Minnesota FFA opens scholarship applications

PERHAM — The Minnesota FFA Foundation announced that James W. Tracy Scholarship applications are now open. The James W. Tracy Scholarship application carries a deadline of Feb. 1, 2023. This is the eighth year the Minnesota FFA Foundation has offered this scholarship program.

James W. Tracy was born in 1941. He grew up on a farm near Northfield, Minnesota. During his childhood, Tracy was an active FFA and 4-H member. After graduating from high school, he served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He loved helping young people and wanted to see agriculture and rural America remain strong. He farmed his land until he died in 2014.

But Tracy's story doesn't end there; his desire to support youth in agriculture led him to donate his farm to an organization that he admired most: the FFA.

The scholarship is open to Minnesota FFA and 4-H members.

Eligibility requirements for students to apply include the following:

• Must be a resident of Minnesota.
• Must be enrolled or plan to be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary school in the U.S. 
• Must plan to pursue an academic award (certificate, diploma or degree) in agriculture or animal husbandry.

This year $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to students based on the following criteria:

• Leadership, involvement and agriculture interest.
• Three essay questions, limited to no more than 500 words. 
• Two letters of recommendation. Letters must be from non-family members. One letter must be from someone who has worked with the student over the last 12 months.  
• Upon completion of their fall 2023 semester at a post-secondary school, the scholarship recipient will need to send a transcript (copy acceptable) to the Minnesota FFA Foundation showing satisfactory progress. Once the transcript is received by the Minnesota FFA Foundation, a check will be sent to the scholarship recipient.

Applications are due by Feb. 1, 2023, with scholarship recipients being announced by May 1, 2023.
For full details please go to mnffafoundation.org/james-w-tracy-scholarship . Student applications can be completed with a Google Form application that can be found on that page . Applicants can be high school seniors or college students. Students are eligible to apply annually. If selected each year, they can receive this scholarship once as a high school student and once as a college student.

For questions on the James W. Tracy Scholarship Program, contact Amanda Sommers at 507-461-2214 or visit mnffafoundation.org