By Mark Campbell

The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) is sowing the seeds for the industry’s future.

Longtime supporters of the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus, with two student endowments and three annually funded awards, the NSFA has created a new scholarship to provide financial assistance to undergraduates.

Each year, the Friends of the Federation Scholarship will support students enrolled in a degree, diploma or technology program in the Faculty of Agriculture. Federation president Chris van den Heuvel says preference will be given to children of NSFA members, but the award will not be based strictly on academic performance or financial need.

“We are looking for good, well-rounded candidates,” van den Heuvel explains. “Ideally, it will be someone who’s going to make primary agriculture a career choice, so that’s more of the deciding factor for us.”

Investing in a new generation

van den Heuvel says the scholarship originated with NSFA members and a recognition that students need increased financial support as the costs of education continue to rise. But the intent is also to encourage a new generation of Nova Scotians to enter the industry.

“Without students who are coming up, we don’t have much of a future,” van den Heuvel says. “There are many new and exciting opportunities in agriculture, such as urban and small scale farming. Anything that we can do to help students pursue those opportunities, and help the campus attract students, ensures the continued strength of agriculture in our province.”

Broad member support

It is that spirit that saw NSFA members raise nearly half of the funds. van den Heuvel says as a result of the scholarship request, the Federation was able to double the total amount of scholarships that it provides to students in the Faculty.

“It just comes back to the passion that people have for Nova Scotia’s agricultural industry, and that whole lifestyle,” van den Heuvel says. “Anything we can do in order to help keep young people here, and give them the ability to grow and live a fulfilling life, is important to us, and this endowment is one more way to do that.”

The endowment is also, van den Heuvel says, a way of recognizing the exceptional education experience provided by the Agricultural Campus.

“They do an incredible job of teaching young people what the industry and what the commodities are all about, how to be part of that, and how to be responsible members of the agriculture community.”