Vita Plus Loyal and Vita Plus Kennan name agriculture scholarship winners

(Loyal, Wis.) – Vita Plus Loyal and Vita Plus Kennan proudly selected three high school seniors as recipients of the 2022 “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 Emma Bangart, Marshfield High School, and Abigail Hovland, Abbotsford High School. The recipient of the Vita Plus Kennan scholarship is Brooke Lebal, Flambeau High School.

Emma Bangart is the daughter of Rick and Peggy Bangart and graduated from Marshfield High School. She will attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls to major in dairy science and pre-veterinary medicine. Bangart works on her family’s dairy farm, where she owns a small herd of registered Red and White Holsteins, in addition to part-time jobs with Marshfield Veterinary Service and at a local cheese store. She has held several leadership positions with her local 4-H club and was active in FFA, National Honor Society, Wood County Junior Holstein Association, and Wisconsin Holstein Association. “I hope to one day return to the area to practice veterinary medicine while continuing to be involved on the farm,” Bangart said. “Becoming a veterinarian will allow me to help the people that feed the growing population.”

Abigail Hovland is the daughter of Adam and Katie Hovland and graduated from Abbotsford High School. She will attend UW-River Falls to major in biology and pre-veterinary medicine. In addition to her family’s dairy farm, she has worked on another dairy and for the Medford Veterinary Clinic. Hovland participated in 4-H, FFA, band, choir and basketball. Hovland said, “I plan to focus mainly on large animal practice…to ensure care and health is maintained for maximum production.”

Brooke Lebal is the daughter of Jody and Deb Lebal and graduated from Flambeau High School. She will attend UW-Eau Claire to major in history education. She has worked on her family’s farm since she was 13 and also worked at Dairy Queen and Walmart. At school, Lebal participated in forensics, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, History Club, Student Council and sports. She also served as president of her 4-H club and a youth member of the Price County Fair Board. “Agriculture has always been a huge part of my life,” Lebal said, “and leaving an agricultural footprint on the future leaders of our state and nation is a big goal of mine.”

“Vita Plus Loyal and Vita Plus Kennan have awarded these scholarships for many years now,” said John Every, 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 in agriculture’s future.”

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 at www.vitaplus.com.