NPPC celebrates future leaders with annual scholarship awards

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) proudly announced the recipients of the 2025 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship and Neil Dierks Scholarship at the National Pork Industry Forum. Sponsored in partnership with CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation (NPIF), these awards recognize exceptional university students dedicated to advancing careers in the U.S. pork industry and shaping its future.

“These scholarship recipients embody the future of our industry,” said Lori Stevermer, outgoing NPPC president. “During my years of service with NPPC, I’ve witnessed the difference we can make by speaking up and championing the pork industry. These young leaders share that same passion and determination, inspiring confidence in their ability to meet challenges and embrace opportunities. NPPC is proud to invest in these talented individuals who will shape a stronger, more resilient future for us all.”

“We are very pleased with our long-standing partnership with NPPC to support hard-
working students through scholarships,” said John Ricci, managing director and global head of agricultural products at CME Group. “This year’s recipients are the future leaders of the U.S. food system, and we congratulate them on their achievements and look forward to following their success.”

The 2025 winners of a $2,500 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship are:

The Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship program, sponsored by CME Group and NPIF, is awarded to undergraduates in a two-year swine program or a four-year college of agriculture program. The scholarship program was introduced in 1990 and renamed in 2006 in honor of Lois Britt, a former NPPC board director. A lifetime supporter of agriculture, Britt spent 34 years with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and finished her career after 15 years with Murphy-Brown LLC (now Smithfield) in public and government relations. She was inducted into the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Pork Council Hall of Fame and was awarded the North Carolina 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other achievements.

The 2025 winners of a $5,000 Neil Dierks Scholarship are:

The Neil Dierks Scholarship, founded in 2021 and sponsored by NPIF, is awarded to current or applied-for-acceptance graduate students in a swine program. Dierks served as NPPC’s CEO for 20 years. Retiring in December 2021 after 31 years with NPPC, Dierks made countless lasting contributions to the U.S. pork industry and established NPPC as a top-tier advocacy organization and the global voice of the U.S. pork industry. He was inducted into the NPPC Pork Industry Hall of Fame in 2022.

To learn more about the application process, please visit: https://nppc.org/get-involved/education-programs/.