240K Awarded in Ag Classroom Grants

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Jill Carlson, Public Relations Strategist 

[email protected] or (309) 502-2805

65 Schools Receive Grant to Fund Ag Programs and Equipment

Compeer Financial awards $239,815 to middle and high schools in Upper Midwest

Sun Prairie, Wis. (May 27, 2025) – Compeer Financial announced it is awarding 65 schools in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin a total of $239,815 to support agricultural education programs and equipment through its Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant Program. The grants represent Compeer’s commitment to rural communities by providing middle and high school students with hands-on learning experiences and new technologies that showcase the limitless opportunities within the agricultural industry.

Part of Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America, the Farm Credit cooperative’s giving program, the Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant Program is intended to give students a glimpse into the many ways agriculture touches our lives and spark interest in pursuing a career in the ag industry. With a mere 1.2 percent of U.S. employment tied to direct on-farm jobs, it is vital to humanity’s survival to inspire the next generation of farmers, ranchers, innovators and leaders. 

“We know when young people experience agriculture through hands-on activities, it sparks a passion for the industry,” said Karen Schieler, manager of corporate giving at Compeer Financial. “Compeer is committed to helping ag education programs have access to classroom equipment and technology so students can have real-world experiences. These grants provide support to high school programs that are essential to creating the next generation of agriculture advocates.”

Each recipient school will receive up to $4,000 to fund programs and technologies for a variety of classes linked to agriculture, including animal and plant sciences, food science / chemistry, veterinary, horticulture, mechanics, forestry / wildlife, aquatics and more. Of this year’s recipients, 31 schools, or 34 percent, are receiving the Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant for the first time. 

Middle and high school agriculture departments within Compeer’s 144-county territory are eligible to apply for the grant program, provided they did not receive a grant during the prior two years. The 2026 application will open in April 2026.

The 65 school programs earning an Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant in 2025 include: 

Illinois

• Alden-Hebron High School: Dissection trays, scalpels, scissors, gloves, safety goggles.
• Ashton-Franklin Center CUSD #275: Temperature probes, sensors, charge stations.
• Cambridge CUSD 227: An animal wet lab.
• Evanston Township High School District 202: Hydroponics and aquaponics systems.
• Forreston Jr/Sr High School / Forrestville Valley CUSD 221: Polycarbonate panels and connection supplies for the greenhouse.
• Galva High School - Agriculture Department: An aquaculture system.
• Hinckley-Big Rock High School: Insulation for Ag Building.
• LaSalle-Peru Township High School: A floral cooler, animal dissection pans and equipment, electricity equipment.
• Morrison High School: Sensors, lab equipment.
• Nauvoo-Colusa CSD 325: Livestock models.
• Peotone High School: Kitchen materials, a grow tower.
• Pleasant Hill CUSD #3: Upgrading the greenhouse irrigation, heating, and cooling systems.
• Prairie Central Junior High: Plasma cutter, welding helmets, a laser printer, grinder, oscillating multi-tool, screwdriver sets.
• Putnam County FFA (IL): Power tools, wood, fasteners.
• Riverdale High School, CUSD 100: Laser blade.
• Roanoke-Benson CUSD #60: Environment control systems for the greenhouse.
• Rochelle Township High School: Drones.
• Rushville-Industry High School: Greenhouse improvements.
• Stark County CUSD #100: A start-up greenhouse.
• West Carroll High School: Electrophoresis systems.
• Winnebago High School: Lab and classroom materials, Food Science equipment, FFA chapter materials.
• Yorkville Christian High School: Supplies for food science, agriculture mechanics, horticulture, and plant science classes.

Minnesota

• Adrian High School: Metal cutting bandsaw, drill bit sharpener, impact wrench, hammer drill / impact driver kit, bench vise, levels and level sets, welding gloves, an abrasive belt tool versatility kit.
• Albert Lea Area Schools: Models for animal science.
• Becker High School: A hydroponics system and plants, sensors.
• Cannon Falls High School: Infrastructure and equipment for viticulture project.
• Central High School: Engines hand tools, soldering tool kits, battery pack, sanders, scroll saws, jig saw, router, scale miter gauge for table saw, drill bits, impact sockets.
• Dover-Eyota High School: Supplies and equipment for the Food Chemistry class.
• Glencoe-Silver Lake Junior/Senior High School: Laser drill presses, drill bits.
• Glenville-Emmons Senior High School: Welding helmets, drills, batteries.
• Grand Meadow Public Schools: Microscopes, sourdough starter kits, controlled environment equipment, wireless adapter and document camera, pH meter, fermentation jars.
• Jackson County Central Schools: Belt and disc sander combo machine, drill press.
• Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton: Equipment for taxidermy class.
• Lanesboro Public Schools: Equipment for Food Chemistry.
• Mankato East High School: A multiprocess welder.
• Martin Luther High School: Equipment for Intro to Animal Science, Small Animals, and Food Animal Science.
• Mountain Lake High School / ISD 173: Hand power tools, Food Science equipment, greenhouse materials.
• Ogilvie High School / ISD #333: Swine breeder artificial insemination simulator, ear tagger and tags, swine ear notchers.
• Owatonna High School / ISD 761: Animal Health and Veterinary Science kit, vital dog model.
• ROCORI High School: A meat scale, label maker, drones.
• Southern Minnesota Education Consortium: An aquaponics system.
• Tri-City United High School #2905: Hides, skulls.
• Willow River Area High School: Greenhouse growing supplies, irrigation equipment, environmental control, tools, and equipment.

Wisconsin

• Amery High School: A livestock scale, a chicken coop.
• Baldwin-Woodville Area School District: Greenhouse growing equipment.
• Cassville High School: Bovine breeder artificial insemination simulator.
• Delavan-Darien School District: A hydroponics grow tower, animal identification tools.
• Dodgeville High School: An aquaculture system.
• Fall Creek School District: Equipment for Natural Resources and Ecology, and Animal Health and Veterinary Science courses.
• Frederic 6-12 School: A hydroponics unit.
• Holmen High School: Supplies for aquaponics, field trips, and a chicken coop.
• Juda School District: A band saw, a table router.
• Lake Holcombe School District: A portable sawmill.
• Lake Mills High School FFA: A butcher pork cut model, swine and chicken kits.
• Mount Horeb High School: Digital incubator.
• Pecatonica CUSD 321: A metal cutting plasma table.
• Randolph Township School District: A pump and starter fish for aquaculture.
• Rice Lake Area School District: LED grow lights.
• River Falls High School: Commercial-grade refrigerator, food processing equipment.
• School District of Monroe: Animal housing pens.
• School District of Oakfield: Building a chicken coop / shed.
• School District of Sheboygan Falls: Middle school Ag Ed Club, raised garden beds, food science equipment.
• Stoughton Area School District: Hydroponic growing tower.
• Sun Prairie Area School District – Patrick Marsh and Prairie View Middle Schools: Food dehydrators, ice cream freezer, digital microscope, LED grow lights, stethoscopes, otoscopes, animal models, hydroponic systems.
• Verona Area High School - Verona Area School District: Wool pellet press.

About the Fund for Rural America

The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America is the corporate giving program of Compeer Financial, structured to support Compeer Financial’s mission to enrich agriculture and rural America. Compeer Financial’s Board of Directors has dedicated one percent of annual net earnings to support the Fund’s focus areas of agriculture education, youth engagement, rural development and community enrichment, agricultural advocacy and development, and cooperative initiatives. The Fund is managed by a Board of Trustees, made up of team members and members of the Compeer Financial Board of Directors. Learn more about opportunities available through the Fund.

About Compeer Financial

Compeer Financial is a member-owned Farm Credit cooperative serving and supporting agriculture and rural communities. The $34.8 billion organization provides loans, leases, risk management and other financial services throughout 144 counties in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Based in the Upper Midwest, Compeer Financial exists to champion the hopes and dreams of rural America, while providing personalized service and expertise to clients and the agriculture industry.

Compeer Financial is the third largest cooperative of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of lending institutions supporting agriculture and rural communities with reliable, consistent credit and financial services. Learn more about Compeer Financial’s patronage program.

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