SUN PRAIRIE — Compeer Financial announced 22 middle and high schools across Wisconsin will receive up to $4,000 each to support agricultural education programs and equipment through its Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant Program. In total, Compeer is awarding 65 schools in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin a total of $239,815.
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. With a mere 1.2 percent of U.S. employment tied to direct on-farm jobs, fewer people, even in rural communities, have a connection to agriculture. Supporting ag education enables students to better understand the many ways agriculture touches our lives with the hope of sparking their interest in pursuing a career in the ag industry.
“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.”
The Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant Program is part of Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America, the Farm Credit cooperative’s giving program. Funding will support 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.
Among the 22 Wisconsin school programs earning an Agriculture Education and Classroom Equipment Grant in 2025 include Juda School District (a band saw, a table router) and Pecatonica CUSD 321 (a metal cutting plasma table).
