The National Pork Producers Council is accepting applications for the 2026 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship. Each year, ten $2,500 scholarships are awarded to college students preparing for careers in the pork industry and aspiring to become future industry leaders. The program is made possible through support from CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation.

“The future of our industry depends on the passion and commitment of the next generation,” said Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “This scholarship is about more than financial support. It is about encouraging young people to pursue their goals and providing opportunities for them to grow into the leaders our industry and communities will need in the years ahead.”

Undergraduate students enrolled in a two-year swine program or a four-year college of agriculture are eligible to apply. Applicants will be evaluated on an essay addressing current or future issues facing the pork industry and offering potential solutions. Scholarship recipients will be announced in late January 2026 and recognized at the National Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City, Mo., March 4-6.

Established in 1990 by CME Group and NPPC, the scholarship honors Lois Britt, a former director on the NPPC board and lifelong champion of agriculture. Britt dedicated 34 years to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and later spent 15 years with Smithfield Hog Production in public and government relations. Her contributions earned her induction into both the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Pork Council Hall of Fame, as well as the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award.

The application deadline for this year is Dec. 12, 2025.

Source: National Pork Producers Council