Murray State University

For 2024 Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Natalie Evans, being onstage at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield wasn’t that much different from being in a livestock show ring.

Six students recently received 2022 Accelerating a Generation Syngenta Scholarships. These students, who are acquiring degrees focused on agricultural pursuits, will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.

Toby Winans instantly became hooked on flying drones the first time he piloted a machine. “I give all the credit to my dad because the second he showed me how to fly a drone I knew I had to find a way to make it my FFA project,” said Toby Winans, who was named the Star in Agribusiness during the 93rd Illinois FFA Annual Convention.

Farm Credit Illinois named 29 high school seniors as agriculture scholarship recipients and awarded 50 community improvement grants to FFA chapters and 4-H clubs in central and southern Illinois.