FamilyFarms Charities announced at the FamilyFarms Group Summer Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana that a memorial scholarship has been established in memory of the late Roger Booth, an employee of AgriSolutions for nearly 38 years and of FamilyFarms Group since its inception in 2006. Booth passed away on June 30 after being diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer.
“Roger was very passionate about helping farmers through financial consulting,” said Michelle Mellendorf, General Counsel at FamilyFarms Group and President of FamilyFarms Charities. “He made a difference for so many farmers over the years. FamilyFarms Charities wants to honor him by establishing this scholarship to provide financial assistance to university students who are committed to serving producers through finance/accounting services.”
Booth, of Jerseyville, Illinois, provided expertise in financial consulting, accounting and tax, assisted in software development, and served as corporate controller for FamilyFarms Group for the last several years.
“Roger was a great guy and he deeply cared about farmers,” said E. Allen Lash, CEO of FamilyFarms Group. “He was passionate about quality, accurate, and consistent financial information. I am glad we can honor Roger and recognize his passion by giving this scholarship to deserving students who will hopefully carry Roger’s passion for financials back to the farm.
The $5,000 annual, non-renewable Roger Booth Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a college junior, senior or graduate student majoring in agriculture finance or accounting.
“Roger has contributed so much to all of the AgriSolutions training materials and consulting,” said Karmen Mehmen, chair of the FamilyFarms Charities board. “He helped so many farmers over the 38 years he worked at AgriSolutions. We wanted to do something to honor him and his family for all the work he has done. There aren’t many agricultural finance and accounting majors out there, and we know that the industry is going to need them in the future.”
Applications for the Roger Booth Memorial Scholarship will be available in December. For more information, call Michelle Mellendorf at (618) 372-7487.
