National Dairy Board awards scholarships to college students

Herd of dairy cows grazing in the countryside in spring. (Photo: Adobe Stock │ #356662969 - Thierry RYO)

The dairy checkoff has awarded academic scholarships to students pursuing degrees with a focus on dairy and demonstrating strong potential as future industry leaders.

The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, through Dairy Management Inc.—which manages the national dairy checkoff—annually awards $2,500 scholarships to 11 students. In addition, the NDB awards a $3,500 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship to one outstanding scholarship recipient.

Eligible majors include journalism, communications/public relations, marketing, business, economics, nutrition, food science and agricultural education. Criteria include academic achievement, career interest in a dairy-related discipline and demonstrated leadership, initiative and integrity.

Sienna Mahaffy, a student at Oklahoma State University majoring in business administration, has been named the 2026-2027 James H. Loper Jr. Memorial Scholarship recipient.

Students from the High Plains earning $2,500 scholarships are: Trell Amoss (Oklahoma State University), Cassie Bohnert (Iowa State University), Campbell Booth (University of Minnesota), Eliza Dugan (West Texas A&M University), Ella Raatz (University of Minnesota), Elle Ruffner (Iowa State University) and Kelsey Timp (Iowa State University).

For more information, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.

To contact us: hpj.com/contact/