agriculture. She will be graduating in May of 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree. After graduation, Larissa plans to further her education by attending Kansas State University to obtain a Master’s degree and eventually a PhD in swine nutrition. She grew up on a family-owned swine farm in Fairmont, Minnesota and has been involved in the swine industry from a very early age. She developed her passion for the swine industry through showing hogs, assisting in the feed mill and helping manage her families commercial hog barns. Read Larissa’s essay.
Erin Chalupa
Erin is currently a junior at Iowa State University studying Animal Science and Agricultural Business. Erin was born and raised on a farm in Southeast Iowa with her three siblings where her initial passion for agriculture was sparked. Since then, she has been heavily involved in the industry through international service learning trips, club and class activities and internships around the U.S. Erin’s main goal for the future is to improve the lives of agriculturalists whether that be through research, advocacy and education, or working in the field herself. She is extremely thankful for this scholarship and opportunity to become more involved in the industry. Read Erin’s essay.
Kara Dunmire
Kara Dunmire was born and raised in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in food science and minor in animal science from Penn State University in 2016. While at Penn State, she was actively involved in livestock clubs and a member of the livestock judging team. In 2017, she completed her Master of Science degree in animal science (swine nutrition) from Texas A&M University. She completed two internships with Hord Family Farms in production and research related capacities as an undergraduate and graduate student. Kara began her PhD in feed science and management in 2018 at Kansas State University. Her current research focuses on quality of ingredients and nutrient digestibility with amino acids and influences on diet formulation and pellet quality. Read Kara’s essay.
Madison Wensley
Madie grew up in Parma, Michigan where she was first introduced to agriculture through a family friend. Raising her first set of market hogs in 4H planted a seed, igniting her passion for production animal agriculture. Madie graduated from Michigan State University in May 2018 with a B.S. in Animal Science, before she joined the Applied Swine Nutrition Team at Kansas State University in June. She is currently in the processes of completing her MS degree in May 2020 and will begin her PhD with the program in summer 2020. During her time at K-State, she has researched a tryptophan biomass product in nursery pig diets which is already published in Translational Animal Science. She also completed two experiments determining the phosphorus release of a newly developed phytase that will be used by nutritionists across the world. Madie recently completed a project assessing the current phytase release values for calcium, phosphorus, amino acids and energy in diets for growing pigs. Long-term, Madie hopes to one-day supply farmers with the tools they need to improve feed management practices, meanwhile contributing to overall herd health and production efficiency. Read Madison’s essay.