empowering the future of louisiana agriculture
Louisiana Farm Bureau Foundation Linda & Wayne Zaunbrecher Scholarship
We are vitally interested in having the business of agriculture run by future generations of farm and ranch families. To help achieve this goal, we formed a tax-exempt foundation to award scholarships to deserving students pursuing careers in agriculture. We awarded the first two scholarships in 1993, and since then we have awarded 185 scholarships— nearly half a million dollars— to assist graduating high school seniors in their college careers.
In May of 2024, we will award up to five scholarships to applicants submitted by the parish Farm Bureaus. These winners will be selected based on academic achievement, ACT scores, individual leadership in their high school and community, participation in selected parish and state Farm Bureau activities, and financial need. The 2024 winners will be eligible to receive up to $3,000 during the 2024-25 academic year. Winners who maintain academic and curriculum eligibility may reapply each succeeding year to continue their scholarships for a total of four consecutive years. Early college graduation terminates any remaining scholarship payments unless the scholarship recipient immediately enrolls in post-graduate study in agriculture. The amount of money awarded to each winner may vary from year to year.
We invite the graduating seniors of 2024 to review the eligibility requirements. If you plan to pursue a career in agriculture and meet the other requirements, please check back soon to complete the 2024 application. An applicant may apply to only one parish Farm Bureau. Each parish Farm Bureau is eligible to submit one application for consideration as a state winner.
The deadline to apply is February 2, 2024.
For more information, contact your parish Farm Bureau.
Louisiana Farm Bureau® Foundation 2023 Scholarship Winners
2024 LInda & Wayne Zaunbrecher Scholarship Eligibility Requirements
YEAR ONE
Applicants or their parents must be current members of the Louisiana Farm Bureau® Federation.
Applicants must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher for 4 years of high school.
Applicants must graduate from high school in the spring of 2024.
Applicants must attend an accredited Louisiana college or university during the fall and spring immediately following their high school graduation. The scholarship may not be deferred and is not available for summer terms.
Applicants must pursue a career in agriculture by choosing a curriculum in agriculture, agribusiness, agriscience, or other curriculum directly benefiting the agricultural sector of Louisiana’s economy.
Scholarship winners must earn a minimum grade point average of 2.5 during the first semester or quarter of fall 2024 and maintain a major course of study in agriculture for the remainder of the academic year to qualify for the additional payments.
YEARS TWO, THREE & FOUR
Eligible recipients may reapply to continue their award for each academic term for three additional years. The amount of the scholarship may vary each successive year.
Applicants or their parents must maintain an annual Farm Bureau membership.
Applicants must continue to earn at least a 2.5 GPA as a full-time student for each full term in order to re-apply for the next successive semester or quarter.
Applicants must maintain full-time student status in a major field of study in agriculture at an accredited Louisiana university in order to qualify for scholarship funds.
In the event an applicant fails to maintain eligibility for any single semester or quarter, that applicant will be placed on probation and forfeit scholarship funds for the following term but may reapply after regaining eligibility for the following quarter or semester.
Meet Linda & Wayne Zaunbrecher
Linda and Wayne Zaunbrecher were lifetime residents of Vermilion Parish and rice and cattle farmers. Prior to their deaths, Wayne was a board member of the Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau and Treasurer of the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board; Linda served as 3rd Vice President of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, a member of its board of directors, Chair of the State Women’s Leadership Committee, and a member of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Foundation’s scholarship committee since its inception in the early 1990s.
To honor their many years of volunteerism and loyal service to the Louisiana Farm Bureau, our scholarship is known as “The Linda and Wayne Zaunbrecher Scholarship.”
Throughout the year, parish farm bureaus across the state host a variety of fundraisers to support the Louisiana Farm Bureau and Ag in the Classroom Foundations, which help fund the future of Louisiana agricultural leaders.