Kaitlyn Ballard, a Northwest Missouri State University student, and Tarleton State University Block & Bridle took home the top prizes in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 2025 College Aggies Online (CAO) scholarship program, announced during an awards ceremony held Dec. 5., 2025. Throughout the nine weeks of the program, $16,000 was awarded in scholarships to participating students and clubs.

The 2025 CAO program had 265 individual participants that shared nearly 1,670 positive and informative posts on social media about agriculture. Eight collegiate clubs competed and hosted 22 campus and community events, reaching nearly 8,200 people in person.

CAO is an initiative of the Animal Agriculture Alliance that connects college students, industry experts and social media-savvy farmers to engage online about current and emerging issues facing the animal agriculture community. Throughout the competition, students learn how to spread positive, factual information about agriculture and tell their personal stories while actively developing their professional communication skills. In the club division, students host farm tours, campus events, food drives and more to engage with their peers about agriculture.

“This year’s crop of College Aggies Online participants have demonstrated incredible skill communicating about agriculture and engaging with their peers on food and farming,” said Tricia Sheehan, vice president, farmer communications for Dairy Management Inc. “It’s impressive to see the growth of these students each year as they progress throughout the program. We’re proud to be a sponsor and support the next generation’s continued development.”

The overall winners from the individual division are:

• First place, $3,000 scholarship: Kaitlyn Ballard, Northwest Missouri State University
• Second place, $2,000 scholarship: Avery Kerrick, University of Kentucky
• Third place, $1,500 scholarship: Adrianna Meyer, The Ohio State University
• Fourth place, $1,000 scholarship: Rachel Hearn, Oklahoma State University
• Fifth place, $500 scholarship: Agnes Maxson, New Mexico State University

The overall winners from the club division are:

• First place, $2,000 scholarship: Tarleton State University Block & Bridle
• Second place, $1,000 scholarship: Louisiana State University Les Voyageurs
• Third place, $500 scholarship: University of Georgia Dairy Science Club

Overall individual and club winners will be recognized at the Alliance’s 2026 Stakeholders Summit, set for May 5-7 in Kansas City, Mo. Throughout the program, students also earned smaller scholarships for having the best social media posts, blog posts, infographics and more. Leticia Orellana, Mississippi State University, was awarded the “Social Media Rockstar Award” for having the best social post media post in this year’s program.

CAO would not be possible without the support of its sponsors. Sponsors for 2025 include: Dairy Management Inc., CHS Foundation, National Pork Board, Cooper Farms, Farm Credit, Dairy’s Foundation, Institute for Feed Education and Research, Culver Franchising System, John K. Vanier Foundation, National Chicken Council and Ohio Poultry Association.

Source: Animal Agriculture Alliance