2026 Agriculture scholars celebrated at luncheon

Pictured above from left to right: Back row: Ella Eldridge, Drew Lueking, Lane Perry, Wade Stine, Rye Bliler, Will Hilligoss, Collin Johnson, Brody Brown Middle row: Riley Behrends, Haven Cash, Bryson Stickler, Eric Cooper, Gavin Range, Daniel Tomas, Trent Schmid, Abram Girten, Alex Barnard Front row: Maliah Riechmann, Lillian Helbig, Helen Butcher, Adyson Lowrance, Natalie Zwilling, Brooklyn Diel, Annsley Healy, Alayna White. Scholars not pictured: Bailey Leach, Lauryn Maher, Landon Schnepf, Hunter Shike, Shiloh Willis. (Submitted photo)

The class of 2026 Farm Credit agriculture scholars was recognized during a scholarship luncheon at Carriage House Event Center in Altamont Thursday, May 21.
A total of $75,000 of scholarships were awarded to 30 high school seniors. Each scholar receives $2,500 from FCI to pursue a degree within the field of agriculture. 25 of the students attended the recognition program.
This marks the 22nd year of the Farm Credit agriculture scholarship program, which has awarded over $938,500 to 566 students in central and southern Illinois since 2004. Scholarship selections are based on participation and leadership contributions within school and community organizations, a genuine passion for farming and/or agriculture, and a commitment to pursuing an agriculture-related career.
“Farm Credit Illinois is proud to invest in these remarkable young leaders who will shape the future of agriculture and rural America,” says Kelly Hunt, FCI’s chief executive officer. “Their passion and talent are inspiring, and we look forward to the meaningful impact they will make as they pursue continued education.”
2026 FCI Agriculture Scholars are:
Alex Barnard of Foosland (Champaign County) will graduate from Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to study agricultural leadership, education, and communications. Alex’s parents are Angie and Matt Barnard.
Riley Behrends of Clifton (Iroquois County) will graduate from Clifton Central High School and attend Joliet Junior College to study agriculture business. Riley’s parents are Alan and Jessica Behrends.
Rye Bliler of Taylorville (Christian County) will graduate from Taylorville High School and attend Lake Land College to study agriculture production. Rye’s parents are Nate and Elizabeth Bliler.
Brody Brown of Decatur (Macon County) will graduate from Warrensburg-Latham High School and attend Illinois Central College in the diesel technician program. Brody’s parents are Matthew and Melanie Brown.
Helen Butcher of Modesto (Macoupin County) will graduate from Northwestern High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study agronomy. Helen’s parents are Nicholaus and Stacy Butcher.
Haven Cash of Clay City (Clay County) will graduate from North Clay High School and attend Lake Land College in the agriculture transfer program. Haven’s parents are Dustin and Lisa Cash.
Eric Cooper of Mount Pulaski (Logan County) will graduate from Mount Pulaski High School and plans to study agribusiness or animal science. Eric’s parents are Tanya and Scott Cooper.
Brooklyn Diel of Noble (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Lake Land College to study agriculture communications. Brooklyn’s parent is Jennifer Diel.
Ella Eldridge of Girard (Macoupin County) will graduate from North Mac High School and attend Iowa State University to study agriculture business. Ella’s parents are Kimmy and Kris Eldridge.
Abram Girten of Carmi (White County) will graduate from Carmi-White County High School and attend the University of Southern Indiana to study environmental science. Abe’s parents are Joshua and Monica Girten.
Annsley Healy of Norris City (White County) will be a homeschool graduate attending Western Illinois University to study agriculture with a minor in animal science. Annsley’s parents are Phillip and Holly Healy.
Lillian Helbig of Oakdale (Washington County) will graduate from Okawville Jr./Sr. High School and attend Murray State University to study agribusiness. Lily’s parents are Blake and Michele Helbig.
Will Hilligoss of Lovington (Moultrie County) will graduate from Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School and attend Lake Land College to study agriculture. Will’s parents are Kevin Hilligoss and Emily Hilligoss.
Collin Johnson of Waverly (Morgan County) will graduate from Waverly High School and attend Cornell University to study environment and sustainability. Collin’s parents are Adam Johnson and Jessica Petefish-Johnson.
Bailey Leach of Springfield (Sangamon County) will graduate from Pleasant Plains High School and attend Illinois State University to study agriculture business. Bailey’s parents are Ryan and Stephanie Leach.
Adyson Lowrance of Assumption (Christian County) will graduate from Central A&M High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College in the agriculture transfer program. Adyson’s parents are William and Cari Lowrance.
Drew Lueking of Centralia (Clinton County) will graduate from Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School and attend Kaskaskia College in the agriculture transfer program. Drew’s parents are Doug and Sheila Lueking.
Lauryn Maher of Jacksonville (Morgan County) will graduate from Jacksonville High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study agriculture business and marketing. Lauryn’s parents are Robyn Maher and Justin Maher.
Lane Perry of Paris (Clark County) will graduate from Marshall High School and attend Oklahoma State University to study agribusiness. Lane’s parents are Justin and Angie Perry.
Gavin Range of Freeburg (St. Clair County) will graduate from Freeburg Community High School and attend Southwestern Illinois College to study agriculture engineering or agronomy. Gavin’s parent is Kurt Range.
Maliah Riechmann of Hoyleton (Washington County) will graduate from Nashville Community High School and attend Rend Lake College to study agriculture business. Maliah’s parent is Mike Riechmann.
Trent Schmid of Buckley (Iroquois County) will graduate from Cissna Park Senior High School and attend Hillsdale College to study financial management. Trent’s parents are Robert and Katy Schmid.
Landon Schnepf of Lincoln (Logan County) will graduate from Lincoln Community High School and attend Heartland Community College to study welding. Landon’s parents are Alysa Schnepf and Kevin Schnepf.
Hunter Shike of Sadorus (Champaign County) will graduate from Unity High School and attend Black Hawk College to study animal science. Hunter’s parents are Dan and Jennifer Shike.
Bryson Stickler of Pleasant Plains (Sangamon County) will graduate from Pleasant Plains High School and attend Lincoln Land Community College to study crop sciences with a minor in agriculture business. Bryson’s parents are Michael and Amy Stickler.
Wade Stine of Farina (Fayette County) will graduate from St. Elmo High School and attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale to study agricultural and environmental pre-law. Wade’s parents are Jared and Krista Stine.
Daniel Tomas of Cobden (Union County) will graduate from Cobden High School and attend Shawnee Community College in the electrician program. Daniel’s parents are Santiago Tomas and Ana Tomas.
Alayna White of Wayne City (Wayne County) will graduate from Wayne City High School and attend Rend Lake College to study agribusiness accounting. Alayna’s parents are Daniel and Ashley White.
Shiloh Willis of McLeansboro (Hamilton County) will graduate from Hamilton County Jr./Sr. High School and attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the College of ACES. Shiloh’s parents are Audera Willis and Christopher Willis.
Natalie Zwilling of Dundas (Richland County) will graduate from Richland County High School and attend Wabash Valley College to study agronomy. Natalie’s parents are Donna and Byron Zwilling.
About Farm Credit Illinois:
Farm Credit Illinois (FCI) is an agricultural financial cooperative owned by more than 17,100 farmer, rural landowner, and agribusiness voting stockholders in the southern 60 counties of Illinois. Dedicated to Helping Farm Families Succeed, FCI provides competitive and flexible financing, crop insurance expertise, and Rural 1st® country life lending. FCI manages an $8 billion loan portfolio, sells 1.5 million acres of crop insurance coverage, and employs approximately 300 staff in the Mahomet headquarters and 14 regional offices. The Association will return $30 million of 2025 earnings as cash patronage to member-borrowers in June. The U.S. Farm Credit System is a network of locally owned cooperatives supporting rural communities, farm families, and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services today and tomorrow.