Any student going to university to study in agriculture can apply for scholarships through the Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SaskBarley).
Each year, SaskBarley offers four scholarships to students who are taking graduate or undergraduate studies. They’re offering up to three scholarships — $6-thousand at the PhD level, $4-thousand at the Master’s of Science level, and an undergraduate scholarship to fourth-year College of Agriculture and Bioresources students at the University of Saskatchewan.
New this year is a $2-thousand scholarship at the undergraduate level.
Research and Extension Manager with SaskBarley Mitchell Japp clarified that only the undergraduate scholarship for students in their fourth-year at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources is tied to USask, while the others can be utilized in any other post-secondary institution in Canada.
He says the only requirement when applying is writing about how their studies will aid in barley research and benefit the sector as a whole.
“Just a quick summary of the research project and how its going to help ensure barley as a long-term, profitable, internationally-competitive crop choice for Saskatchewan producers, if its going to increase the production and value of barley for producer and consumer, or support the food, feed, or industrial uses of barley,” said Japp. “Anywhere that kind of fits within the mission, mandate, and goals for SaskBarley in terms of advancing the crop.”
The application window opened Monday and students have until October 9 to apply. Successful applicants will be notified by November 12.
He noted the graduate scholarships get a lot of interest, adding last year the SaskBarley Board awarded five scholarships rather than the usual three. Since its inception about $76-thousand in scholarships have been handed out.
Japp says some scholarship winners have been recognized for their contributions to barley research at different events, such as the Barley Symposium in Saskatoon in February.
“It’s really rewarding to see how beneficial the research (that they’re doing) is and how that’s impacting the industry.”
All of the information on how to apply is on the SaskBarley website.