KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Savay Sexton, Cost, Texas, was awarded the Ball/Cottonwood Springs Farm Scholarship during the 2024 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 25. During the award ceremony, the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its donors awarded $165,500 in scholarships to 27 National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members to help support their higher-education goals.

 Sexton is a sophomore at Texas A&M University majoring in agricultural leadership and development with a minor in hospitality, hotel management and tourism sciences. Her future career goals include working in international agritourism and bringing people together to increase their understanding of agriculturalists' dedication to creating a safe and wholesome food supply. 

“Leadership is about leaving a legacy and paving the way for future leaders,” Sexton said. “As an agricultural leadership and development major, I am equipped with more skills to understand people and different leadership styles.

  The $5,000 Ball/Cottonwood Springs Farm Scholarship honors the legacy of Nancy Keilty’s late father and mother, Ed and Virginia Ball. They instilled in her to always “leave the campsite better than you found it,” and this scholarship is designed to recognize a Hereford junior with the same mentality. Nancy and her husband, Tim, own Cottonwood Springs Farm, in Cedar, Mich., where they raise Hereford cattle and focus on their Leelanau Natural Beef program, offering home-grown beef to local consumers.

The selection committee continues to be impressed by the high caliber of applicants. “The vast majority of applicants were outstanding. Each year applications seem more and more competitive, which leads me to believe that the future of the Hereford breed, and agriculture in general, is in good hands,” said Nancy Keilty, HYFA scholarship committee member.

The scholarship fund serves as the bedrock of HYFA, and countless youth benefit from its mission. Since its inception, HYFA has awarded scholarships fueling educational opportunities. For years, these scholarships have been lighting the way for youth in the Hereford breed. Recently, the foundation celebrated awarding more than $2 million in scholarships to assist Hereford youth further their education, since its founding in 2000.

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 2000, when the American Hereford Youth Foundation and the American Polled Hereford Youth Foundation, Inc., merged. HYFA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the scholarship and educational support of young people in the Hereford industry. Its mission is to encourage, recognize and reward the development of life skills and values in the next generation of leaders by providing education, scholarship and leadership opportunities for Hereford youth.