The scholarship is the province's commitment to developing young agriculture leaders by identifying passionate advocates and supporting their continued studies in agriculture.

Karly Rumpel, a Public Trust Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture says once again they received a number of outstanding applications.

Emily Sebastian of Montmartre was the grand prize winner and was awarded a $4,000 scholarship towards her post-secondary studies.

Emily's video submission discussed the various ways that farmers and ranchers can effectively communicate with consumers in a transparent and honest manner. Emily will be furthering her education at the University of Saskatchewan at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. 

Sebastian says the scholarship is a great way to express your ideas and gives you an opportunity to make a difference in the agriculture industry.

"More than that, though, it makes you think about what you can do to become more transparent about your, or your family's operation." 

The other scholarship winners are Kristie Pedersen from Lockwood, Grace Waldenberger from Marquis and Kate Axten from Minton, they take home $2,000 each.

Kristie's essay explored how communication and education is key to bridging the gap between the farm and the plate. She focused her transparency essay on the whole supply chain and the need for everyone to share their story. Kristie will be furthering her education in Moose Jaw where she will be studying in the Agriculture and Food Production Program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. 

Grace's essay highlighted the important role that agriculture plays in people's lives, whether they are directly connected to the industry or not. She spoke about the impact that social media influencers can have on people and the importance of educating youth. Grace will be taking her post-secondary education at either the University of Saskatchewan or the University of Lethbridge. 

Kate Axten's video submission focused on what transparency is and how farmers can be more transparent. Her video showcased the work that her family farm has done to improve transparency with their consumers. Kate will be attending Dalhousie University in the fall where she will be studying International Food Business in the Faculty of Agriculture.

Agriculture Minister David Marit says it's great to see Saskatchewan youth talk so passionately about agriculture adding the future of our industry is in good hands.

Funding for the Agriculture Student Scholarship comes through the Federal Provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

For more information on the scholarship winners and their submissions, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/ag-public-trust.