Scholarship opportunities
The Cook County Farm Bureau® Foundation enhances the future of agriculture by providing a variety of scholarships to members, dependents and others seeking a major in agriculture, agribusiness, or an agriculturally related course of study with intent on an agriculturally related career. The CCFB Foundation is intent on supporting future generations to help assure a well-qualified, professional agricultural workforce in the Chicagoland area and Illinois.
College Scholarships - Application Window is now closed! Check back later this year for more opportunities
Howard Paarlberg Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship:
The top-rated applicant selected by the evaluation committee from the General CCFB Foundation Scholarship applicants will be named to this scholarship which carries the highest monetary value offered by the Foundation.
Value: $3,500
General CCFB Scholarships:
Intended careers may include Farming, Greenhouse, Agronomy, Horticulture, Aquaculture, Agribusiness/Management, Rural healthcare, Veterinary medicine, Nutrition/Food Science, Agriculture Education, Forestry or a number of other agriculturally related pursuits.
Multiple scholarships valued up to $2,500 are available for eligible candidates
Stuenkel Family Scholarship:
This scholarship has been designed for individuals and Cook County Farm Bureau members pursuing higher education with a focus on an agriculturally related career in the areas of technology, education, leadership development and/or mental health.
Value: $3,000
"Moving Ag Forward" Vocational Ag Career Training ***Open now***
Multiple scholarships valued at $1,250 are available for eligible candidates.
There are 3 open enrollment cycles throughout the year. For more information and to apply today, click here.
Adult Scholarships (Available year-round)
Available scholarships include reimbursement for:
- Master Urban Farmer Training
- Master Gardener Training
- Illinois Ag Leadership Program
- Ag Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT)
For more information and to apply for an Adult Scholarship, please click here.
related ag scholarships
The IAA Foundation enhances the future of agriculture by offering college scholarships to Illinois farm families, Illinois Farm Bureau members, spouses, and their children who major in agriculture-related courses of study. For 2025, the IAA Foundation is pleased to offer 120 awards ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 and totaling $210,251 in support. Click below to apply and to view other Ag Related Scholarships that are available.
Careers in Agriculture
Careers in agriculture are more than farming! According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, a total of 19.7 million jobs, or 10.3% of U.S. employment, was related to agriculture in 2020. Farming only made up 13.5% of agricultural employment; food service made up 53.4% and food and beverage stores made up 16.5%.
There are more than 1 million agriculture-related jobs in Illinois. Ag-related careers include plant science, animals science, natural resources, agricultural business, environmental science, agricultural mechanics, and food science.
Below are descriptions of a few of the “-ists” working in ag careers and descriptions of what they study from the Illinois Agricultural Education:
- Agronomist – soil management and crop development
- Apiculturist – bees and the art of beekeeping
- Biochemist – the chemical and physical principles of living things and their biological processes
- Biologist – living organisms
- Biotechnologist – develops products and technologies that help fight disease, feed the hungry, use cleaner energy, etc.
- Botanist – the science of plants
- Climatologist – weather patterns over a period of time to discover trends over months, years, or even centuries. Also researches the impacts of climate changes
- Conservationist – manages, improves, and protects the natural resources, including soil, the environment, animals, and wildlife
- Economist – the production and distribution of goods and services
- Entomologist – insects
- Geneticist – the transmission of hereditary characteristics from one generation to the next
- Horticulturist – the science of raising and caring for plants, flowers, and greenery
- Microbiologist – living things seen through a microscope
- Nutrient management/waste management specialist – develop appropriate methods for removing and managing animal and food waste from or in the environment
- Pedologist (soil scientist) – all living and non-living aspects of soil, soil formation, and erosion
- Product development food scientist – improves methods of processing, canning, freezing, storing, packaging and/or distributing food
- Taxonomist – the structure of a species, maps its DNA and groups organisms into categories
- Zoologist – animals and how they interact with their ecosystems
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Recipients of the 2026 Scholarship Program have been announced...
The Board of Directors of the Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation have selected nine individuals as recipients of the 2026 Scholarship Program. They are:
McGlaughlin currently attends Joliet Junior College and intends to transfer to UW-Madison in the fall with her intended majors being Dairy and Food Animal Management and Animal and Veterinary Bio Sciences. She’s been involved in 4-H, FFA, and the CCFB Young Leader’s Group.
Sheehan attends the University of Minnesota and is majoring in Industrial/Systems Engineering. Her involvement in 4-H contributed to her passion for agriculture and with her degree, she hopes to create smarter systems that will use resources more efficiently to help farmers and the food industry meet both consumer and regulatory demands.
Bycraft currently attends Glenbrook South High School and is highly involved in her 4H club. She hasn’t made a final decision on which college she’ll be attending in the fall yet, but she hopes to become an agricultural innovator and communicator.
Bernabei attends Iowa State University and is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Business and has obtained a real estate certificate. She hopes to support the growth of the ag community and help farmers and landowners navigate the complexities of real estate.
Yarc attends Joliet Junior College and is working on an associate’s degree in applied science (Ag Business). She has grown up in the ag industry and hopes to pursue a career that will help shape practical, effective policies that are grounded in the real experiences of producers, with a focus on small and family owned farms.
Murr attends the University of Missouri and is currently in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He is committed to providing outstanding veterinary care to farm animals and is particularly interested in being a livestock veterinarian with an interest in horses and cattle.
Dwyer plans to attend either the University of Missouri or Iowa State University in the fall. His passion for agriculture started as a young kid working with his mom in the garden. He hopes to work with crops on a larger scale after college in the field of agri-business.
Miller attends Southern Illinois University’s School of Dental Medicine and is working on her doctorate in Dental Medicine. She has been greatly involved in the ag world by attending Young Leaders meetings, statewide conventions, and other related ag events. Her agriculture career goal is to provide dental services in a rural/underserved area in Cook County.
Conroy will attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH in the fall. Cameron hopes to work in agriculture policy to establish and protect more sustainable farming practices for farmers and farm workers.
A total of $18,500 of scholarship funds were distributed.
The Cook County Farm Bureau Foundation was established by the Cook County Farm Bureau to carry out charitable, literary and educational work in Agriculture. The Foundation Board established the Agricultural Scholarship Program to provide financial assistance to students pursuing education for agricultural careers and to encourage the best and brightest young minds to return to Agriculture as their chosen career.