By April Reese
University of Georgia
A University of Georgia scholarship in memory of the late U.S.
Senator Paul Coverdell is much closer to reality thanks to
donations from two Georgia-based international
agribusinesses.
During the fourth National Symposium on the Future of American
Agriculture in Athens, Ga., last month, AGCO Corporation and
Merial Limited donated a sizeable contribution to the Coverdell
scholarship fund.
Georgia agricultural leaders started the scholarship fund in
2000, shortly after Coverdell’s unexpected death. The recent
contribution brings the fund close to the endowment goal.
“Senator Coverdell was committed to agriculture and education
and
this scholarship is a great way to honor his memory,” said Molly
Dye, AGCO vice-president and former Coverdell chief of
staff.
Dye, who has a background in agriculture, said she felt it
only
fitting to use the financial resources of AGCO to support
agricultural education at UGA.
“Our company is committed to Georgia and to helping the local
agricultural communities,” said Kyle Lathrop, assistant counsel
and senior director of Merial Limited. “By contributing to this
scholarship, we can show our appreciation for Sen. Coverdell and
what he did for the industry.”
AGCO, headquartered in Duluth, Ga., is a world leader in the
design, manufacture, development and distribution of agricultural
equipment. The company’s brands include Massey Ferguson, GLEANER,
Challenger and AGCO. Its worldwide distribution network is the
largest in the industry.
AGCO’s 18 brand names appear on tractors, combines, hay tools,
sprayers, forage equipment and implements. The brands are
marketed and sold through 7,350 independent dealers and
distributed in 140 countries.
Merial Limited, also in Duluth, provides products that enhance
animals’ health, well-being and performance. From its global
network of research and manufacturing facilities, including sites
in Duluth, Athens and Gainesville, Ga., Merial has launched
agricultural pharmaceutical products and vaccines such as IVOMEC,
EPRINEX and EQVALAN.
Coverdell served on the Senate agricultural committee and was
an
advocate for agriculture research, extension and teaching
programs. One of his initiatives was the National Symposium on
the Future of Agriculture, which is now an annual event at the
University of Georgia.
His contributions to Georgia agriculture include helping get
research funding that led to a formula for containing tomato
spotted wilt virus, a disease that costs Georgia peanut farmers
more than $25 million annually.
Once fully funded, the Coverdell scholarship will provide
financial backing for a student in the UGA College of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences to participate in the Undergraduate
Research Initiative program. The student’s research must focus on
emerging water issues related to agriculture, an area Coverdell
strongly supported.
“Sen. Coverdell was probably one of the strongest supporters
of
trying to enhance and educate innovation between the rural and
urban sectors,” said Gale Buchanan, CAES dean and director. “He
wanted to move the urban sector into an appreciation for
agriculture, and if anything is a common tie between the two,
water is.”
To contribute to the Coverdell Scholarship, contact Louise
Hill,
CAES director of development and alumni relations, at (706)
542-3390.
