BRANDT, retailer and manufacturer of specialty ag products, is sponsoring the first John & Carol Salmonson Scholarships for Excellence in Agriculture.  Two students at Cal Poly received $10,000 to study in agriculture fields.  Omar Alexander Gonzalez Benitez is majoring in Agricultural and Environmental Plant Sciences and Kristen Fernandez is studying Environmental Plant Sciences.

“Carol and I are thrilled to be a small part of helping these two deserving students pursue their dreams. Both Kristen and Omar are outstanding students who, I’m sure, will be leaders in the Ag field one day,” said John Salmonson. “We are very fortunate to have partnered with BRANDT on this scholarship. We believe strongly in helping bring along the next generation.”

The John & Carol Salmonson Scholarship for Excellence in Agriculture will be awarded for four more years. It was established in 2016 by matching grants from John & Carol Salmonson and BRANDT. Applicants are open to students in the Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. Successful applicants must be California residents, demonstrate academic success and have financial need.

“We helped fund this scholarship as a way to say ‘thank you’ to John and Carol for all their years of service to BRANDT and for building Monterey AgResouces,” said Rick Brandt, CEO & President of BRANDT. “It says a lot about John that giving back to deserving students at Cal Poly was the thanks that meant the most to them. They are just extraordinary people who built a great company. And I’m proud to say that Omar and Kristen are extraordinary students.”