Farm Bureau scholarship applications available

ESCONDIDO — The San Diego County Farm Bureau is offering scholarships to college and college-bound students who are residents of San Diego County and pursuing a degree in agriculture or a closely related field. Applicants are not required to be Farm Bureau members. The application deadline is April 4.

Last year the San Diego County Farm Bureau awarded $17,500 in varying amounts to 16 recipients whose majors included plant science, animal science, ag business and ag engineering at schools including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal State Chico, Cal State Fresno and MiraCosta College.

Farm Bureau scholarships are available to currently enrolled college students as well as entering freshman at two- or four-year colleges or universities. Previous applicants and former scholarship recipients may also re-apply.

Applications are available from the Farm Bureau office at 1670 East Valley Parkway in Escondido and online at http://www.sdfarmbureau.org.

Since the inception of its scholarship program in 1999, the San Diego County Farm Bureau has awarded more than $89,000 to 76 local agricultural students. Private donations are the primary source of these funds with the balance raised from the organization’s annual golf tournament.

San Diego County Farm Bureau is a nonprofit trade organization with approximately 5,000 members. It has operated since 1913 with the mission to represent San Diego County agriculture through public relations, education and public policy advocacy in order to promote the economic viability of agriculture balanced with appropriate management of natural resources.