KANSAS CITY, Mo., August 21, 2026 — AgriBank and Agriculture Future of America (AFA) selected Grace Bennett and Mae Wedemeier as recipients of the William J. Collins Scholarship.
The scholarship is part of the AFA Leader and Academic Scholarships program. It provides children of Farm Credit employees within the AgriBank District who are pursuing agriculture-related careers—or future careers in rural America—with premier personal and professional development opportunities, as well as financial assistance for college. This year’s two outstanding students are pursuing four-year degrees and share a passion for the future of agriculture and rural America.
Bennett, who grew up in southwest Wisconsin, will be a freshman at Oklahoma State University, majoring in animal science with a pre-veterinary emphasis. She grew up on a small family farm that raises cash crops, market lambs and beef cattle, and she participated in horseback riding and rodeo. Bennett will compete on the collegiate rodeo team. Her mother, Chassity Bennett, works for Compeer Financial.
Wedemeier grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Northeast Iowa with her three younger brothers. This fall, she plans to attend Iowa State University to major in agricultural communications, with the goal of working directly with producers and consumers. She is honored to receive the William J. Collins Scholarship and excited to attend the AFA Leaders Conference, where she looks forward to exclusive networking opportunities that will help advance her skills and support her future goals. Her mother, Catherine Wedemeier, works for Farm Credit Services of America.
With a commitment to investing in each scholar’s leadership development, AFA’s scholarship program also includes sponsorship to the AFA Leaders Conference. The conference is AFA’s main leadership development event, which provides soft-skill training and connects students with peers and industry professionals.
AFA selects over 800 students from across the nation to attend the AFA Leaders Conference, held annually in November. For more information about Leaders Conference, visit https://www.agfuture.org/experiences/afa-leaders-conference.
William J. Collins Scholars
Grace Bennett, Southwest Wisconsin, Oklahoma State University
Mae Wedemeier, Northeast Iowa, Iowa State University
About Agriculture Future of America
AFA builds bridges for young leaders to foster engagement and innovation in food and agriculture through premier leader and career development experiences. AFA has provided more than 24,000 leader development experiences to college leaders and young professionals from more than 200 colleges and universities throughout 43 states since its inception in 1996. AFA has awarded more than $11 million in academic and leader development scholarships. For more information about AFA, visit agfuture.org.