Applications Open for Kansas Wheat Scholarships Honoring Industry Leaders

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 honoring industry leaders Herb Clutter and David Radenberg. The scholarships — each worth $1,000 — continue a proud tradition of supporting the future of the 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,” said 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

Administered by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers (KAWG), the Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship will award one $1,000 scholarship per year to a college or university-bound incoming freshman from Kansas pursuing a career in the field of agriculture. To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must plan to be a full-time student at any two or four-year Kansas college or university. 

Recipients will be selected based on academic achievement, leadership qualities and career objectives focused around the field of agriculture. The scholarship will be toward tuition for the student’s college or university education. The scholarship is non-renewable.

The Herb Clutter Memorial Scholarship was established in 2009 to honor Herb Clutter’s influential role in organizing leadership groups on behalf of Kansas wheat producers, and is supported by the generosity of the Herb Clutter family. Herbert W. Clutter was a farmer from Holcomb and the first president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, which was established in 1948. Clutter encouraged Kansas wheat farmers to organize as a strong, unified voice, which led to the formation of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers in 1952. He encouraged research in education and industrial uses of wheat, improved variety development and methods to produce the best product at the lowest cost. Clutter’s efforts led to the formation 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 award one $1,000 scholarship to a current undergraduate or graduate student from Kansas who is pursuing a career in the field of agriculture. Preference will be given to students pursuing a career related to the improvement of wheat, including but not limited to wheat genetics, wheat agronomics, wheat breeding, plant pathology, Extension and bioinformatics. 

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be enrolled as a full-time student at any two- or four-year college or university in Kansas. Incoming freshmen or transfers are not eligible. 

David Radenberg was a lifelong wheat farmer in Claflin, Kansas, where his family has farmed for more than 100 years. He represented central Kansas on the Kansas Wheat Commission from April 2011 to March 2020, including serving as chairman from August 2018 to May 2019. Radenberg was also a founding board member of the Kansas Wheat Commission Research Foundation.

During his tenure as a commissioner, he supported wheat research and international marketing efforts, including attending the 31st annual Latin American Millers Conference in Lima, Peru, in 2013. At the time, he expressed how he enjoyed sharing with millers, bakers and merchandisers about the research investments Kansas farmers are making to provide a better-quality product. 

In 2013, Radenberg also visited multiple Pacific Rim countries to promote U.S. wheat. The contrast between third-world poverty he saw in thriving modern cities left an impression on him and reinforced his support of 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.

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat