Noah Benedict, Dewey, Illi., is the recipient of the 2021 Charles E Boyd Sr. Memorial Scholarship at the 2021 Junior National Hereford Expo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Outstanding Hereford youth were awarded numerous scholarships during the 2021 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) Hereford Spectacular Award Ceremony, in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8. The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) awarded $28,000 alone at this year’s JNHE, and will award a total of $200,000 in 2021 to deserving junior members to aid in their academic endeavors.

One of HYFA’s newest scholarships honors the legacy of Charles E. Boyd Sr., a third-generation Hereford breeder from May’s Lick, Ky., who mentored youth in the agriculture industry. Throughout his lifetime, he was recognized on local, state and national levels for his accomplishments. He was a prominent beef cattle judge at all major livestock shows and exhibited several International and National Champion Hereford cattle. The Charles E. Boyd Sr. Scholarship will continue to help young people in the Hereford breed who plan to go to college and pursue a degree in agriculture. Boyd’s service to the agriculture industry has influenced young people and their families for many years.

The 2021 Boyd Memorial $1,500 scholarship is awarded to Noah Benedict from Dewey, Ill. Benedict currently serves on the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) board of directors and is an incoming senior at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, majoring in agribusiness markets and management with a minor in leadership studies. His future goal is to seek a job in sales for an animal nutrition or pharmaceutical company. He also wants to focus on growing his family’s Hereford operation and become a reputable breeder for youth and other breeders, producing top-performing and consistent cattle.

Noah says he has learned what hard work and dedication looked like both inside and outside of the showring because of the NJHA. He now focuses on taking advantage of opportunities placed in front of him no matter the situation, and on being a selfless, loving and impactful person.