Recognizing the importance for local students to build trade skills, Seaboard Foods awarded grants to three high school agricultural education programs to purchase equipment for their agricultural mechanics classes with a matching donation by CoBank. 

The following agricultural education programs received grants totaling $22,500 from Seaboard Foods and CoBank: 

• $10,000 to Beaver FFA Chapter, Beaver, Okla. 
• $5,000 to Hennessey FFA Chapter, Hennessey, Okla. 
• $7,500 to Elkhart FFA Chapter, Elkhart, Kan.

The grants were initiated by Seaboard Foods and matched in part by CoBank’s Sharing Success grant program. This year's recipients were selected for their dedication to advancing agricultural education and their commitment to building hands-on trade skills for their students.

Beaver FFA Advisor Ashley Harrison attended Seaboard Foods' “Educator Learning Experience" in May 2023 and learned how Seaboard Foods could partner with educators and support education in the classroom. One of the opportunities for educators in the Seaboard Foods areas of operation is applying for the CoBank Sharing Success grant program. 

"Receiving the grant has opened many doors for the students to gain hands-on experiences and opportunities that they may not have received otherwise," said Harrison.

Hennessey FFA Advisor Jorge Huizer expressed his gratitude for the support, saying, "With the influx of new and returning members, the demand for welding/fabrication experience has increased substantially. However, these experiences come with high costs and equipment wear and tear that leads to tool and equipment replacement often. The support that Seaboard Foods provided will allow us to expedite the purchase of needed equipment and welding consumables for students to practice and demonstrate skills learned in the shop/classroom laboratories."

Similarly, Brain Runkle of Elkhart FFA expressed his enthusiasm for the grant and the positive impact it can have on the local FFA chapter’s students.

Visit here to learn more about how Seaboard Foods partners with educators to build a brighter future.

Source: Seaboard Foods