High school seniors and current Kansas college students have until Friday, March 15, 2024, to apply for one of two $1,000 scholarships from Kansas Wheat, which honor industry stalwarts Herb Clutter and David Radenberg. The $1,000 scholarships continue a strong heritage of assisting the future of Kansas’ wheat industry.
“Inspired by the enduring legacies of Herb Clutter and David Radenberg, Kansas Wheat is proud to help empower the next generation of the Kansas wheat industry,” stated Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat. “Through these scholarships, we honor the passion of these industry leaders and help to provide opportunities for future leaders in agriculture.”
Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship
The Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship, administered by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers (KAWG), will annually give one $1,000 scholarship to a college or university-bound incoming student from Kansas pursuing a career in agriculture. To be eligible for the scholarship, candidates must intend to enroll full-time at any two- or four-year Kansas college or university.
Recipients will be chosen based on their academic performance, leadership characteristics, and career goals in agriculture. The scholarship will cover tuition for the student’s college or university study. The scholarship is not renewed.
The Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship was established in 2009 to memorialize Herb Clutter’s crucial role in building leadership groups on behalf of Kansas wheat producers, and it is generously financed by the Herb Clutter family. Herbert W. Clutter was a Holcomb farmer who served as the first president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, founded in 1948. Clutter pushed Kansas wheat growers to band together and speak with one voice, resulting in the founding of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers in 1952. He promoted wheat-related research in school and industry, as well as improved variety development and strategies for producing the best product at the lowest cost. Clutter’s efforts resulted in the founding of the Kansas Wheat Commission by the Kansas legislature in 1957.
Apply for the Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship by completing the scholarship application at kswheat.com/clutter. The application includes a 400-500 word essay discussing why the applicant has chosen to pursue a career in agriculture. The selection committee will use this essay, along with the student’s application, in determining the scholarship winner.
David Radenberg Memorial Scholarship
The David Radenberg Memorial Scholarship will provide one $1,000 scholarship to a current undergraduate or graduate student in Kansas who wishes to pursue a career in agriculture. Preference will be given to those seeking a career in wheat improvement, such as wheat genetics, wheat agronomics, wheat breeding, plant pathology, Extension, or bioinformatics.
Applicants for the scholarship must be full-time students at a Kansas two- or four-year college or university. Incoming freshmen and transfers are not eligible.
David Radenberg was a lifetime wheat farmer from Claflin, Kansas, where his family had been farming for over a century. From April 2011 until March 2020, he represented central Kansas on the Kansas Wheat Commission, where he served as chairman from August 2018 to May 2019. Radenberg was also a founding board member for the Kansas Wheat Commission Research Foundation.
During his time as a commissioner, he supported wheat research and worldwide marketing initiatives, including visiting the 31st annual Latin American Millers Conference in Lima, Peru, in 2013. At the time, he mentioned how much he liked telling millers, bakers, and merchandisers about the research expenditures Kansas farmers are making to produce a higher-quality product.
In 2013, Radenberg traveled to many Pacific Rim countries to promote US wheat. The juxtaposition between third-world poverty and booming contemporary cities made an impression on him, reinforcing his enthusiasm for wheat research to help feed a hungry world.
Apply for the David Radenberg Memorial Scholarship by completing the scholarship application at kswheat.com/radenberg. The application includes a 400-500 word essay discussing why the applicant has chosen to pursue a career in agriculture. The selection committee will use this essay, along with the student’s application and a statement of financial need, in determining the scholarship winner.
For both scholarships, the application and associated documents must be submitted to Kansas Wheat at 1990 Kimball Ave, Manhattan, KS 66502, by Friday, March 15, 2024. Learn more or download the scholarship applications at https://kswheat.com/growers/outreach/. More information is also available by contacting 785-539-0255 or kawg@kswheat.com.