GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Emma Ballinger, McKee, Ky., received the $1,500 Bluegrass and Buckeye Scholarship at the 2024 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) Scholarship, Award and Maroon Jacket Ceremony on July 11 in Grand Island, Neb.

Ballinger will be a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, double majoring in agricultural community and leadership and development as well as marketing. After college, she plans to pursue a career in agriculture where she hopes to leave a lasting positive impact. Ballinger has been a member of the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) for 10 years. “The NJHA has been instrumental in shaping my personal and professional growth by providing numerous opportunities for leadership development, networking and skill-building. Through participation in NJHA events, such as leadership conferences, educational workshops and cattle shows, I have learned invaluable lessons in teamwork, communication and problem-solving,” Ballinger said

The Bluegrass and Buckeye Scholarship is made possible by the Kentucky and Ohio Hereford Associations, alongside HYFA. Each year they present a $1,500 scholarship recognizing an outstanding NJHA member. The scholarship’s purpose is to develop leaders for both the Hereford breed and the beef industry. George Sprague, HYFA scholarship selection committee member, helped evaluate applications over the spring. He speaks very highly of the applicants, saying, “They were indeed an impressive group:
thoughtful, accomplished, articulate and ambitious. It’s amazing that each year the applicants seem better than the previous year’s applicants.” HYFA awarded $40,000 to outstanding Hereford youth at the 2024 JNHE and more than $200,000 throughout the year to deserving junior members to aid in their academic endeavors.

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 1986 and is a not-for-profit501(c)(3) corporation dedicated exclusively to scholarship and educational support of youth in the business of raising Hereford cattle. The mission of the Hereford Youth Foundation of America 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.