June is National Dairy Month.

Vice President of Lely North America Chad Huyser tells KNIA/KRLS News dairy plays a key role in almost everyone’s lives.

“If you think about dairy products–they have a shelf life, and it’s part of our daily staple,” he says. “If you look at the nutrition side of the discussion going on, whether it’d be the government side or just the general health situation, dairy products have been and continue to be a very strong part of everybody’s dietary needs.”

“As you look at that, it becomes something that a lot of people take for granted. We in this area and in the upper Midwest certainly understand how a dairy product may end up on our grocery store shelves, but that’s not the case all over the country.”

He says Lely’s expansion of the automation industry has also been a factor in new ways of producing milk and other products.

“If you look at our business and how it has grown over the last number of years, certainly Lely–being the world leader in robotic milking, is at the forefront of revolutionizing what is happening in the dairy market here in North America,” Huyser says.

Lely is recognizing dairy month by providing scholarships to students pursuing an ag-related career. Five qualified students residing in the United States will be awarded a one-year, $1,000 scholarship.

Students must be at least 18 years old and enrolled at an accredited junior college, college, university, or graduate school. The student must be registered in a program that can equip the student to contribute to the dairy industry and be current or previous members of the 4-H or FFA organizations. A full list of requirements can be found here.