KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Isaac Rhode, Stewartsville, Mo., was awarded the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) Scholarship during the 2023 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 20. In a special awards ceremony, HYFA and its donors proudly awarded $163,000 in scholarships to 27 National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members to help support their higher-education goals.

Rhode is a junior at the University of Missouri studying agriculture with emphasis areas in animal science, agriculture business management and agriculture education and leadership. While he wants to continue in production agriculture as a Hereford breeder, he wants to work with other livestock producers on efficiency and profitability.

“As beef producers, our role is to produce high-quality protein products to feed our global population. I have always connected my volunteer work with food drives and my job as a beef producer together as one lifelong responsibility,” Rhode said.

The $2,500 HYFA Scholarship is designed to provide recognition for outstanding members of the NJHA and encourages individual and cooperative effort, enthusiasm, excellence, leadership, academic success and achievement.

“The foundation takes great pride in our scholarship program and the opportunities we are able to provide to assist our young people throughout their college journeys,” says Amy Cowan, AHA’s director of youth activities and foundation. “The selection committee continues to be impressed by the high caliber of applicants and are confident that today’s NJHA members will be tomorrow’s leaders in whatever industry they pursue.” 

The scholarship fund is the bedrock of HYFA and countless youth are benefactors of its mission. This last fiscal year, the foundation celebrated net assets reaching more than $6.3 million and in total $221,500 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.