The Agriculture Relations Committee of the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the six recipients of the 2024 Ag Relations Scholarships. This year, scholarships of $1,000 each were awarded to the three high school graduates and three post-secondary students. These students have all demonstrated a strong commitment to academics and agriculture.

Matt Kunerth, a 2024 committee member, states "Agriculture is South Dakota’s #1 industry and it’s great to financially support the Brookings area youth who are passionate about its advancement. The students’ awareness and understood importance of agriculture is exhibited throughout all applications and enjoyable to learn about why they are seeking an ag-related vocation.”

Connor Johnson, a recent De Smet High School graduate, plans to attend Lake Area Technical College to study Agriculture Production and Precision Agriculture. Next, Colton Trooien, a recent Deubrook Area High School graduate, plans to attend South Dakota State University to study Precision Agriculture. Our final high school recipient, Brant LeBrun recently graduated from Flandreau Public High School. LeBrun plans on attending South Dakota State University to study Agricultural Business.

Starting our post-secondary recipients is Megan Nash of Mansfield, SD. She attends South Dakota State University majoring in Agricultural Economics and Business Economics. Next, Trinity Peterson from Willow Lake, SD currently attends South Dakota State University, majoring in Agricultural Leadership and Political Science. Lastly, Tyler Rasmussen from Aurora, SD is currently attending South Dakota State University majoring in Agricultural Business.

The Agriculture Relations Committee is dedicated to promoting the agriculture sector and strengthening the relationships of those within the industry. Through scholarships like these, students receive the financial support needed to continue the pursuit of their passions within agriculture.

For more information about the Ag Relations Committee and the scholarships they offer, please visit brookingschamber.org or contact Ainsley Bennett at ainsley@brookingschamber.org.