John Deere Helps Increase Access to Higher Ed

Jun 07, 2024

MOLINE, Ill.,A groundbreaking partnership between the John Deere Foundation, the University of Iowa (UI), and the Davenport Community School District (DCSD) will soon increase access to higher education for Iowa high school students.

The John Deere Foundation will give $6.6 million over six years to create the John Deere Scholars Program, a program based on financial need that will help Davenport Community High School students get ready for college at Iowa.

"We believe education is the foundation for success," said Mara Downing, president of the John Deere Foundation. "By investing in our community, John Deere is also investing in opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow. We are excited to begin the John Deere Scholars Program and watch these future leaders achieve their dreams."

The program will start this fall with college readiness courses for seniors from low- to middle-income families at Davenport Central, North, West, and Mid City high schools. UI will appoint a local program director to work with school counselors to teach the courses, provide training to improve leadership skills, and assist students with the financial aid and admissions process.

Then, starting in spring 2025, the program will give 20 scholarships per year for three years (60 in total), paying 90% of the total cost to attend Iowa. The remaining 10% will be paid by other funding sources, such as work-study. The first cohort of students will enroll at Iowa in the fall of 2025. Any student participating in college readiness courses through the program will be able to apply for a scholarship.

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Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.