AUBURN, Ala. (WDNews) — A Henry County native is among 79 Auburn University students awarded scholarships aimed at supporting the future of Alabama agriculture.
According to the Alabama Farmers Federation, Hannah Grace Falkner received a $2,000 scholarship from the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation and the Henry County Farmers Federation.
Falkner was recognized during the Alabama Farmers Federation scholarship reception Sept. 21 at Lazenby Farms in Auburn.
She is a junior at Auburn University studying biosystems engineering and agricultural business and economics.
Falkner was recognized alongside Federation President Jimmy Parnell, Henry County Farmers Federation President Johnny Lee, Federation District 12 Director Jerry Peak and Federation Southeast Area Vice President Chris Carroll.
According to the Alabama Farmers Federation, nearly $140,000 in scholarships was awarded to 79 Auburn University undergraduates through a partnership between the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation and county Farmers Federations.
Among the other recipients was Calhoun County native Jackson Cleary, an Auburn senior studying agriscience who plans to become an agriculture teacher.
“Good farmers show up, adapt and invest in crops they will never see the end results of,” Cleary said. “No one plants on Monday and sees the harvest on Tuesday. Y’all (farmers) don’t know me well, but you invested in me. I haven’t taught an ag class yet, but you planted the seeds here anyway. I don’t take that for granted.”
Cleary said he hopes his future work as an agriculture teacher will help influence the next generation.
“Whether my students end up in production agriculture, a lab, an office or anywhere in between, I want them to leave my classroom knowing what ag is and the importance of it,” Cleary said. “All of my future students are a part of the Federation’s investment today. Thank you to anyone who has ever put money toward a student trying to do this same thing. It truly matters, and I am proof of that.”
Families also gathered to celebrate scholarship recipients, including Cullman County Farmers Federation President Ben Haynes and his wife, Whitney. Their son, Jack, received one of eight special endowed scholarships.
The Haynes family raises row crops and cattle with their six children.
“If you know me, you will hear me say, ‘The Lord knows,’” Whitney said. “This May, we wrote our last check for daycare…I was so proud. Then the fall came, and I wrote my first college tuition check. The Lord knew this scholarship would be beneficial to us financially, but it has to be more than that.”
Jack is majoring in biological and agricultural technology management.
“He has walked those steps right along us and still chose to pursue a career in agriculture,” Whitney said. “The Federation has planted seeds for his success. When you invest in a student’s education, you invest in the future of agriculture. You tell these young people there is room at the table for them. For the little boy who spent his evenings flipping through tractor catalogs, this scholarship is full of meaning.”
Federation President Jimmy Parnell said the organization is proud to give back to young people.
“We are very supportive of Auburn,” said Parnell, an Auburn University College of Agriculture alumnus. “Our beginnings of the Federation started at Auburn almost 105 years ago. We work hard to continue strengthening that relationship.”
Parnell also encouraged students to work hard and build relationships with their peers.
“Hard work will set you apart quicker than anything else,” Parnell said. “Learn to reason, take in facts and put out effort. In our society, thinking and figuring out solutions are important. If you can work hard, think and make friends, you will be successful.”
Applications for the 2026-27 scholarships open Nov. 1 at AlfaFarmers.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2027.
