J R Morris Supports Agriculture Students Through Scholarship

Longstanding Scholarship Trust Helps Future Agriculture Professionals

• Bonnie Johnson
• December 04, 2025
• Media Article

The Morris scholarship trust supports Trinity County students studying agriculture. Five students receive awards for the 2025–26 academic year, continuing a legacy of education and community investment.

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A long tradition of supporting agricultural education continues through the John Reginald and Mary Morris Scholarship Trust. The program began in 1985 when J.R. Morris, a well-known rancher and agricultural leader in Trinity County, created a trust to help local students prepare for careers in agriculture. His vision remains clear today through the scholarships awarded each year.
 

Morris explained the purpose behind his generosity by stating, “We will always need food, and I’m convinced science will never feed the world’s population without major help from agriculture, so I want, on behalf of my wife Mary and myself, to do what I can to help young people to obtain education to prepare for agricultural careers.”
 

He also directed the trust to “... apply the entire net income to establish scholarship for needy Trinity County students, in agriculture, to defray tuition, expenses and costs at such universities, colleges or other institutions of higher learning as in the discretion of the trustee are well qualified in agriculture.”
 

Since it began, the trust has provided nearly $800,000 in support to more than 110 graduates of Trinity County high schools. These scholarships help students cover college costs while they study fields connected to agriculture, natural resources, and animal science.
 

For the 2025–26 academic year, five students receive support from the Morris Scholarship:
 

• Eva Taylor, a Trinity High School graduate, is a junior at California State University, Chico studying Agriculture Business.
   
• Iris Coty, a Hayfork High School graduate, attends UC Santa Barbara and studies Animal Biology.
   
• Carly Nelson, a Trinity High School graduate, is completing a master's degree in resource management at the University of Idaho.
   
• Madison McNeeley, a Trinity High School graduate, recently completed lower division studies at Butte College and is now studying Agriculture Business at California State University, Chico.
   
• Jacey Picket, a Hayfork High School graduate, is a sophomore majoring in Agriculture Science at Oregon State University.
   

The scholarship continues to play a meaningful role in helping local students pursue agriculture-related degrees and careers. It also reflects Morris’s lasting belief in the importance of agriculture and education.
 

For more information about the scholarship, contact Larry Forero at 530-244-4691.
 

Photo by: freepik.com