The National Pork Producers Council is accepting 2025 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship applications. Ten $2,500 scholarships are awarded annually to college students who intend to pursue a career in the pork industry with aspirations to become industry leaders. CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation sponsor the scholarships.

“The strength of America’s pork industry lies in the hands of its future leaders,” said Lori Stevermer, NPPC president and pork producer from Easton, Minn. “The Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship plays a critical role in encouraging and empowering students to pursue careers in our industry, ensuring we continue to move forward with strong, informed leadership.”

Any undergraduate student enrolled in a two-year swine program or four-year college of agriculture may apply. Applicants are evaluated by essay submissions that describe current or future issues confronting the pork industry with proposed solutions. Winners will be announced toward the end of January and recognized at the National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando from March 12-14, 2025.

Introduced in 1990 by CME Group and NPPC, the scholarship program honors NPPC’s former board director Lois Britt, a lifetime supporter of agriculture. Britt spent 34 years with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, followed by 15 years with Smithfield Hog Production in public and government relations. A few of her many achievements include induction into the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Pork Council Hall of Fame, as well as receiving the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.

The new application deadline for this year is Dec.13, 2024.

Source: National Pork Producers Council