Funds

The ASF-IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Agricultural Sciences) Fund seeks to collaborate and amplify funding with allied partners, with the purpose of maximizing the global impacts of  the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), and Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in agricultural and environmental science communities.

The ASF-IDEAS Fund strives to address:

• Societal concerns expressed in areas of social justice, institutional racism, reparations, class privilege, and other related areas.
• Unfounded rejection of science and technology in key decision-making forums. ASF’s desire is to harmonize science and society to reduce unfounded bias and divisions through improving communications and understanding.

Strategic Objectives:

• Promote pathways that foster a climate of inclusion and cultural awareness in the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA through advocacy and outreach, mentorship and internships, and leadership development for underrepresented communities.
• Develop partnerships with public and private entities; diversity-focused organizations; technology, food, and fiber companies; and foundations, non-governmental organizations, and government.

The ASF-IDEAS Fund is leading a campaign for additional funding to create opportunities for broad participation for sustainable fiscal growth. Your financial support will help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in ASA, CSSA, and SSSA. It will support additional programs and collaborations that promote and improve access to higher education and professional opportunities in agricultural and environmental sciences for under-represented communities.

Join the Agronomic Science Foundation to seed, cultivate, and harvest new talent on a global scale by supporting any of our scholarships or travel grants!

American Society of Agronomy

Wyman E. Nyquist Golden Opportunity Scholars Fund
Greenfield Scholars Fund

Academic Undergraduate Scholarship

Agronomic Travel Study Scholarship (L.B. Johnson Fund)
Frank D. Keim Graduate Fellowship
J.Fielding Reed Undergraduate Soil and Plant Sciences Scholarship

Crop Science Society of America

Crop Science Graduate Student Scholarship (Gerald Mott Fund)
Robert F. Barnes Graduate Education Award

Soil Science Society of America

Clark Soil Biology Scholarship
Gary "Pete" Peterson Dryland Soil Management Scholarship
Hubert J. Byrd Soil Science Undergraduate Scholarship
Soil and Water Conservation Scholarship

Travel Grants

Chris Stiegler Travel Fund
Dixon Soil Mineralogy Fund
JL Smith Travel Fund
Luxmoore Student Travel Grants (Wilde-Luxmoore Forest, Range and Wildland Soils Fund & Soil Physics Mentoring Fund)

Graduate Student Programs

Richard R. Johnson Graduate Student Program Fund

This program, sponsored by ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, develops the agronomy, crops, soils, and environmental science professions by strengthening the next generation of leaders in the profession. Undergraduate students from across the world in associate or bachelor’s degree programs seeking to attend further higher education are eligible. Students must be undergraduates at the Annual Meeting in November when the program kicks off.

Learn more about the Golden Opportunity Scholars Program

This program, sponsored by ASA and the International Certified Crop Adviser Program, develops the agronomy, crops, soils, and environmental science professions by strengthening the next generation of leaders in the profession. Students from across the world in associate or bachelor's degree programs intending to enter the industry and pursue the Certified Crop Adviser/Certified Professional Agronomist are considered.

Learn more about the Greenfield Scholars Program

Thank you for your interest in supporting the NAPB Borlaug Scholars travel grant and scholarship program. This program enhances the recruitment, development, and professional opportunities for our future plant breeders by covering expenses for recipients to attend the NAPB Annual Meeting. Institutions who train and employ them also significantly benefit.  And, it provides the professionals who mentor these emerging student leaders an opportunity to give back to the greater plant breeding community. Your contributions enable a bright future for plant breeding, a noble profession that supports food security, quality of life, and a sustainable future.

NAPB has partnered with the Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF) in creating a fund that enjoys minimal overhead expense, thereby ensuring your financial contribution goes towards where it is intended - support of emerging plant breeders.  The ASF experience provides a great advantage in making the most of your donation because funds are invested conservatively to safely grow over time.

You are taken to this ASF page to make your donation to the NAPB Borlaug Scholars Fund. To make your donation click on the Donate to a Specific Fund button below and follow the simple instructions.  Your donation may be tax deductible since NAPB is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. You will receive a receipt for any donation.
Thank you for your generosity and “paying it forward” to support the future leaders of plant breeding! Your contributions are critical to the continued success of the NAPB Borlaug Scholars Fund!

Don C. Jones, NAPB Borlaug Scholars Committee, Chair

On Dec. 24, 2010, the turfgrass academic community lost one of its brightest young scholars, when Chris Stiegler and his wife, Jenny, were killed in an automobile accident in Texas while travelling to be with their family for the holidays. Chris received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in turfgrass management at Oklahoma State University and worked for a period of time as an assistant golf course superintendent in Wichita, KS and as a Cooperative Extension Agent in Oklahoma. Chris completed a PhD in turfgrass science at the University of Arkansas in May of 2010 and was hired as an assistant professor of turfgrass ecology and physiology at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

The Chris Stiegler Turfgrass Science Graduate Student Travel Award was established as a way to honor Chris’ major contributions to the Turfgrass Science (C5) Division of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) as a graduate student and to further encourage future scholars to participate in our meetings. The funds are being used to award travel grants each year to deserving graduate students in the C5 Division of CSSA. Since the fund’s beginning in 2011, 29 students have already been awarded travel grants and countless more can be awarded into the future – but we need your help!!

The Turfgrass Science Division of CSSA has long-recognized the importance of graduate students to the health and vitality of our organization, as well as to the future of turfgrass science and the turfgrass industry as a whole. Chris Stiegler was readying himself for a promising career in turfgrass science, but his contributions and career were unfortunately cut short by this tragic accident. Supporting the efforts of future graduate students, through this Travel Award, will insure that turfgrass science remains strong and in good hands long into the future.

The Annual Meeting provides a platform for graduate students to showcase their research, network with other scientists, and attend professional development workshops that help further their careers; however, attending the meeting requires substantial financial resources to cover travel expenses, abstract fees, and registration. While grad student attendance has remained consistent over the past years, a recent Member Survey revealed that 61% of students selected “Can’t afford to go” in response to the question, “What keeps you from attending the SSSA Annual Meeting?” The results indicate that the financial requirements of attending the meeting can create a barrier to attendance and demonstrate a need for financial assistance among graduate student members. 

To address this issue, the ACS Graduate Student Committee created a Graduate Student Travel Grant in 2020. This program is the first of its kind because it is organized by graduate students for graduate students. Travel grants will be awarded annually to at least 10 qualified students (up to $750/student) who plan to present research at each Annual Meeting, are unable to attend the Annual Meeting without additional outside financial assistance (not fully supported by the professor, department, or program), and can provide justification outlining how meeting attendance will benefit their careers. These travel grants were awarded to support :

• 2021 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake, UT: 11 grad students

• 2022 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD: 10 grad students

• 2023 Annual Meeting in St. Louis, MO: 10 grad students

While awarding students every year, the ACS Graduate Student Committee has been continuously raising donations to transform their Grad Student Travel Grant Pilot Program into a permanent ASF Fund. Since the program was started, the Committee raised funds while still awarding travel grants to students. The Agronomic Science Foundation Board of Trustees agreed to back this effort and provide matching funds of up to $5,000 each year, until 2025. Now, the Graduate Student Committee is closer than ever to reaching their goal of at least $35,000 to permanently fund the Grad Student Travel Grants. We need your help to make this a reality! Please consider donating to this program.

These students will benefit from the mentorship connections, leadership training, and opportunities for collaboration provided by our Societies. In return, the Societies will benefit by facilitating student involvement and fostering connections between graduate students and more senior society members. We believe it is necessary to facilitate graduate student involvement to help grow and support the future of the Societies. Your donation will help us realize this mission - please consider donating today. Every dollar counts!

Donors can also mail a check directed to the Agronomic Science Foundation, with “Grad Student Travel Grant Fund” noted on the memo line. ASF, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711-580

Interested to find out how your contribution can help graduate students? Check out what some of our past recipients said:

 

“Because of the scholarship, I was able to attend the SSSA conference free of any financial burden. At the conference, I was able to present the research I conducted during my undergrad and my MS research. I competed in the Graduate Student Competitions for both of my presentations and won the 2nd place award for my undergrad research presentation. Additionally, I was able to network with scientists in the field that I admire, which led me to apply to work with said scientists for my PhD. Without the Travel Scholarship, I'm not sure I would have been able to attend and have these truly amazing experiences.” - Ashleigh Montgomery

 

“Because of the Graduate Student Travel Scholarship and the generous donors who made it possible, I was able to attend the Annual Meeting. This was important to me as it was my last conference before graduating with my master's degree but also the first conference I could attend in person due to COVID. Through this opportunity I was able to present my research, network, learn from other scientists, and attend the Graduate Student Leadership Conference. This was a crucial time for me to attend this conference and I am incredibly grateful that I was able to do so!” - Hanna Noorda Burgin

 

“The support provided by the Graduate Student Travel Scholarship allowed me to show the results of my dissertation research, introduce myself to the scientific community, and recognize the efforts of the University of Florida Forage Program. Additionally, I could learn about new technologies and the state of the art in agricultural research, while networking and acquiring new research contacts worldwide. I greatly thank the ASA-CSSA-SSSA for this international meeting and for facilitating my participation in it.” - Jaime Garzon Alfonso

 

“Dear donors, Thank you for your generosity toward the Travel Scholarship to attend ASA-CSA-ASSA annual meeting. With your donations, students like me were able to participate in the conference and share our research with specialists in the field, as well as network and learn with them on how to become better scientists. I am extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to attend the conference in Salt Lake City by being awarded the travel scholarship. This opportunity gave me the encouragement to continue with the research that can advance the scientific community. Knowledge is the only thing that no one can take away from you, and the opportunity of participating in this conference is something that will be always engraved in me. Thank you for being part of my growth as a scientist and my story.” - Marcia Quinby

 

“ASA-CSSA-SSSA tri-society meeting is an outstanding platform for agricultural/plant science students where they can present their findings to a large intellectual audience while also learning about new research ideas and methodologies. It is also a great platform to interact and extend the networks with peers and mentors coming all over the world. I personally grabbed as many opportunities as I could from the meeting last year. I participated in both oral and poster contests, interacted with peers and built networks, and practiced some of the best communication styles. I also was able to participate in the graduate leadership conference and learn invaluable tips to enhance leadership skills. I also brought Texas A&M the first place award in the Precision Agriculture Poster Competition. All of these were possible only because of the travel scholarship that ACS funded to me. I would like to thank the ACS travel grant committee for helping me attain my goals for the tri-society meeting last year 2021 through this fund. I would also like to congratulate the committee for such a wonderful initiative and I truly hope that it reaches out to as many grad students as possible.” - Bishwa Sapkota