The DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation scholarships will be opening in February
Scholarship applications for high school seniors, including the new James M. Johnson Scholarship will be available beginning Feb. 2, 2026. Scholarship applications for current college and medical students will open April 6, 2026. Check the Foundation’s website at www.plantalegacy.org for more information to be released in January, or call the office at 815-756-6361.
Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: Ellie Davis
Let’s catch up with Ellie Davis, a 2025 Farm Bureau Senior Scholarship recipient studying Agricultural Education at Oklahoma State University.
Why did you choose your major:
From the time I started high school, I have always wanted to be an ag teacher. I would not be the person that I am today without my ag teachers. They believed in me, pushed me to grow, and showed me the value of hard work, leadership, and passion. They helped shape who I am, and now I want to do the same for others. I hope to one day make the same kind of difference in my students’ lives that my ag teacher made in mine.
Dream job and where:
High school ag teacher in Northern Illinois
Favorite class this semester:
Agriculture Leadership in a Multicultural Society
Class you’re most looking forward to:
Planning and Conducting Agricultural Youth Organization Events
One thing you miss from home:
Midwestern hospitality and home cooked Illinois food!
Best advice for current high school seniors:
After graduation, you get to decide who you become, what you value, and how you respond to both challenges and opportunities. That kind of freedom is powerful, but also comes with responsibility. The choices you make now will shape your life more than you realize.
One life skill you’ve learned living on your own:
Money doesn’t grow on trees! AND everyone you interact with grew up in a different way. Some of the best friends that I have made here grew up in the Pacific Northwest and it has been really interesting seeing how we do things differently (and talk differently).