Recipients of 2026 AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Scholarships announced

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services is proud to annually invest in the next generation of ag leaders

through our scholarship program. This spring, 12 scholarships are being presented – nine $1,000 Customer Scholarships, one $1,000 Ken Shea Memorial Scholarship, one $1,000 Ken Sumner Scholarship, and one $2,000 University Scholarship. Recipients have been chosen in recognition of their outstanding academic performance and school-related extracurricular activities.

The Customer Scholarship Program, established in 2001, is open to dependent children and

grandchildren of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services stockholder customers living in its 24-county service area. The nine students receiving $1,000 AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Customer Scholarships in 2026 are:

Evan Erwin, Hamburg High School

Benjamin Harmon, Star City High School

Darby Martin, Southside Charter High School 

Sydney Medford, Marvell Academy 

Paten Oxner, Searcy High School 

Sam Sabbatini, Marvell Academy 

Dylan Skarda, Des Arc High School

Taryn Sink, Tuckerman High School 

Brogan Tate, Walnut Ridge High School

Dylan Skarda of Des Arc is the Stuttgart Branch scholarship recipient. You can decide what you want to do with this, since the Branch is in Arkansas County but the student is not (the Stuttgart Branch does serve Prairie County). 

Addison Stafford of Monticello High School has been named as the recipient of this year’s $1,000 Ken Shea Memorial Scholarship. Presented in memory of prominent Dumas civic, agricultural and business leader Thomas McKennon “Ken” Shea, the scholarship is open to dependent children and grandchildren of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Southern Region

stockholder customers.

Lane Aukes of Lonoke High School has been named as the recipient of the newly-created $1,000 Ken Sumner Scholarship. Presented in memory of former AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Lee Sumner, the scholarship is open to dependent children and grandchildren of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services stockholder customers who plan to pursue full-time study at an accredited undergraduate university, college, community college, junior college or technical school in the fall.

Matilyn Bryant of Arkansas State University-Beebe is being awarded the $2,000 University Scholarship. The University Scholarship Program is open to any current college student studying agriculture at an Arkansas university or college. Applicants do not need to be AgHeritage customers.

AgHeritage Farm Credit Services is a customer-owned rural and agricultural lender with owned and managed assets of approximately $3.08 billion as of December 31, 2025. The company provides credit and related services to approximately 7,000 farmers, ranchers, rural residents, and the agribusiness industry in 24 Arkansas counties, with branch offices located in Batesville, Brinkley, Lonoke, McGehee, Newport, Pine Bluff, Pocahontas, Searcy and Stuttgart. Learn more at agheritagefcs.com.