LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Outstanding Hereford youth were awarded numerous scholarships during the 2022 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) Banners in the Bluegrass Awards Ceremony in Louisville, Ky., on July 21. The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) awarded $33,000 alone at this year’s JNHE, and will award more than $200,000 in 2022 to deserving junior members to aid in their academic endeavors.

Lauren McMillan from Tiskilwa, Ill., is the $1,500 Bluegrass Buckeye Scholarship winner. This prestigious scholarship is sponsored by HYFA along with the Ohio and Kentucky Hereford Associations with funds remaining from the 2006 JNHE in Louisville, Ky. McMillan begins her senior year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the fall where she is studying agricultural organization and community leadership with a double minor in agribusiness and media. Her leadership activities and experiences as well as community service involvement is extensive. She currently holds the position of leadership chairman on the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) Board of Directors while also serving as the president of the Illinois Junior Hereford Association. After completing her studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, McMillan hopes to find a career within the agriculture industry, where she can remain an energetic advocate for the Hereford breed and beef cattle in general. She says her involvement within the NJHA has been the most influential component in her life and inspires her to strive towards her future endeavors.

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 1986 and is a not-for-profit 501(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.