DairyBusiness

Winners of the 2009 NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. Scholarships were recently announced. Tera Koebel of Three Oaks, Michigan; Lynnae Slavik of Ashley, Michigan and Stephanie Geiger of Brillion, Wisconsin are all recipients of a $500 scholarship for continuing their education in the field of agriculture.

A freshman at Michigan State University (MSU), Koebel is majoring in Agribusiness Management. Graduating third in her class from River Valley High School with a 3.9 grade point average, Koebel received Outstanding Student Awards in Language Arts, Science, Mathematics, History, Physical Education and Foreign Language. Additionally, she served as captain for two years for both the River Valley Girls Varsity Soccer and Varsity Basketball teams. In addition to school, Koebel is very active in 4-H, FFA and the Michigan Jr. Holstein Association. Koebel was named Young Distinguished Junior Member in 2008 by the Michigan Jr. Holstein Association; and in 2009 earned the State FFA Dairy Proficiency Award. Koebel is the daughter or Terry and Jennie Koebel of Tri-Koebel Holsteins.

A senior at MSU, Slavik is majoring in Animal Science. Previously, Slavik attended Fulton High School where she was Class Vice President and served on the Student Council for three years. Additionally, she was active and involved in both 4-H and FFA holding various leadership positions. Slavik was selected the Senior Dairy Ambassador in 2008 by the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference. Her extracurricular activities while at MSU include being a member of the Block and Bridle Club, as well as Collegiate FFA. Slavik is the daughter of Jim and Doreen of Slavik Farms.

Geiger is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, majoring in Dairy Science. A 2009 graduate of Brillion High School, Geiger graduated eighth in her class with a 3.95 grade point average. Geiger also served as team captain of the Brillion Girls Varsity Basketball and Volleyball teams; she was a member of the Student Council and was Class President. Actively involved in 4-H and FFA, Geiger held various leadership positions in both organizations and earned several State FFA Proficiency Awards. Geiger is the daughter of Simon and Rhonda Geiger.

The NorthStar Cooperative Scholarship program was established in 2005 to encourage post high school study in the field of agriculture for stockowners and their children. Eligible candidates must be a stockowner of the Cooperative or a son or daughter of a stockowner. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of scholastic achievement, current and potential leadership, and interest in pursuing a career in agriculture. NorthStar Cooperative will award scholarships again in 2011 and details will be posted at northstarcooperative.com in April.

NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. is a stock based cooperative, owned by dairy and beef producers in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Originally formed in 1944 as an artificial insemination cooperative, NorthStar Cooperative, Inc. is now comprised of sales and service for Select Sires, Ag Products and Technologies, DHI Services and Antel BioSystems, an animal disease testing center. Based in Lansing, Michigan, NorthStar provides sales and service to producers, veterinarians and industry members across the United States. For more information, visit www.northstarcooperative.com.