Joe Morman, of Monroeville, has been awarded a $1,500 scholarship from America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders, a new program sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Morman is studying agribusiness with a concentration in commodity marketing at Purdue University.

“Being part of an industry that carries this much responsibility brings a challenge,” said Morman. “This challenge is to do our part in increasing efficiencies and logistics to deliver food across the globe. During my time in FFA, 4-H and working with my animals, I found a passion for agriculture. It is an industry that demands constant innovation and needs new minds to overcome the issues that are ahead.”

The future of agriculture relies on talented young people like Morman to fill thousands of jobs in a variety of fields, such as plant science, engineering, communications, finance and more. Grow Ag Leaders encourages rural youth to remain in agriculture and provides scholarships to support their education.

Grow Ag Leaders scholarships, administered by the National FFA Organization, are available to high school seniors and college students pursuing degrees in ag-related fields. To be considered, each applicant is required to receive endorsements from at least three local farmers. Thanks in part to Indiana farmers, who participated in the successful six-state pilot launch in 2014, the program was expanded across the country. With support from the Monsanto Fund, more than $500,000 in scholarships has been awarded to students this year.