11/01/19
HAYS, Kan. – Midland Marketing firmly believes in supporting Fort Hays State University and the surrounding community, and the company’s new annual $1,000 Midland Marketing Agriculture Scholarship will support students at Fort Hays State University with a major or minor in agriculture.

“We are fortunate to have a great working relationship with the university, and we are pleased to be growing that relationship this year,” said Kevin Royer, general manager.

Midland Marketing has also established the Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund to support FHSU’s Department of Agriculture with equipment and technology upgrades.

“We had already planned to increase our support of Fort Hays State University, but decided to apply for a matching grant offered through Land O’Lakes that would double the impact of our gift,” said Royer. “Thank you to Land O’Lakes as we’ve secured funding through their matching gift opportunity, and we’re excited about the potential moving forward.”

Discussing FHSU and the agriculture needs of today, Midland Marketing’s Palco coordinator Anna Luna said, “Everything in agriculture is so technology driven. That’s what’s nice about Fort Hays State University – it’s the hands-on opportunity.”

Luna, a 2007 FHSU agriculture graduate, said, “That’s what I love about being a Fort Hays State alum. I, too, had the opportunity to go out into the field and gain real-world, hands-on experiences.”

“By creating the Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund, we’re hoping to increase the opportunities for success within FHSU’s Department of Agriculture,” said Brian Staab, Midland Marketing board president.

“Those in the agriculture business are facing more challenges than ever, and technology integration is critical,” said Staab. “It is Midland Marketing’s belief that students must learn as much agriculture technology as possible, which will not only prepare them for the current industry, but it will enable them to adapt to future technological changes.”

“Currently, only 2 percent of the population is feeding the other 98 percent,” said Dr. Clyde Cranwell, chair of FHSU’s Department of Agriculture and the University Farm superintendent.

“We warn our agriculture freshmen every year that they’re going to be expected to feed a larger population with fewer resources and more government regulations than ever before,” he said. “Thankfully, our students are up to the challenge.”

Cranwell said Midland Marketing’s support is essential because students need to learn ever-changing technologies and how to use them in order to succeed in the field. FHSU, he said, does this with “hands-on” application.

Midland Marketing’s gift, he said, is also timely in another way.

“This gift has fortuitous timing,” said Cranwell. “The opportunity to expand offerings in precision agriculture dovetail well with FHSU President Tisa Mason’s strategic plan for the institution.”

“We are grateful for the support of Midland Marketing,” said Dr. Grady Dixon, interim dean of FHSU’s Peter Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics. “They’re not only impacting students’ lives by offering scholarship support, but they’re helping us to stay ahead of the curve with the latest technologies and equipment.”

Midland Marketing has partnered with Fort Hays State since 1982. The company first sponsored an agriculture scholarship in 1992, and has given $30,000 to support agricultural education at Fort Hays State.

The funds created by Midland Marketing are open-ended, meaning that others can support their specific initiatives by visiting https://foundation.fhsu.edu/donate. Simply type “Midland Marketing Agriculture Scholarship” or “Midland Marketing Agriculture Technology Fund” as the area of designation.

To learn more about how you can join Midland Marketing in supporting Fort Hays State University’s Department of Agriculture, please contact the FHSU Foundation at 785-628-5620 or foundation@fhsu.edu. For additional information, please visit https://foundation.fhsu.edu or https://www.fhsu.edu/agriculture.