Abby Berger of Jonesboro, Arkansas, is the recipient of the 2022-23 Soy Scholarship award, sponsored by BASF and the American Soybean Association.
The ASA/BASF Soy Scholarship is a $5,000 award presented to a high school senior who excels in academics and in leadership roles and who plans to pursue a degree in an agriculture-related field at an accredited college or university. The scholarship is open to children and grandchildren of ASA members.
“ASA is thankful to once again partner with BASF and offer this opportunity to an exceptional student pursuing a career in ag,” said Brad Doyle, ASA president. “It’s important to encourage young people who are interested in agriculture and provide them with tools to help them succeed. ASA and BASF are pleased to support students for their hard work and help the next generation achieve its goals.”
Berger has been involved in agriculture through the Poinsett County Farm Bureau office, as well as Arkansas Farm Bureau and Arkansas Rice. She served in various leadership roles, including student ambassador and student government representative, student representative for an area COVID-19 Work Group, student body VP and other roles. She has participated in numerous school groups, including the botany, zoology, Spanish club, National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America.
Described as ambitious by her peers and mentors, Berger says she would like to influence new policies that will advocate for farmers. She plans to pursue graduate level studies after college and would like to analyze the intersection of the chemical composition and nutrition of soybeans and their performance with foraging wildlife. In her scholarship essay, she notes that she plans to expand upon her research of forage soybeans and their viability for cattle grazing.
“BASF is thrilled to help recognize the early endeavors of this budding leader in ag,” said Scott Kay, VP, U.S. Crop, BASF Agricultural Solutions North America. “Abby’s ambitions to advocate for the growers currently feeding the world are key to the future of this industry. We need not only more thinkers but also more doers who will help propel the future of ag to be a more sustainable one.”
The American Soybean Association represents U.S. soybean farmers on domestic and international policy issues important to the soybean industry. ASA has 26 affiliated state associations representing 30 soybean-producing states and more than 500,000 soybean farmers.
For more information, visit soygrowers.com and agriculture.basf.com.
