Pictured (l to r) are Kathy Buchholz, HYFA scholarship committee, Bryden Barber, Channing, Texas, scholarship recipient and Ray Ramsey, HYFA president.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — High achieving Hereford youth were awarded numerous scholarships during the 2021 American Hereford Association Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 22. In a special awards ceremony, the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its army of donors proudly awarded $160,000 in scholarships to 24 National Junior Hereford Association members to help support their higher-education goals.

The 2021 Ball Foundation/Cottonwood Springs Farm Scholarship sponsored by HYFA is a $5,000 scholarship honoring the legacy of Nancy Keilty’s late father and mother, Ed and Virginia Ball. They instilled in her the mentality of always “leaving the campsite better than you found it,” and this scholarship is designed to recognize a Hereford junior with the same mentality.

Bryden Barber of Channing, Texas, is the recipient of the $5,000 Ball Foundation/Cottonwood Springs Farm Scholarship. Barber is a sophomore at Oklahoma State University. He is majoring in animal science with a concentration in ranch operations and is focusing on continuing to improve the product we provide to consumers and combat the negative press the beef industry receives. Looking forward to the obstacles the industry must overcome Barber says, “I know that if I put my foot down and keep advocating for agriculture the industry will succeed. I was raised in this industry, and I plan for this industry to be my future.”

The scholarship fund is the cornerstone of HYFA and countless youth are the benefactors of its mission. This last fiscal year, the foundation celebrated net assets reaching an all time high of 5.4 million dollars and $186,000 was given back to Hereford youth to assist with their college educations.

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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.