Attendees at the 2025 ÐÓ°Épro Annual Meeting in Minneapolis will have the chance to vote for their favorite finalist in the 2025 ag teacher grants program. Created by the ÐÓ°Épro Foundation to celebrate the dedicated teachers that educate the next generation of ag leaders, this grant program is awarding a total of $57,500 for engaging, inspiring programs.
ÐÓ°Épro member-owners will vote for their favorite of three finalists selected by the ÐÓ°Épro Foundation. The $20,000 first, $15,000 second and $10,000 third place winners will be announced live on stage on Dec. 4. Annual meeting attendees can stop by the Connection Center throughout the day on Thursday to meet the finalists and learn about their school projects before voting to determine which of the following projects will receive a $20,000 grant, a $15,000 grant and a $10,000 grant:
Steven Clodfelter, a teacher at Edwards County High School in Albion, Ill., will use the funds to purchase GPS, field mapping and drone technology to help prepare students for careers in precision agriculture.
Bonita Oestreich and Eleora Mathiowetz, ag teachers at Ashby Public Schools, will apply the grant toward building a greenhouse for plant science classes and supplying produce to food shelves in Grant County, Minn.
John Schutte, career and technical education coordinator at Madison Consolidated High School, will buy a generator to protect food at Growing Minds Farm Stop, a student-run grocery store in Madison, Ind.
The ÐÓ°Épro Foundation is also awarding $2,500 honorable mention grants to each of the following projects:
- Broadview Schools, Broadview, Mont., welding project
- Greenfield High School, Greenfield, Ill., livestock project
- North Scott High School, Eldridge, Iowa, laser technology project
- Silverton High School, Silverton, Ore., mobile ag career outreach
- Wayne E Bartles Middle School, Portage, Wis., greenhouse project
The ÐÓ°Épro Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from ÐÓ°Épro., is focused on educating rural youth and building ag career pathways for the success of agriculture, rural communities and farmer-owned cooperatives. Learn more.
