Helping the Next Generation Farmer
2025 Award Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Scott Miller, Mary Petzel, and Roger De Jager Memorial Scholarships for 2025! It is impressive to read all the applications which makes it challenging to select the recipients. This year, we had an amazing group of students; all of the applicants were enthusiastic, imaginative, creative, and hardworking.
We will be fundraising at our annual meeting in November to be able to help more deserving students in our county continue their Ag education. Keep an eye out for more announcements this fall!
Mary Petzel Scholarship
In 2024 the Mary Petzel Memorial Scholarship will award scholarships totaling $3,000. Mary Petzel was the long-time secretary of Marion County Farm Bureau and was recognized for her disciplined approach to all aspects of Farm Bureau. She also served as a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Women’s Advisory Council. Her family farms in the Brooks/Gervais area.
Isabel Berning from John F. Kennedy High School in Mt. Angel will be a freshman this fall pursuing a degree in Animal Science and is looking forward to a career as a veterinarian.
Matthew Bielenberg from Scotts Mills and Silverton High School will be attending Chemeketa Community College as a freshman this fall. His major is Engineering with a minor in Crop Science. He is pursuing a career as an agricultural engineer.
Kenzi Hollenbeck, from Sublimity and Stayton High School, will be attending the Oregon Institute of Technology in the fall as a freshman. She is preparing for an occupation in medical imaging by working towards her Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Science.
Rachel Noordam from Mt Angel is continuing her education at George Fox University as a senior. She is preparing for a career as a teacher by majoring in Elementary Education and also working towards her ESOL Endorsement and Middle School Endorsement.
Morgan Penge is from Sublimity and will graduate from Early College High School this year. She will be continuing her education at George Fox University this summer as a freshman. Her major is Nursing, which will prepare her for a career as a travel or emergency department nurse.
Grady Wolf from St. Paul will be attending George Fox University as a freshman in the fall. His major will be Kinesiology with a minor in Exercise Science in preparation for his career as a physical therapist.
Scott Miller Scholarship
The Scott Miller Memorial Scholarship will award scholarships totaling $5,500 in 2024. Scott Miller was the fourth generation of his family to farm on their land in Woodburn. He farmed row crops and fresh market produce and was on the Marion County Farm Bureau board of directors. He tragically died when the tractor he was driving was rear ended by a vehicle in 2014.
Emily Barnett from Aurora will be attending Carroll College as a sophomore in the fall. Her major is Business: Accounting and Strategic Finance and Environmental Science with a minor in Marketing. She is preparing for a career as a bookkeeper/nursery manager at her family’s nursery.
Addison Bennett will be graduating from Salem Academy Christian High School will be attending Chemeketa Community College as a freshman in the fall. Her majors will include courses in Kinesiology, Human Performance, Nutrition, Biology and Sports Medicine working towards her goal of being a physical therapist or physician assistant.
Ainsley Goughnour from St. Paul will be a senior at the University of Idaho in fall. Her major is Agricultural Education with a minor in Agricultural Sciences, Communications and Leadership. Her career goals are to be a high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.
Trevor Redman-Brown from Scotts Mills and Silverton High School will be a freshman at George Fox this fall. His major will be Computer Engineering with a minor in Agriculture Sciences preparing him for a career as a computer engineer.
MaKayla Rose from Silverton will be entering her sophomore year at Corban University this fall. She will major in Agriculture Business with a minor in Bible. She is looking forward to a career in agriculture business management working with her family’s business.
Paige Schuster grew up on her family’s farm in Gervais and will graduate from Western Christian School. She will be attending Concordia University Nebraska this fall as a freshman. Her majors will be Business and Art and she plans to own a coffee shop and also sell art.
Roger DeJager Scholarship
In 2024 the Roger De Jager Memorial Scholarship will award scholarships totaling $1,000. Roger was a dairy farmer in Jefferson, Oregon, and a long-time board member of Marion County Farm Bureau. He and his wife Jessie were recognized with the Community Service Award from ODFA in 2020 and he also received the Diamond Pioneer Award from Oregon State University.
Cash Butler from Turner and Cascade High School will be continuing his education at Willamette University this fall as a freshman. He will major in Biology with a minor in Business which will put him on his path to becoming a large animal veterinarian.
Marion County Farm Bureau Scholarships
Scholarship applications will be judged by a panel of Marion County Farm Bureau members and judged on accuracy, neatness and organization, financial need, agricultural experience, and GPA. Scholarships ranging up to $2500 may be awarded. Award recipients will also receive a one-year supporting membership to the Marion County Farm Bureau.
Applications for the 2025-26 school year are CLOSED.
Thank you to all the students that submitted a scholarship application to the Marion County Farm Bureau. We appreciate your time and effort, and the scholarship committee was impressed by the quality of submissions we have received this year.
We will carefully review all applications in the coming weeks. We anticipate notifying the award recipients mid-May.
Questions? Contact our office at office@marioncofarm.com or 503-877-1999
Mary Petzel Scholarship
The Mary Petzel Memorial Scholarship was created in honor of Mary Petzel, the long-time secretary of Marion County Farm Bureau. Mary was recognized for her disciplined approach to all aspects of the Farm Bureau. She also served as a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Women’s Advisory Council. Her family continues to farm in the Brooks/Gervais area.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an immediate family member (parent, sibling, or grandparent) of a voting or supporting member of the Marion County Farm Bureau, OR enrolled in 4-H or FFA, OR majoring in Agriculture.
- The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or a full-time freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior (continuing to a graduate level degree program) at an accredited college or trade school.
- The applicant must be from Marion County.
Scott Miller Scholarship
The Scott Miller Memorial Scholarship was created in honor of Scott Miller, the fourth generation of his family to farm their land in Woodburn. He farmed row crops and fresh market produce and was on the Marion County Farm Bureau board of directors. He tragically died when the tractor he was driving was rear ended by a vehicle in 2014.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an immediate family member (parent, sibling, or grandparent) of a voting or supporting member of the Marion County Farm Bureau.
- The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or a full-time freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior (continuing to a graduate level degree program) at an accredited college or trade school.
- The applicant must be from Marion County.
Roger DeJager Scholarship
The Roger DeJager Memorial Scholarship was created in honor of Roger DeJager, a dedicated dairy farmer from Jefferson, Oregon. Roger served on the MCFB board from 2002-2018, as well as many other co-op/organizational boards. He passed away in 2021.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an immediate family member (parent, sibling, or grandparent) of a voting or supporting member of the Marion County Farm Bureau.
- The applicant must be a graduating high school senior or a full-time freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior (continuing to a graduate level degree program) at an accredited college or trade school.
- Applicant must be from Marion County.
- Preference will be given to students pursuing a degree in Dairy Husbandry & Production, Large Animal Veterinary Sciences, or similar Ag related fields of study.
Requirements:
- Download and complete the application. All scholarships use the same application.
- Provide a current semester high school and/or college (if applicable) transcript.
- Provide two recent letters of recommendation. One must be from an employer or agricultural advisor.
- Write a biography including reasons for your choice of major subject and what your plans are for the future. (Limit to one single-spaced 8.5″ x 11″ page.)
- Write a personal statement describing your agricultural experiences, if any. This may include past work experiences. (Limit to one single-spaced 8.5″ x 11″ page.)
Please make sure you have a complete application and all supporting documents before submitting. View PRINTABLE CHECKLIST here. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
To Apply:
You can submit your application and supporting documents two ways:
Electronically– You can email your application and supporting documents to office@marioncofarm.com. Packets must be received by April 15.
Mail– Completed forms can be mailed to: Marion County Farm Bureau, Attn. Scholarships, PO Box 12216, Salem OR 97309. Packets must be received by April 15.
All scholarships use the same application. Deadline is April 15.
Questions? Contact our office at office@marioncofarm.com or 503-877-1999