Minnesota Corn announced on April 21 the recipients of its 2026 scholarships, awarding $5,000 each to Cameron Addington, Wyatt Glessing, Carson Lee, Luke McCrea, Eden Messerli, and Sven Storbakken to support their studies in agriculture.
The scholarships aim to help build opportunities for future agricultural leaders. Since launching the program in 2019, Minnesota Corn has provided $150,000 in scholarships to 30 students across the state. The organization typically offers four awards each year but increased this number due to a high volume of strong applications.
Addington is a freshman at Iowa State University majoring in agronomy and serves as Minnesota State FFA president. Glessing is a sophomore at South Dakota State University studying precision agriculture and plans to operate his family farm. Lee will enroll at South Dakota State next fall with intentions of taking over his family’s farm. McCrea plans to attend Iowa State for agricultural business while aiming for a career that bridges farmers and consumers through communications. Messerli studies agricultural business at South Dakota State and seeks a career managing an agricultural financial services business. Storbakken will pursue agricultural diesel mechanics at North Dakota State College of Science with the goal of becoming a CASE IH diesel technician.
The Minnesota Corn Growers Association supports rural communities and promotes agricultural practices that enhance economic opportunities according to the official website. The association partners closely with the Minnesota Corn Research and Promotion Council under the shared name Minnesota Corn according to the official website. It represents nearly 7,000 members according to the official website and works statewide across Minnesota according to the official website.
Minnesota Corn works to identify and advance opportunities for corn farmers while fostering ties with the general public according to the official website. The association also advocates for issues impacting farms and communities according to the official website.
In addition to these scholarships, some county corn organizations within Minnesota offer their own awards. The National Corn Growers Association also provides scholarship opportunities for students pursuing degrees in agriculture.
