Some scholarship applications ask applicants about extracurricular activities and grades from the past. However, a new scholarship digs through family history as part of its requirements.

The Tobacco Farmers Scholarship Fund offers an opportunity for students who have a parent or grandparent involved in tobacco farming. The fund is a one-time contribution of $250,000 to the University, which will be distributed to eligible students.

The money is from a lawsuit agreement between a group of tobacco farmers and cigarette manufacturers, according to a memorandum from Howrey, LLP, a group of attorneys involved in the case.

The fund chose to give money to N.C. State among other southern universities with agriculture research programs, according to Keith Oakley, executive director for college advancement.

“NCSU has the most comprehensive tobacco program in the world at a university,” Oakley said.

Across the state, the University co-manages 16 to 17 research departments. The research studies disease problems in crops, mechanization and decreasing mass chemicals used by farmers, according to Oakley.

Along with other crops throughout North Carolina, tobacco is grown from the coast to the mountains, according to Oakley.

“N.C. is No. 1 in tobacco production,” Oakley said.

Production of flue-cured tobacco is most common in North Carolina. The flue-cured tobacco is one of two different kinds of tobacco used in a typical “American-blend cigarette,” according to Oakley.

Stephen Lilley, a sophomore in agronomy, said he grew up on his family’s farm in Williamston, N.C., and plans to return to work on the farm after he graduates. The farm produces peanuts, cotton and tobacco.

The federal government recently issued a buyout to Lilley’s family, which limits the amount of tobacco his family can grow, Lilley said. A buyout regulates the amount of production of a certain crops according to the demand in the economy, according to Lilley.

“My family owned a tobacco warehouse. It was basically a public auction,” Lilley said. “Tobacco went to contracts [with farmers] through an agreement between the farmer and tobacco companies.”

Price fixing occurred at tobacco auctions and led to the lawsuit that created the Tobacco Farm Scholarship Fund, according to Julie Mallette, associate vice provost and director of scholarships and financial aid. Price fixing is the act of cigarette companies setting prices that farmers have no choice but to accept, according to Mallette. If farmers do not sell their tobacco at the fixed price, they will face the costs of transporting the tobacco and waiting for a better offer.

Lilley said after the initial government buyout, “a portion of [his family’s] income was gone.”

For students like Lilley, farming with his family is more than making a profit.

Farming created “a bond with my father,” according to Lilley.

“We became a lot closer through working together through good weather and bad weather,” Lilley said.

Mallette said the University will do “what the law firm intended to do, which is to see the financial aid money to benefit children of farm families in N.C.”

The scholarship will require a form of proof of the applicant’s relation to tobacco farmers, which can usually be in the form of a tax return, according to Mallette.

“We want to spread this money around to as many students as we can,” Mallette said. “The amount of the scholarship will be up to $7,500 per student, depending on other scholarships and grant resources.”

“I think it’s a good idea that the growers are giving back to students who are involved with tobacco,” said Wade Stanaland, a junior in agricultural business management.

Stanaland said he plans on managing his 3,500-acre family farm after graduation. Today, his family grows corn, peanuts, soybeans and wheat. According to Stanaland, his family used to grow tobacco as well.

“A lot of students will appreciate the focus more on students from a farming background,” said Stanaland.

Throughout the 22 departments of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 800 students are on scholarships, according to Oakley.

According to Mallette, the Tobacco Farmers Scholarship Fund is available to students in all majors.