Illinois Agri-Women announces 2026 scholarship winners

SUBLETTE, Ill. — The Illinois Agri-Women organization has awarded four scholarships for females studying agriculture.

One $1,500 IAW Helen Henert and Eleanor Zimmerlein Memorial Agriculture Education Scholarship has been awarded to Haley Mae Bode, an agriculture education major from Waterloo.

Bode is a senior at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale this year, finishing her degree in agriculture education.

“An agriculturally literate population is essential for the success of our world. Because of this, agriculture education should be legislated as a core subject in Illinois to ensure all students have access to this knowledge,” she said.

“As a future agriculture educator, I am committed to creating a classroom where students feel inspired to learn, lead and understand their responsibility as agriculturalists. I want my students to leave with knowledge and confidence to represent Illinois agriculture.”

Three $1,000 WCFA Agent of Change Scholarships are offered to students who have attended at least one Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference. Eligible applicants include past attendees of the WCFA career exploration event.

One scholarship has been awarded to a high school senior, one awarded to a current college student and one scholarship awarded to a current graduate student.

Two WCFA Agent of Change Scholarships this year are provided as memorial scholarships. The Phyllis Johnson Memorial Scholarship is provided by daughter Penny Lauritzen.

In 1951, Phyllis and LaVern Johnson moved to his parents’ farm as they retired and moved to town. She worked alongside her husband to plant and harvest the corn, oats and alfalfa that they grew to feed their hogs and cattle.

Johnson raised chickens and was very active supporting her six children in their school, 4-H and FFA activities.

She served several years as the Parent-Teacher Association president and chaired hundreds of fundraising banquet committees at their church and for various school organizations.

This experience led her to establish a catering business and eventually build a new home with a large commercial kitchen and serving area called “Your Home and Ours” — thus creating “farm to fork” before connecting production agriculture to the family table was considered “cool.”

The couple was insistent that their six children secure post-secondary educations, from farm finance to meat science to farm management to nursing to hospitality to psychology.

Johnson believed that supporting young women as they prepare themselves to be self-reliant and serve as leaders in their field of interest was an important effort.

The college student memorial scholarship, the Joan Loeb Memorial Scholarship, is provided by daughter Karen Westbrook.

In 2001, Joan and Herb Loeb purchased their first farm as an investment. This investment became her passion.

Living her whole life in Chicago, Loeb was intrigued by the processes of farming from soil fertility to harvest. She also loved riding in the equipment.

Loeb was fascinated by the education and information required to run a profitable operation. She felt it was important to explain to her city friends that farmers are more than people in bib overalls and farming is much more than plowing a field.

Her daughter, Karen, is a board member of Illinois Agri-Women, a graduate of Annie’s Project and pursued graduate level classes at University of Illinois to help oversee the farm operations.

Loeb believed that women in agriculture was an important effort to support.

The 2026 WCFA Agent of Change scholarship recipients are:

Samantha Myers

Samantha Myers will receive the $1,000 Phyllis Johnson Memorial Scholarship. She is the daughter of Danny and Sarah Myers, Pontiac.

Myers is majoring in animal science and a freshman at Illinois State University. She plans to continue on to veterinary school.

Her goal is to become a veterinarian working with both livestock and small animals in a mixed or rural practice. She is especially passionate about supporting livestock health and productivity while also providing compassionate care for companion animals.

Aubrey Wall

Aubrey Wall, U of I at Champaign, is recipient of the $1,000 Joan Loeb Memorial Scholarship. Her parents are Don and Laura Wall, Sorento.

Wall’s future plans are to become an agricultural teacher and FFA adviser in a rural community.

“My long-term goal is to positively impact as many students as possible by helping them discover their passions, develop leadership skills and build confidence for their futures,” she said.

“Agriculture has always been a central part of my life and I want to share that passion with the next generations of leaders.”

She plans to inspire students to become confident leaders and active members of their communities.

Cally Hatton

Cally Hatton, Illinois State, also receives a $1,000 scholarship. Hatton originates from Marseilles and is the daughter of Tom and Shelly Diss.

She attended Illinois Valley Community College, Joliet Junior College and SIU Carbondale to earn her bachelor’s degree. She is now pursuing her master’s degree.

“Years ago when I attended the Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference in high school, I was amazed at the different opportunities available to women in agriculture. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but finding a passion for agriculture education was a special part of leading me to where I am today,” Hatton said.

“While I looked into other agricultural careers, many of which Women Changing the Face of Agriculture showed me, I stayed with my passion for becoming an agriculture education teacher. The empowerment and support that I felt that day at the conference ensured me that this was the industry I wanted to be in.

“Hearing from the other professionals about all that they have gained from the agriculture industry was inspiring to me and something I wanted to be a part of. Now that I am a teacher, each year I take my own group of students to the Women Changing the Face of Agriculture Conference and always appreciate the wide variety of agriculture careers available to the attendees.

“My students have always remarked about how they didn’t even know that some careers like that existed until they heard about it at the conference. This conference allows women to be inspired and influenced by other women in agriculture to pursue a career in the industry.

“The experience that the professionals share one-on-one with the attendees is always one of my favorite parts and what I see to be most influential from the day. When attendees hear how those professionals come from similar backgrounds as them, but earn the spot they are in today, I think it’s eye-opening to my high schoolers to see what they can do with their future, as well.”