A total of $75,000 in scholarships was awarded to high school seniors pursuing agriculture-related majors and careers. Each of the 30 recipients will receive a $2,500 agriculture scholarship.

Scholarship selections are based on participation and leadership contributions within school and community organizations, a genuine passion for agriculture, and a commitment to pursuing an agriculture-related career.

“Farm Credit Illinois is proud to support these outstanding young leaders as they take the next step toward a career in agriculture,” says Derek Weber, FCI’s vice president of strategic marketing. “Their passion and commitment give us great confidence in the impact they will have on the future of agriculture and rural communities.”

The following students were selected to receive a 2026 Farm Credit agriculture scholarship:

Alex Barnard of Foosland (Champaign County) will graduate from Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural leadership, education, and communications. Alex’s parents are Angie & Matt Barnard.

Riley Behrends of Clifton (Iroquois County) will graduate from Clifton Central High School and attend Joliet Junior College to study Agriculture Business. Riley’s parents are Alan & Jessica Behrends.

Rye Bliler of Taylorville (Christian County) will graduate from Taylorville High School and attend Lake Land College to study Agriculture Production and Management. Rye’s parents are Nate & Elizabeth Bliler.

Brody Brown of Decatur (Macon County) will graduate from Warrensburg Latham High School and attend Illinois Central College in the Diesel Technician Program. Brody’s parents are Matthew & Melanie Brown.

Helen Butcher of Modesto (Macoupin County) will graduate from Northwestern High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study Agronomy. Helen’s parents are Nicholaus & Stacy Butcher.

Haven Cash of Clay City (Clay County) will graduate from North Clay High School and attend Lake Land College in the Agriculture Transfer Program. Haven’s parents are Dustin & Lisa Cash.

Eric Cooper of Mount Pulaski (Logan County) will graduate from Mount Pulaski High School and plans to study Agribusiness or Animal Science. Eric’s parents are Tanya & Scott Cooper.

Brooklyn Diel of Noble (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Lake Land College to study Agriculture Communications. Brooklyn’s parent is Jennifer Diel.

Ella Eldridge of Girard (Macoupin County) will graduate from North Mac High School and attend Iowa State University to study Agricultural Business. Ella’s parents are Kimmy & Kris Eldridge.

Abram Girten of Carmi (White County) will graduate from Carmi White County High School and attend the University of Southern Indiana to study Environmental Science. Abe’s parents are Joshua & Monica Girten.

Annsley Healy of Norris City (White County) will be a homeschool graduate attending Western Illinois University to study Agriculture with a minor in Animal Science. Annsley’s parents are Phillip & Holly Healy.

Lillian Helbig of Oakdale (Washington County) will graduate from Okawville Jr. Sr. High School and attend Murray State University to study Agribusiness. Lily’s parents are Blake & Michele Helbig.

Will Hilligoss of Lovington (Moultrie County) will graduate from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School and attend Lake Land College to study Agriculture. Will’s parents are Kevin Hilligoss & Emily Hilligoss.

Collin Johnson of Waverly (Morgan County) will graduate from Waverly High School and attend Cornell University to study Environment and Sustainability. Collin’s parents are Adam Johnson & Jessica Petefish-Johnson.

Bailey Leach of Springfield (Sangamon County) will graduate from Pleasant Plains High School and attend Illinois State University to study Agribusiness. Bailey’s parents are Ryan & Stephanie Leach.

Adyson Lowrance of Assumption (Christian County) will graduate from Central A&M High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College in the Agriculture Transfer Program. Adyson’s parents are William & Cari Lowrance.

Drew Lueking of Centralia (Clinton County) will graduate from Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School and attend Lake Land College in the Agriculture Transfer Program. Drew’s parents are Doug & Sheila Lueking.

Lauryn Maher of Jacksonville (Morgan County) will graduate from Jacksonville High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study Ag Business and Marketing. Lauryn’s parents are Robyn Maher & Justin Maher.

Lane Perry of Paris (Clark County) will graduate from Marshall High School and attend Oklahoma State University to study Agribusiness. Lane’s parents are Justin & Angie Perry.

Gavin Range of Freeburg (St. Clair County) will graduate from Freeburg Community High School and attend Southwestern Illinois College to study Agriculture Engineering or Agronomy. Gavin’s parent is Kurt Range.

Maliah Riechmann of Hoyleton (Washington County) will graduate from Nashville Community High School and attend Rend Lake College to study Agriculture Business. Maliah’s parent is Mike Riechmann.

Trent Schmid of Buckley (Iroquois County) will graduate from Cissna Park Senior High School and attend Hillsdale College to study Financial Management. Trent’s parents are Robert & Katy Schmid.

Landon Schnepf of Lincoln (Logan County) will graduate from Lincoln Community High School and attend Heartland Community College to study Welding. Landon’s parents are Alysa Schnepf & Kevin Schnepf.

Hunter Shike of Sadorus (Champaign County) will graduate from Unity High School and attend Black Hawk College to study Animal Science. Hunter’s parents are Dan & Jennifer Shike.

Bryson Stickler of Pleasant Plains (Sangamon County) will graduate from Pleasant Plains High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study Crop Sciences with a minor in Agriculture Business. Bryson’s parents are Michael & Amy Stickler.

Wade Stine of Farina (Fayette County) will graduate from St. Elmo High School and attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale to study Agricultural and Environmental Pre-Law. Wade’s parents are Jared & Krista Stine.

Daniel Tomas of Cobden (Union County) will graduate from Cobden High School and attend Shawnee Community College in the Electrician Program. Daniel’s parents are Santiago Tomas & Ana Tomas.

Alayna White of Wayne City (Wayne County) will graduate from Wayne City High School and attend Rend Lake College to study Agribusiness Accounting. Alayna’s parents are Daniel & Ashley White.

Shiloh Willis of McLeansboro (Hamilton County) will graduate from Hamilton County Jr/Sr High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the College of ACES. Shiloh’s parents are Audera Willis & Christopher Willis.

Natalie Zwilling of Dundas (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Wabash Valley College to study Agronomy. Natalie’s parents are Donna & Byron Zwilling.