(KMAland) -- Supporting enhanced educational opportunities for students interested in careers in the pork industry, is the goal of the Pork Checkoff’s scholars’ program.
Now in its second year, universities applying for this support for their students could realize $30,000 a year for two years.
Chris Hostetler, Director of Animal Science with the National Pork Board, says, this is not a traditional scholarship program, but rather an opportunity to give experience to the next generation of swine subject matter experts.
“This opportunity is focused towards graduate students that would be training of students that are masters PhD or DVM PhD combinations, and it's highly encouraged that there would be a significant amount of cross training from those more traditional animal science areas, but then branching out into other nontraditional areas such as data science or computer science or agriculture engineering.”
Hostetler says the needs of the pork industry have changed. An assessment was recently conducted to understand current producer needs today and into the future.
“There were really three phases to that assessment. The first phase was what our producer needs are. The second was what are academia's needs. And then the third was what was our allied industry needs, and really trying to get an a valid assessment of current and future needs so maybe five to ten years into the future.”
This graduate-level training is not all classroom work though, according to Hostetler.
“There is a large component of this that is relies on embedding of these students within companies, either production companies or packing plants or financial institutions that lend a lot to the swine industry. So, getting that hands on experience is critical part of this overall training objectives.”
More information on the Pork Scholars program is available on the National Pork Board website at www.pork.org.
The Link LonkMarch 08, 2021 at 05:00AM
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Pork Checkoff program building pork scholars | AG | kmaland.com - KMAland
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