The James Tracy scholarship program was established because of a Northfield area farmer, James W. Tracy.  This will be the 10th year the Minnesota FFA Foundation will be offering the James W. Tracy Scholarships. The Minnesota FFA Foundation is pleased to bring life to James Tracy's dream of supporting youth in agriculture, keep rural America strong, and support FFA and 4-H members by providing scholarships to youth involved in agriculture.

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James W. Tracy was born in 1941. He grew up on a farm near Northfield, Minnesota. During his childhood, James was an active FFA and 4-H member. After graduating from high school, Jim served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He loved helping young people and wanted to see agriculture and rural American remain strong. He farmed his land until he lost his battle with illness in 2014.

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Besides being a lifelong member of his church, he was an active member in the Lions Club. Jim was a generous man who donated to many causes. He loved helping young people and wanted to see agriculture and rural America remain strong. Tracy had a deep love for the land and farming. He farmed his land until he lost his battle with illness in 2014.

But Jim's story doesn't end there, his desire to support youth in Agriculture led him to donate his farm to an organization that he admired most, the FFA. The Minnesota FFA Foundation is pleased to bring life to James Tracy's dream of providing scholarships to youth involved in Agriculture. Generations of young people will benefit from this donation as the funds will be used to support youth agricultural scholarships.

This scholarship is open to Minnesota FFA and 4-H Members.

Scholarship Eligibility: ​

• Must be a resident of Minnesota

• Must be enrolled or plan to enroll in an accredited post-secondary school in the U.S.

• Must plan to pursue an academic award (certificate, diploma, or degree) in agriculture or animal husbandry

This year $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to students based on the following criteria:

• Leadership, involvement, and agriculture interest

• Three essay questions, limited to no more than 500 words

• Two letters of recommendation.  Letters must be from non family members.  One letter of recommendation is required to be from someone who has known / worked with the student during the previous 12 months.

• Upon completion of the recipients Fall 2025 semester at a post-secondary school, the scholarship recipient will need to send a transcript (copy acceptable) to the MN FFA Foundation showing satisfactory progress. Transcript can be emailed to: amanda.sommers@mnffafoundation.org. Once transcript is received by the MN FFA Foundation and upon completion of your following semester/term , a check will be sent to the scholarship recipient.

Scholarship Timeline:

• Applications are due by February 1st, 2025

• Scholarship recipients will be announced by April 15, 2025.

• For full details please go to our website. Again this year students will apply with a Google Form application that can be found here. Applicants can edit their applications if need be. Just an FYI:  Applicants no longer need to be limited to High School Seniors. College students can apply. If selected as a recipient of this scholarship, students will be able to receive this scholarship once as a high school student and once as a college student.

Applicants can apply here.  Deadline is February 1, 2025. Scholarship recipients will be announced by April 15, 2025.

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Questions on the James Tracy Scholarship Program can be directed to:  

Amanda Sommers, Program Coordinator

Phone: (507)461-2214  OR  

Email: amanda.sommers@mnffafoundation.org

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