Did you know that Wisconsin is home to approximately 5,500 dairy farms (more than any other state) and 1.28 million cows? The dairy industry contributes $45.6 billion to Wisconsin’s economy each year.*
The industry creates a wide range of jobs, from construction workers and veterinarians to software engineers and dairy plant operators. These jobs demand young, well-educated workers to fuel future growth.
The Wisconsin College Savings Program is celebrating National Dairy Month by talking to students about how their background in agriculture is influencing their college and career plans. While some students grew up on a family farm, others cultivated this interest through extended family or extracurricular activities like FFA, 4-H, and showing at local fairs. Many students take that passion into their post-secondary education at post-secondary institutions that offer agricultural programs, whether at a university, technical college, or through an apprenticeship program.
Jayden Rather – “Fairest of the Fair”
The 2024 Waukesha County “Fairest of the Fair,” Jayden Rather, grew up showing beef and swine kept at her grandparents’ farm. A sophomore at UW-Madison, she is passionate about encouraging others to come to the fair and support local businesses at the fair’s Farmers’ Market. Jayden says the background in agriculture has helped her build character and develop skills to be a successful young adult.
Jayden’s family began saving for her future education when she was young, something she says she is grateful for as it has helped to relieve the stress that comes with student loan borrowing. Her mother, Leslie Rather, shared that investing in her daughter’s future with an Edvest 529 account has been a wise way to help. “The goal is to come out of college debt-free,” which she says can be possible with contributions coming from parents, grandparents, and the students themselves into the Edvest 529 account. In Jayden’s case, she contributed to her own Edvest 529 account using money she earned through selling animals she showed at the fair.
And Mrs. Rather has advice for parents of young children, thinking about saving for the cost of future education. “It is so important to just to start small. It doesn’t have to be major contributions because it adds up over time.”
Collin Zimmermann – Future Agronomist
Another Wisconsin student with a background in agriculture is Collin Zimmermann, who is graduating from Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah High School this year. He plans to attend the University of Wisconsin River Falls, where he will major in Crop and Soil Science and minor in Agricultural Technology Engineering. Collin was a 2024 Money Smart Wisconsin Essay Contest scholarship recipient, where he was awarded a $1,000 contribution to an Edvest 529 account to help with his college expenses.
Today’s students acknowledge that paying for school is an important part of their decision-making process. Students evaluate the costs of different educational programs, including looking for in-state institutions, seeking out scholarships based on their interests, and saving through part-time jobs. Collin works at a local dairy farm, giving him experience for his future career, while helping to fund his college future. He hopes to apply his combined classroom education with his hand-on experience to a future career as an agronomist.
Savings with Wisconsin’s Edvest 529 Plan
Parents, grandparents, other family, and friends can help students achieve their dreams by establishing a 529 account to save for their future education. Contributions to an Edvest 529 plan are made post-tax, but account earnings grow tax-deferred and can be withdrawn tax-free at the state and federal level when paying for qualified higher education expenses, like tuition, room and board (housing and food), books, fees, supplies and more. And recent enhancements to Wisconsin’s 529 college savings plans make saving for a student’s future college and career training even more flexible and compelling, including an increase to tax-deductible amounts Wisconsin taxpayer may claim on contributions to an Edvest 529 plan. Wisconsin taxpayers who contribute to an Edvest 529 plan, regardless of account ownership, may claim up to a $5,000 tax deduction on their state income taxes in the 2024 tax year.
Young people in Wisconsin have many opportunities to develop their interests into a career in agriculture through post-secondary education. Wisconsin families and communities can encourage youth’s interest in agricultural careers by increasing their exposure to the many opportunities in this industry, showing them that there are post-secondary options that fit their interests, and by saving for their future education.
To learn more, visit Edvest.com.
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