The Rotary Club of Lethbridge East is preparing to award four $10,000 scholarships to Southern Alberta agriculture students through its 2027 Agriculture Scholarship Program.
The 2027 awards would mark the ninth year of the program. If four scholarships are awarded as planned, the initiative will have provided 25 scholarships, worth a total of $250,000, to Southern Alberta agriculture students.
Organizers said the scholarships are intended to ease students’ financial burden while helping them take part in agricultural events and educational opportunities that might otherwise be beyond their means. Organizers said the $10,000 scholarship ranks among the largest agriculture-focused awards in Canada, reflecting the sector’s importance to Southern Alberta’s economy.
Organizers said the program aims to help develop the next generation of agricultural leaders in Southern Alberta. They point to the achievements of past recipients as evidence of the program’s impact.
“We continue to be simply amazed at the quality of our past recipients,” reads a statement from the organizing committee. “Their ongoing contributions to agriculture in Southern Alberta are many and growing.”
The Rotary Club of Lethbridge East also plans to continue supporting high school students’ participation in agricultural education programs.
Officials said the program relies on continued support from sponsors, donors, gala attendees and auction participants.
“Your support directly helps develop the next generation of Southern Alberta agricultural.”
Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate post-secondary program and have completed the equivalent of at least two full years of study at a recognized post-secondary institution in agriculture or a related field.
Applicants must also be legal residents of Southern Alberta or have lived in the region for seven of the past 10 years. The eligible area includes the counties of Lethbridge, Taber, Warner, Forty Mile, Cardston, Pincher Creek, Ranchland, Willow Creek, Cypress, Newell and Vulcan, along with the municipalities within those counties, the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, and the Kainai and Piikani First Nations.
Those wanting to apply for the Ag Scholarship program are asked ti submit a Letter of Intent by December 1.
More information is available from the Rotary Ag Scholarship program.
