KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sarah Beth Callicott, Only, Tenn., was awarded the Bar One Ranch Scholarship during the 2026 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Educational Forum in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 23. In a special awards ceremony, the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its donors awarded $168,000 in scholarships to 28 National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members to help support their higher-education goals.

Callicott is a senior at Tennessee Technological University pursuing a degree in agricultural education, and she is actively student teaching. She hopes to integrate Hereford cattle and leadership into her classrooms at the high school and middle school levels.

“I want to create a show team at my future school and use that to expose students to Hereford cattle and the opportunities that come along with them,” Callicott says. “It is goal of mine to create a middle school agricultural program, if there is not one in that county, to create an agriculture and leadership programs.”

The Bar One Ranch Scholarship, sponsored by HYFA, is a $5,000 scholarship offered by George and Karen Sprague of Bar One Ranch in Oregon. The scholarship is in memory of their late friend, Ken Tracy, who was a friend to the entire Hereford breed.

“It was exciting and inspiring to read scholarship applications from a very strong group of Hereford juniors,” says George Sprague, HYFA scholarship committee member. “Their academic records and their contributions both to agriculture and to their communities were first rate and set standards that make the Hereford breed proud.” 

The scholarship fund is the bedrock of HYFA, and countless youth are benefactors of its mission. Since its inception, HYFA has fueled educational opportunities with scholarships and awards. For years, these scholarships have been lighting the way for young Hereford enthusiasts. The Foundation continues to invest in the future of the Hereford breed, recently surpassing $2.6 million in scholarships awarded to youth pursuing higher education.

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 2000 and is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to its four core pillars of scholarship, leadership, education and research. The mission of HYFA 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. For more information about HYFA, visit Herefordyouthfoundation.org. 

Find photos and press release here.