Alberta Milk set to expand scholarship program
Published 2:05 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2026
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Starting this year, two scholarship recipients of the Alberta Milk Scholarship Program will receive a larger amount.
“The cost of everything has increased so much, and we used to give out, one thousand dollars, and that barely covers the cost of books, let alone someone’s education,” said Siobhan Brilz, manager of corporate services with Alberta Milk.
Brilz said the scholarship program is a way of giving back to the future of Alberta’s dairy industry.
“We want to make sure that we’re investing in the next generation of young people who want to ideally study in dairy, but also maybe agriculture or other types of related areas,” she said.
“We have obviously a lot of really valuable industry service providers that the dairy industry relies on, so kind of anything in that realm that supports the industry, either directly or indirectly.”
The program started in 1998, before Alberta Milk was officially created. In the early 2000s, those local associations were wrapping up, and Alberta Milk came to fruition, becoming officially funded in 2002.
“Since the original days of the program in 1998, we’ve awarded 74 scholarships totalling just over 70 thousand dollars,” said Brilz.
After some feedback over the years, they’ve had people say that the $1,000 offered before didn’t go that far for students, so those with Alberta Milk did a bit more in-depth review and decided to offer $1,500 more, along with two scholarships instead of one.
“Sometimes it’s the interest that was earned on the reserve fund was really good in a particular year, so we might give out more than one,” she said, adding that this year they started giving out two of the $2,500 scholarships.
When it comes to what Alberta Milk looks for in scholarship recipients, they look for well-rounded students who are strong academically, with good leadership experience in their community and other forms of involvement, whether that be volunteering or that sort of thing.
“We ask them to talk specifically about how their education is going to benefit the future of the dairy industry in Alberta, so that kind of helps us identify who’s really passionate about the dairy industry and who’s committed to contributing to that sector through their education or in the future.”
In terms of eligibility criteria, the applicant needs to be either from the immediate family of an Alberta Milk licensed producer or sponsored by a licensed producer.
“You don’t necessarily need to be the kid of a dairy farmer, but you need to have a connection to a licensed dairy producer here and find somebody that would be willing to sponsor you,” said Brilz.
Those looking to apply can find an application form on the Alberta Milk website.
The deadline to apply is July 15.
About Carlie Sanderson
With over 10 years as a journalist, Carlie prides herself as a storyteller in various beats. She started her career with Black Press on Vancouver Island in 2015 before heading out to Central Alberta two years later where she worked as a reporter and editor, along with founding a country focussed magazine, where she wrote and took photos.
Having grown up riding horses all her life, Carlie’s passion lies in the equestrian world. Although she hasn’t ridden in a long time, she now loves to be a spectator at various rodeos across Central Alberta with her family.
She currently resides in Sylvan Lake with her husband and three young boys.
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