Take directly from the Government of Saskatchewan website: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/agriculture-natural-resources-and-industry/agribusiness-farmers-and-ranchers/canadian-agricultural-partnership-cap/public-trust/agriculture-student-scholarship
Your future in agriculture is waiting.
The possibilities are endless, so dream big and thinkAG!
Benefits of applying
Saskatchewan’s agriculture and agri-food industry is bursting with career opportunities – from production, research, processing, manufacturing, to finance and everything in between. In fact, the industry accounts for more than 50,000 jobs across the province.
For students willing to speak up and tell the exciting story of agriculture, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture offers the Agriculture Student Scholarship. The winning scholarship is valued at $4,000 and the three runner-up scholarships are valued at $2,000 each.
Eligibility
We are looking for young people who plan to pursue an exciting career in the industry. To be eligible for this scholarship, you must be a Grade 12 student or recent high school graduate (within the past two years) residing in Saskatchewan who is planning to take agriculture-related post-secondary education beginning in the fall of 2020.
Note: Ministry of Agriculture and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation employees and their immediate family members are not eligible.
How to apply
Applicants must complete the Application Form and:
- Produce a creative three-minute video or 1,000-word essay sharing their food story (criteria below);
- Provide a letter of conditional acceptance to a post-secondary institution; and
- Provide a letter of recommendation from either a teacher/professor, agriculture industry leader or community leader.
Note: The Application Form can be printed and scanned or completed electronically. To complete the form electronically, the most recent version of Adobe is required.
The application deadline is March 1, 2020, and applicants have until April 1, 2020, to submit a copy of their letter of conditional acceptance into their specified college/program. Applications should be submitted electronically to by email. Videos can be submitted by including a YouTube link on the application form or by attaching a copy of the digital file.
Application theme and criteria
Applications to the 2020 Agriculture Scholarship program should be based on the theme, Our Food Has a Story. Through the theme, applicants will have an opportunity to tell stories of how food produced on the farm gets to the table, and to recognize the dedicated people it takes along the way to sustainability deliver healthy, affordable and safe products. Submissions should focus on one or more of the following topics: affordability, food safety, health and nutrition, and/or sustainability.
Everyone has a personal connection with food, and we want to hear about yours! Some examples of food stories include: an explanation on how agriculture has benefited your community, how your family farm has adopted technologies to protect your livestock and the environment, or, it could be about what you do to advocate for agriculture and help others understand where their food comes from.
Finding inspiration
When developing your essay or video, consider the following questions:
- How has your experience on a farm, ranch, or in an agricultural food business guided your food story?
- How has your school, community, family, and/or friends have been impacted by agriculture.
- What do you hope to learn during your post-secondary education that will further shape your food story?
- How could you use your food story to promote Saskatchewan producers or processors (within the agriculture/ food sectors)?
Note: These questions are meant as a guide, and you are not required to address each of them directly in your application.
Still not sure where to start? Check out these links for some great ideas.
- OurFoodHasAStory.ca
- thinkAG Career Profiles
- The Real Dirt on Farming
- Saskatchewan’s Stewardship Journey
- AgricultureMoreThanEver.ca
Evaluation process
Videos and written submissions will be judged by a review committee based on: alignment with the themes provided, development of ideas, structure and clarity, creativity and quality, and professionalism. Leadership qualities and school/community involvement in your letters of recommendation will also be taken into consideration.
The Ministry of Agriculture reserves the right to publish or promote all submissions as deemed appropriate. Any personal information collected will not be used for any other purposes and will remain confidential.
Scholarship recipient
Scholarship recipients will be notified in May 2020. Recipients will need to submit their Official Confirmation of Enrollment, as issued by their post-secondary institution, prior to receiving the scholarship funds.