Vita Plus Loyal names agriculture scholarship winners

Vita Plus Loyal proudly selected four high school seniors as recipients of the 2023 “Our Future is Agriculture” scholarships.  This program recognizes deserving students with long-term career interests in agriculture.  Students must plan to enroll in an accredited vocational/technical institute, community college, or four-year college or university that offers an academic major in an agriculture-related field.  The $500 scholarship may be applied toward tuition, room and board, or other expenses.  This year’s recipients of the Vita Plus Loyal scholarships are Delaney Becker, Auburndale High School; Reagan Borchardt, Edgar High School; Kendalyn Dahlke, Edgar High School; and Elizabeth Reinart, Granton High School.

Delaney Becker is the daughter of Steve and Shelly Becker and recently graduated from Auburndale High School.  She plans to attend Chippewa Valley Technical College to major in agronomy management.  Becker works on her family’s dairy farm, where she feeds calves, cleans pens, milks and feeds cows, and takes care of chickens. She is also a relief milker for neighboring farmers. Her family owns a custom baling business and Becker operates tractors and large-square balers along with her dad.  She has held several leadership positions in the Auburndale FFA Chapter, including reporter, sentinel and treasurer. She also is a member of the Kountry Kids 4-H Club where she served as vice president and shows dairy cattle and market hogs at the local fair.  Through her involvement in FFA and 4-H, Becker is involved in the Auburndale Tractor Day Committee and helps coordinate the local brat fry.  “My goal is to become an agronomist and get as much hands-on experience as possible,” Becker said.  “My career goal is to help farmers improve their crop selection and my personal goal is to help each farmer meet their farm goals.”

Reagan Borchardt is the daughter of Jason and Penny Borchardt and recently graduated from Edgar High School.  She plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to major in animal science and pre-veterinary medicine.  Borchardt works on her family’s dairy farm, where she feeds, cleans stalls, milks cows and helps her dad with field work.  She also worked for the Village of Edgar during the summers; she was responsible for cleaning and taking care of parks, weed control, filling potholes, and many other tasks. Borchardt serves as a referee for elementary to middle school volleyball, basketball and softball. She is involved in many extracurricular activities, including FFA, National Honor Society and Athletes in Action.  “I hope to become a large animal veterinarian and own a veterinary clinic in a rural community where service is not accessible or affordable to everyone,” said Borchardt. “Overall, my main career goal is to genuinely love what I am doing.”

Kendalyn Dahlke is the daughter of Scott and Kari Dahlke and she recently graduated from Edgar High School.  She plans to attend UW-River Falls to major in animal science.  She has worked on her family’s beef farm, where she is responsible for feeding, watering, cleaning pens, administering vaccines and training show cattle.  Dahlke serves the Edgar community through clubs and organizations including FFA, National English Honor Society, Big Buddy Program, Athletes in Action, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, and club volleyball coaching. She served as an officer in several of these organizations. “I want to help the agriculture industry by finding more sustainable sources and processes of manufacturing feeds that can benefit the planet,” Dahlke said. “The agriculture industry is critically important for America’s food supply and is something that needs to be protected.”

Elizabeth Reinart is the daughter of Rachel and Kelly Reinart and she recently graduated from Granton High School. She plans to attend UW-River Falls to major in agricultural education. Reinart served in many different officer roles for Granton Student Council, FFA, Spanish Club and Visioneers Art Club. She was inducted into the National Honors Society and served as secretary, treasurer and president and was a member of the Varsity Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Building Leaders and Standing Tall.  Reinart is a student athlete participating in volleyball and track and has served as a manager for boys’ and girls’ basketball.  Reinart also serves as the Ag in the Classroom coordinator for the elementary school where she presents lessons about agriculture, FFA and leadership. “My ag teacher likes to joke that I don’t have enough hobbies,” said Reinart. “But that’s because I’m so dedicated to school.”

“Vita Plus Loyal has awarded these scholarships for many years and these students are great examples of our future in agriculture,” said Chris Beeman, Vita Plus Loyal general manager.  “Each year, we are impressed with the accomplishments, work ethic, and vision of these high school seniors and we look forward to their leadership.”

Vita Plus Corporation, an employee-owned company, serves dairy and livestock producers throughout the Midwest.  Founded in 1948, the company is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to quality feed manufacturing, Vita Plus consultants offer the latest cutting-edge nutrition, technology and management expertise.

For more information about the organization, call 800.362.8334 or go online to www.vitaplus.com.