KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marie Prodell, Algoma, Wis., was awarded the National Hereford Queen Scholarship during the 2024 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 25. During the award ceremony, the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its donors awarded $165,500 in scholarships to 27 National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members to help support their higher-education goals.

Prodell, the 2024 National Hereford Queen, is a senior at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls’ in their agricultural business and animal science program. Throughout her reign, she served the NJHA and AHA membership as a spokesperson and role model for the Hereford breed. 

The National Hereford Queen represents the breed at national shows, sales and events and serves as a historic symbol for the Hereford breed. At the recent VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo, Prodell launched her service project, titled “The Next-Gen Project.” This project created collaborative artwork, which will be auctioned to raise funds for the National Hereford Women (NHW)  scholarships offered to juniors throughout the year.

Prodell completed her reign during the National Hereford Show at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 27. The National Queen Scholarship is the result of the NHW partnering with HYFA to elevate the queen program and assist the queen with her education and tuition costs. 

The scholarship fund serves as the bedrock of HYFA, and countless youth benefit from its mission. Since its inception, HYFA has awarded scholarships fueling educational opportunities. For years, these scholarships have been lighting the way for youth in the Hereford breed. Recently, the foundation celebrated awarding more than $2 million in scholarships to assist Hereford youth further their education, since its founding in 2000.

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 2000, when the American Hereford Youth Foundation and the American Polled Hereford Youth Foundation, Inc., merged. HYFA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the scholarship and educational support of young people in the Hereford industry. Its mission 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.