AERO’s Jane Kile Memorial Scholarship is available annually to residents who are active stewards of Montana lands, a farm or agricultural operation, or their local community food system. $600 in funding is awarded for projects that seek to be part of the solution for a more sustainable Montana, and that embody the spirit, innovation, and conservation and community-focused nature of early AERO member Jane Kile.
Jane Kile (1954-2010) was a pioneer in Montana’s organic farming and community-supported agriculture movements. A farmer out of Dixon, MT, Jane believed that conserving wildlands, supporting sustainable forestry, farming and ranching operations, and creating stable, self-sufficient rural communities were all important parts of the solution. She was a respected teacher, conservationist, community activist, and an advocate for the sanctity of all life on earth, and appreciated kindred spirits who rolled up their sleeves and participated in finding solutions. Russell Salisbury, her long-time friend and whose contributions to AERO endow this scholarship, shares: “I met Jane at an AERO Ag Task Force Meeting, and we were friends and colleagues until her death. We dreamed of what could be done to portray to all others what the land and its life had taught us.”
The application period for the 2023 Jane Kile Memorial Scholarship is now closed. We will begin accepting applications for the 2024 Jane Kile Memorial Scholarship in summer of 2024.