Perham graduate earns South Dakota FFA scholarship for agricultural leadership

Britney Loerzel, a 2022 Perham High School graduate, added another line to Otter Tail County’s agriculture pipeline when she received a $1,000 Star Partner Aged Scholarship from the South Dakota State FFA at a recent convention.

The award matters far beyond the dollar amount. The South Dakota FFA Association serves 6,515 agricultural education students in 112 chapters, putting Loerzel’s recognition inside one of the Upper Midwest’s largest youth agriculture networks. For a Perham graduate to stand out in that setting connects local school programs, hands-on FFA training and the region’s farm economy in a way that reaches well past high school graduation.

That larger system is part of the point. National FFA says its scholarship and financial-assistance programs are designed to remove financial barriers for members pursuing trade school, certificates, two-year programs or four-year degrees. In practical terms, a $1,000 scholarship can help cover tuition, fees, books or other costs as a student moves from school-based agriculture experience into the next stage of training for a career in agribusiness, production agriculture or agricultural services.

Loerzel’s recognition also shows how local school programs can keep paying off years after commencement. She graduated from Perham High School in 2022, but the scholarship signals that the leadership, responsibility and agriculture skills developed through FFA still carry weight in a competitive statewide pool. In a county where agriculture remains both a cultural anchor and an economic driver, that kind of follow-through is part of the workforce story.

The scholarship is also tied to the business side of agriculture. The South Dakota FFA Foundation’s Star Partner program is supported by industry sponsors including Bayer, Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, CHS Foundation, the SD Corn Utilization Council, Farm Credit Services of America, First National Bank in Sioux Falls and Agtegra. Those names underscore the direct link between student leadership programs and the companies that depend on a trained agricultural workforce.

For Perham and the rest of Otter Tail County, Loerzel’s award is a reminder that the path from school shop classes, supervised agricultural experience and FFA events does not end at graduation. It can continue into postsecondary training, professional leadership and the next generation of jobs that keep the farm economy moving.