KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) awards more than $200,000 in scholarships each year. This spring, submittables hit an all time high with more than 300 applications for the various scholarships and awards that will be offered at the 2022 Junior National Hereford Expo in Louisville, Ky. Due to the generosity of different donors and Hereford supporters, two new scholarships have been added to the spring scholarship line-up, including the Mead Family Memorial Scholarship and the Ostgaard-Breiner Educational Scholarships.

The Mead Family Memorial Scholarship was started by Mead Cattle Enterprises of Midville, Ga., an operation that has been breeding Hereford cattle for more than 40 years. As part of the original Pro Performance Breeders group that supported Hereford youth in the business of raising cattle, they have been leaders beyond the breed and for the next generation. Their dedication to leadership is evident by the owner Tommy Mead, having served on the American Hereford Association (AHA) Board of Directors and his daughter, Tommie Lynne (Mead) Jones, previously serving on the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) Board of Directors.

A tragic loss in 2020 of two influential family members and prominent partners of their Hereford operation, led to the creation of the Mead Family Memorial Scholarship. In honor of Tommy’s mother Hazel Mead, Oct. 7, 1933-Oct. 9, 2020, and his wife Valerie Mead, June 15, 1974—Dec. 8, 2020, this scholarship ensures that their legacy lives on.

In 2021, friends, family and Hereford breeders gathered to honor these two amazing ladies, generating funds for the Mead Family Memorial Scholarship Endowment. This will be a $2,000 annual scholarship designed to support a Hereford junior from across the country, while continuing to show the Mead family’s dedication to the breed.

Thank you to the following for contributing to the Mead Family Memorial Scholarship Endowment:

Thank you to the Hereford family for contributing to all of the various scholarship endowments offered through the Hereford Youth Foundation of America. To learn more about establishing an endowment or making a donation, please visit herefordyouthfoundation.org.

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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.