Thanks to the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, 30 students across the state will receive a total of $58,500 for the 2017-2018 academic year to pursue degrees related to agriculture, forestry and natural resources or family and consumer sciences. The scholarships recognize outstanding students who have excelled academically and exhibited a committed interest to pursuing a career in agriculture, forestry and natural resources, family and consumer sciences or a closely related field.

The scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors headed to college or a technical college, rising college juniors and seniors and students enrolled in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine who plan to care for livestock and other farm animals.

"One of the purposes of the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is to support students who want to pursue a career in agriculture," said GFB President Gerald Long. "We are excited to offer these scholarships to the selected students because they are the future leaders of Georgia's agricultural community."

Five students preparing to enter college as freshmen at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences or Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College were selected for the Scholarship for Agriculture at $3,000 each: Kylie Bruce, Franklin County; Savannah Fritz, Jasper County; Dalton Green, Walker County; Ben Murray, Berrien County; Daniel Williams, Telfair County. These students plan to pursue degrees in ag education, pre-veterinary medicine and ag communications.

An additional nine students were selected for the Scholarship for Agriculture at $1,500 each: Courtney Barber, Ware County; Josh Brown, Habersham County; Abby Green, Laurens County; Garrett Harrell, Colquitt County; Julianna Johnson, Hancock County; Taylor Kilgore, Early County; Samantha Mallard, Burke County; Rick Vanderveen, Wayne County; and Jamie Lynn Worsley, Calhoun County. These students plan to attend UGA CAES or ABAC to pursue degrees in ag education, animal science, biological sciences and natural resource management.

Daniel Dobbs, Franklin County; Travis Taylor, Bacon County; and Ethan Thaxton, Oglethorpe County were selected to receive the Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture at $1,000 each. Dobbs plans to attend Athens Technical College to pursue a poultry science degree. Taylor plans to attend Coastal Pine Technical College to study welding and joining technology. Thaxton plans to enroll at Athens Technical College to pursue a degree in animal science.

The foundation awarded 11 scholarships of $2,000 to the following rising college juniors and seniors: Ian Bennett, Cook County; Faith Gilman, Jackson County; Ben Hancock, Irwin County; Luke Lineberger, Houston County; Madison Lynn, Toombs County; Daniel McMillan, Berrien County; Olivia Minish, Madison County; Jordan Rowe, Cook County; Bryan Tucker, Irwin County; Jarrett Williams, Appling County; and Claire Woodard, Morgan County.

Bennett, Gilman, Hancock, Lineberger, Lynn, McMillan, Minish, Rowe, Tucker, Williams and Woodard are students at ABAC or the UGA CAES studying agribusiness, ag economics, ag education, agriscience and environmental systems, and crop and soil science.

Megan Cook of Bulloch County and Scout Josey of Franklin County were chosen to receive scholarships of $2,500 each as they study to become food animal veterinarians at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

All students will receive their scholarships pending verification they are enrolled in a qualifying school and major.

The GFB Foundation for Agriculture funds activities and programs designed to increase the agricultural literacy of Georgia residents. Visit www.gfbfoudnation.org to learn more about the foundation or to make a tax-exempt donation. Instructions for applying for the 2018 scholarships will be announced on the foundation website in the fall.