UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- For eight students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, exhibiting livestock at the Pennsylvania Farm Show has paid off in a big way. The students were awarded scholarships by the Farm Show Scholarship Foundation during the recently concluded show in Harrisburg.

To be eligible for Farm Show scholarships, students must be enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution, must have been an exhibitor of junior market sheep, steers, swine or goats at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and must display exemplary academic and leadership qualities. Exhibitors of junior breeding livestock and dairy cattle also are eligible.

The amount of this year's scholarship is $3,500. The College of Agricultural Sciences will match that amount for enrolled students, bringing the total amount of the grants to $7,000 each.

This year's Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recipients were:

--Caitlin Fairbairn of Coatesville, Chester County, a freshman studying food science.

--Kyle Grim of East Berlin, Adams County, a junior majoring in animal sciences.

--Laura Grove of Shippensburg, Franklin County, a junior majoring in agribusiness management.

--Rebecca Hedges of New Florence, Indiana County, a junior majoring in agricultural and extension education.

--Jennifer Maulfair of Jonestown, Lebanon County, a junior studying agricultural and extension education.

--Andrew Meyer of Warfordsburg, Fulton County, a sophomore studying wildlife and fisheries science.

--Johanna Rohrer of Manheim, Lancaster County, a freshman majoring in animal sciences.

--Adam Wise of Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, a freshman at Penn State-DuBois studying animal sciences.

In all, 27 young Farm Show exhibitors received scholarships this year. The recipients were recognized at the Farm Show Scholarship Foundation breakfast, as well as before the Sale of Champions at the 2007 Farm Show.

The Farm Show Scholarship Foundation was formed by several Pennsylvania agricultural leaders and companies to help prepare Pennsylvania's youth for careers in agriculture. Funding for the scholarships comes from Farm Show livestock champion sales, corporate membership dues, individual contributions, proceeds from hotel and restaurant listings in the annual "Farm Show Accommodations" brochure, buyer contributions from the Farm Show's Junior Livestock Sale and the foundation's annual benefit dinner and auction.

The foundation has awarded more than $544,000 in scholarships to 248 students since the program's inception in 1993.

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EDITORS: For more information on course content, contact Denise Connelly at 814-865-0113.

Editor Chuck Gill Phone: 814-863-2713 E-mail: cdg5@psu.edu