Scholarships

Scholarship Program

Are you a college student looking to pursue a career in the dairy industry? We want to help.

Each year, Maryland & Virginia awards a series of five $1,000 scholarships, and thanks to the MDVA Fund, the cooperative is able to offer additional scholarships to deserving students.

Scholarships are available to students pursuing careers in the dairy industry who are currently enrolled in a two or four-year accredited college, and must be one of the following:

The child of a Maryland & Virginia member
An employee of a Maryland & Virginia member
The child of a Maryland & Virginia employee

Winners are chosen based on their commitment to the dairy industry, leadership ability, initiative, character, integrity, and participation in extracurricular activities.

For more information about the cooperative’s scholarship program, please contact Daniela Roland at 814-386-8000 or droland@mdvamilk.com.

Scholarship Details

Keep an eye out for information on the 2023 scholarship process this fall.

Where Are They Now

From business managers to large animal veterinarians, our scholarship program has helped to fuel a variety of successful, dairy-driven careers. Since the program’s inception, Maryland & Virginia has been proud to invest more than $80,000 in scholarships to benefit more than 75 future dairy leaders in the last decade.

Scholarship recipient Ellie Grossnickle is preparing to graduate from Virginia Tech in 2020.

Ellie is a dairy science major with a minor in communications. While at Virginia Tech, she has been involved in Collegiate FFA, Sigma Alpha and the Virginia Tech Dairy Club.

“I have a huge passion for advocating for the dairy industry,” said Ellie.

When considering her future plans, she hopes to change society’s view about farmers and the food industry.

“I think that farmers need to be transparent. It’s our time to stand up and educate consumers and make sure they are confident that milk is the best product. I want people to understand and appreciate where their food comes from,” she added.

Rachel Gray graduated this April from the University of Mount Olive with a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness. Rachel has returned to her family’s farm, Grayhouse Farms, in Stony Point, North Carolina. One of her more rewarding college experiences was interning at Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana.

“During my internship, I worked closely with the herdsmen and breeders at Fair Oaks. I also helped in the maternity barns and with the veterinarians. I really enjoyed that opportunity,” Rachel said.

Since graduating earlier this month, Rachel has been working on her family farm where she is the assistant herdsperson and helps with heifer and cow management, herd health, harvesting crops and field work.

Mark Phillips of Waynesboro, Virginia used his Maryland & Virginia Scholarship to attend Virginia Tech.

He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness in 2018 and went to work for AgCentral Cooperative in Athens, Tennessee. There he worked in the dairy department where he helped install Delaval robots and other dairy, manure, and feed equipment.

Eventually Mark and his wife, Hunter, found their way back to their family farm, North Point Farm, in Virginia. Mark now oversees the nutrition program, helps to manage personnel, and works on facilities improvement to advance animal welfare and milk production.