ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S. — The American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) Equipment Manufacturers Committee (EMC) announced on April 29 that it has selected two new universities as recipients of its EMC scholarship fund. The universities-North Carolina State University and North Dakota State University-will receive $2,500 each to support students who have chosen educational pathways in the feed and grain industries.

EMC also partnered with AFIA's foundation, the Institute for Feed Education & Research, this year to offer a joint scholarship of equal value. The EMC-IFEEDER scholarship recipient is California Polytechnic State University.

"The first EMC scholarship partnership began with Kansas State University (KSU) in 1990," said Keith Epperson, AFIA's vice-president of manufacturing and training. "While KSU is still a current recipient of the scholarship, we decided to expand this impactful program due to the growing need for a younger generation in the agricultural workforce."

All EMC-related scholarships are for five-year commitments. Applicants are required to provide information about their academic degree programs pertaining to feed or grain sciences or other industry-related programs. They are also required to maintain a cooperative and active working relationship with AFIA, and a willingness to periodically report to EMC about the direction of their academic program(s) and distribution of the scholarship awards.

"AFIA proudly supports the education of future agricultural leaders within the feed industry and beyond through the available scholarship programs. We look forward to working with the newly selected universities, as well as continuing to foster our relationship with KSU, as we encourage additional students to seek careers in the feed industry," said Epperson.