Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association Scholarship

Applications are now closed for the 2024 UMDIA Scholarship.

Minimum eligibility for UMDIA Scholarship Applications:

• Pursuing a degree in Animal Science with emphasis in dairy, Dairy Science, Food Animal Veterinary Medicine, Dairy Manufacturing, Dairy Technology or Dairy Food Science. (Other degree programs may be considered if there is strong evidence of commitment and contribution to the dairy industry.)
• Applications from freshmen and sophomore students will only be considered in the absence of qualifying junior or senior applicants.
• Completed at least one semester with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Plans to complete degree program
• One reference letter (from a faculty member or dairy industry leader, not a family member)

Congratulations to our 2024 Scholarship Winners

This year, there were 10 scholarship recipients for 2024. The scholarships were set up to recognize individuals pursuing an education in a field that will enhance the safety of dairy and food products. These individuals were recognized at our fall conference in St. Cloud at our awards banquet.

Read more about the recipients below.

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The scholarship program is funded by members and supporters of the Upper Midwest Dairy Industry Association. In addition we received a generous donation from Nelson-Jameson and the Central Plains Dairy Foundation to expand the number of scholarships we were able to offer this year. 

Nelson-Jameson is a trusted source of food processing supplies, that represents over 850 vendors and distributes over 55,000 products in the broad categories of: processing; maintenance/repair/operations, laboratory and QA/QC, ingredients, packaging, and chemicals.   

Nelson-Jameson products are backed by an expert staff, with a vast amount of plant experience and technical expertise, creating a unique environment of personal service and commitment to your products. The products they offer strive to help lower transaction costs while providing the products and services needed to produce safe, quality food. The Central Plains Dairy Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 organization, is committed to investing in proactive programming supporting the dairy industry along the I-29 Corridor in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Past Scholarship Award Winners:

2023 Scholarship
Kelsey Biel, Jay Dicke, Aly Dieball, Amber Engelken, Anna Euerle, Kylie Konyn, Thomas Lehmann, Eliza Merges, Margaret Molitor, Faith Scott
2022 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Ashley Hagenow, Ross Herber, Kendra Waldenberger
2021 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Fred Mansfield, Madeline Zutz
2020 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Emily Annexstad, Theodore Jacoby, Isabella Portner
2019 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Josh Brown, Elizabeth Endres, Rebekka Paskewitz
2018 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Morgan Krause, Kirby Krogstad, Rachael O’Leary
2017 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Brooke Carrow, Katherine Kindschuh
2016 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Emmalee Blough, Johanna Knorr
2015 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Jennifer Jelinski, Mary Leibbenstein
2014 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Emily Plapp, Sarah Roerick
2013 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Jacob Achen, Matthew Holdvogt
2013 Pioneer Dairymen’s Club Memorial Scholarship
Ashley Adamski, Samantha Scroth
2012 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Jessica Hammerand, Abigail Wirt
2012 Pioneer Dairymen’s Club Memorial Scholarship
Courtney Lasky
2011 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
April Johnson, Laura Weisz
2011 Pioneer Dairymen’s Club Memorial Scholarship
Megan Kleve
2010 Gene Watnaas Scholarship
Charlie Schiller, Abby Udermann
2010 Pioneer Dairymen’s Club Memorial Scholarship
Nicole Stevens
2009 Gene Watnaas Scholarships
Amber Hazel, Lucas Sjostrom
2009 Pioneer Dairymen’s Club Memorial Scholarship
Jacquelyne Koch
2007 & 2008 Gene Watnaas Scholarships
Jennifer Becker, Jacquelyne Koch, Samantha Wahls