The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable contributions from the nation’s leading agribusiness cooperative, awarded $57,500 in ag teacher grants to eight recipients in support of rural agricultural education program aimed at cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders.
The announcement followed live voting by attendees at the 2025 CHS Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, where participants selected Ashby Public Schools, in Ashby, Minn as the top grant winner. Ashby Public Schools will receive $20,000 to support the development of a greenhouse that will serve as a living classroom, expanding access to fresh produce while deepening students’ understanding of agriculture.
Based on the voting, Madison Consolidated High School, in Madison, Ind., will receive $15,000 to expand the Growing Minds Farm Stop, a student-run farm store and cafe. Edwards County High School, in Albion, Ill., will receive $10,000 to purchase new tools and software for its precision agriculture program.
“Agricultural education programs play a vital role in preparing students to lead in the evolving world of farming and agribusiness,” said Megan Wolle, president of the CHS Foundation. “We’re proud to support our CHS Foundation grant recipients as they provide students with technical skills, leadership experience and a deeper understanding of how agriculture sustains and strengthens communities.”
“The support of organizations like the CHS Foundation is what is going to make this goal of ours achievable and allow us to make this greenhouse project happen,” said Bonita Oestriech, one of the teachers at Ashby Public schools working on the project. “We’re so thankful for this grant program and for the CHS Foundation.”
In addition to the three finalists, five other schools were awarded $2,500 as runners-up.
The ag teacher grants are one of the ways the CHS Foundation invests in educating rural youth and building strong ag career pathways to enable a strong pipeline for agriculture and to help people understand the value of the cooperative system.
NOTE: Watch this video to learn more about the grant applicants and their projects.
About the CHS Foundation
The CHS Foundation (https://www.chsinc.com/stewardship), funded by charitable gifts from CHS, is focused on developing a new generation of agricultural leaders for lifelong success. Together with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high-impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. The CHS Foundation also supports co-op education and rural safety and community projects.
