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Imperial County Farm Bureau

Scholarships

2018 (some) Scholarship Recipients at ICFB Board Meeting.jpg

Each year, the Imperial County Farm Bureau presents local students with scholarships to aid them in their studies. The scholarship fund is supported by donations and our annual Farm Bureau Scholarship Barbecue, held annually in April. 

 

We were very excited to be able to award $60,500 in scholarships in 2022 to 40 local students! We sincerely appreciate all those who supported by donating to our scholarship program in response to the cancelation of our Annual Scholarship Barbecue as well as those who have donated toward the Jack & Pauline McConnell Memorial, Vern Highley Memorial, Matt LaBrucherie Memorial, Raul Rodriguez Memorial, Al Kalin Memorial , and Jack Strobel Memorial Scholarships. These are the people who make these scholarships possible.

If you are interested in making a donation to any of the scholarship funds, contact our office, mail a check to Imperial County Farm Bureau, or donate with the link below. Please be sure to include a note on or with your payment to let us know which memorial scholarship fund you would like to contribute to.  Donations will go directly into scholarships for local students. 

Imperial County Farm Bureau Scholarship

Imperial County Farm Bureau scholarships are open to Imperial County students

who will be enrolled in college full-time pursuing an agriculture-related career. 

Matthew LaBrucherie

Memorial Scholarship

Matthew LaBrucherie lived the American Dream and spent his life helping others do the same. The son of French immigrants, Mr. LaBrucherie attended Imperial Valley College, Oregon State University and St. Mary's College, where he earned a degree in business administration before returning to Imperial Valley to farm. He was a founder of McCabe Cattle Company, and personally built many of the corrals by hand, which are still in use today. He worked with partners to create El Toro Land & Cattle, El Toro Grain and El Toro Export. These businesses, along with his extensive investment of time, energy and perseverance in giving back to his community contributed immeasurably to advancing the agricultural economy of the Imperial Valley.

Raul Rodriguez

Memorial Scholarship

Raul Rodriguez, former Farm Bureau board member, spent his life helping others, always ready to offer his time or resources to a good cause. A Brawley native, Raul grew up working on his father's ranch. He attended Cal Poly Pomona where he earned a degree in crop science before returning to the Valley to begin his own farming operation with his brother. In addition to serving as board member at Farm Bureau, Raul also served on the IID's Water Conservation Advisory Board as well as the USDA Farm Service Administration's County Advisory Committee.

Jack & Pauline McConnell

Memorial Scholarship

Prior to their untimely deaths in June 2012, Jack & Pauline McConnell were strong advocates for agriculture education. Jack served on the Farm Bureau scholarship committee for as long as it existed, and outside of Farm Bureau the pair shared their rich knowledge with many local and even international students of all ages.

It is fitting, then, that their legacy will continue in a Jack & Pauline McConnell Memorial Scholarship fund, which has been established by Imperial County Farm Bureau in the McConnells' memory.

 

Jack had served as a Farm Bureau board member continuously since the 1950s, while Pauline was extremely active in Farm Bureau Women as well as serving on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors, among many other activities in service to our community and agriculture industry.

Vern Highley

Memorial Scholarship

Vern Highley was a graduate of Holtville High School and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Mr. Highley used his Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts Journalism to promote agriculture through his extensive marketing and lobbying efforts.  His federal relations firm represented Cotton Growers Warehouse Association, Imperial Valley Conservation Research Center and Imperial County among others.

He got his start in agriculture marketing when he served on the executive staff of Calcot.  Over the years, he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Agriculture, Director of the USDA for the Western States and Pacific Trust Territories and Executive Director of Farmers and Ranchers for the Presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, before starting his own firm, Highley Associates.

 

Mr. Highley passed away on January 17, 2006 due to complications from cancer.  His friends and family raised money to create a scholarship fund in his memory to help Imperial Valley students who continue their education to become strong members of a vibrant agricultural community.

Al Kalin

Memorial Scholarship

Al Kalin was an incredible storyteller, but the story of his own life is the best one of all.  His family managed a feedlot, a 3000-acre farm, and the Planters Hotel. His mother eventually purchased eighty acres on the edge of the Salton Sea; this was Al’s favorite childhood haunt where he spent countless days hunting, fishing and beachcombing. Al had many people and experiences in his early years that helped influence and nurture his love for the great outdoors, his respect for nature, and his vast knowledge of many aspects of agriculture and life in the Imperial Valley that would grow to expertise levels throughout his life.

 

Al, along with his brother Carson, started Kalin Farms in high school.  Upon his return to Imperial Valley after college and his service in the military, he helped manage the farm.  They grew 2,500 acres of wheat, alfalfa, carrots, dry onions, and sugar beets.

 

In addition to farming, family, fishing, and fun, Al dedicated much of his time to serving his community including Westmorland Community 4-H leader, a Trustee for the Westmorland Union Elementary School District, and a Director on the Imperial County Farm Bureau board. As a farmer, environmentalist, and foremost expert on the Salton Sea, he served on countless advisory committees tackling issues such as water conservation, restoration of the Salton Sea, water quality, and others. Al was also the recipient of several prestigious awards.

As remarkable as Al was, it was his gentle spirit, quiet nature, willingness to help and teach others, and his down to earth personality that made him a dear friend to people of all walks of life. The Al Kalin Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a student who mirrors many of Mr. Kalin’s characteristics including his love of farming and vast knowledge and care for our environment.

Jack Strobel

Memorial Scholarship

Jack Strobel’s early years were spent farming with his father. In the 1960’s, he developed 320 acres of raw desert into farmland as one of the last desert entries to be approved in the Valley by the Department of Interior.

 

In the late 70’s  Jack became a real estate broker and opened his own office “Jack Strobel Ranch Realty” in El Centro. Because of his farming knowledge, honesty and trustworthiness, he never had to advertise his business. 

 

For over 20 years he supported the California Midwinter fair Junior Livestock auction and 4-H swine program.  He was so proud of these youth that he saved every letter, photograph and thank you note he ever received. 

 

Jack was always willing to go out of his way to extend a helping hand to a friend.   So many farmers and others in the Valley can share a time when he helped them out of a dire situation.   His door was always open and he took great pleasure in knowing that he had a part in helping someone succeed.

2021 Scholarship Awardees 

Imperial County Farm Bureau Scholarship

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Boise State University

Cuesta Community College

Imperial Valley College

New Mexico State University 

University of Arizona

Imperial Valley College 

UC San Diego

UC Davis 

Oklahoma State University

Texas A & M

UC Monterey Bay

University of Arizona

UC Santa Barbara

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Imperial Valley College

UC Davis 

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Oklahoma State University

UC Irvine

New Mexico State University

UC San Diego 

University of Arizona

New Mexico State University 

Louisiana State University 

Harvard University

Colorado State University 

UC Davis

Andrew Angulo

Blake Ayala

Daniela Bastidas

Donald Benedict

John Cummings

Kevin Deol

Karen Gonzalez

Joseph Guler

Jossie Hernandez

Abigail Hester

Seth Hilfiker

Isaac Islas

Payton Iten

Lindsay Lemert

Gavin Macias

Stephanie Martinez

Ashley Meza

Madison Mills

Philip Minnick

Kayla Nunez

Charles Peraza

Montserrat Perez

Rylee Presley

Haylee Ray

Dillon Sanchez 

Kendall Shields

Alyssa Singh

Nathalia Vasquez

Jack & Pauline McConnell Memorial Scholarship

Imperial Valley College

Vanguard University

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

UC San Diego

Donald Benedict

Rachel Chambers

Sarah Grizzle

Joseph Guler

 UC Davis

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

University of Arizona 

Vanguard University 

New Mexico State University 

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Oklahoma State University 

UC Davis 

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Glendale Community College

UC Davis 

University of Arizona

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

 Kimberly Aguirre

Andrew Angulo

Alex Calero

Rachel Chambers

John Cummings

Sarah Grizzle

Wyatt Hensley

 Jossie Hernandez

Gavin Macias

Danitza Pacheco

Keeley Poloni

Julissa Reyes

Arianna Venegas

Matthew LaBrucherie Memorial Scholarship

Vern Highley Memorial Scholarship

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Cal Poly Pomona

Madison Mills

Melissa Matinez-Mejia

Raul Rodriguez Memorial Scholarship

Boise State University

Cal Poly Pomona

New Mexico State University 

UC San Diego 

UC Davis

Colorado State University 

Harvard University

Purdue

Blake Ayala

Mellissa Martinez-Mejia

Charles Peraza 

Montserrat Perez

Keeley Poloni

Alyssa Singh

Kendall Shields

Jacob Zendejas

Jack Strobel Memorial Scholarship

UC Davis 

Boise State University  

Imperial Valley College 

UC Santa Barbara

UC Davis 

UC Irvine

University of Arizona 

UC Davis

Kimberly Aguirre

Blake Ayala

Donald Benedict

Lindsay Lemert

Keeley Poloni

Kayla Nunez

Elijah Ramos

Nathalia Vazquez

Al Kalin Memorial Scholarship

Kevin Deol

Isaac Islas

Madison Mills

Keeley Poloni

Haylee Ray

Alyssa Singh

University of Arizona

CSU Monterey Bay

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 

UC Davis 

New Mexico State University 

Colorado State University

Additional Scholarship Opportunities 

Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association

California Beet Growers 

Assocation

Imperial County COLAB

CFBF Foundation Scholarship

CMWF Heritage Foundation

CAPCA Scholarship

California Women For Agriculture - 

Imperial Valley Chapter

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