GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — Salem Sifford, Goldvein, Va., was selected as the recipient for the NOP Founders $2,000 Scholarship at the 2024 Vitaferm^®Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) Scholarship, Award and Maroon Jacket Ceremony on July 11 in Grand Island, Neb. 

Salem Sifford is a junior at Virginia Tech University where she is majoring in dairy science with a minor in animal and poultry sciences. She plans to work with families to improve their operations. Sifford is a third-generation Hereford and Holstein breeder. She has been a member of the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) for 13 years. Leadership skills are one of her biggest takeaways from her time in the NJHA. “Learning the type of person you are, the type of leader you are and how you impact others can quickly change the way you feel about and represent yourself,” Sifford said. 

The NOP Founders Scholarship was established in 2003, in honor of the women who laid the foundation for the National Organization of Poll-ettes (NOP), which was organized in 1965 and is now known as the National Hereford Women (NHW). 

Cameron Kolinski served on the interview panel for the scholarships representing the NHW. “Some of these juniors left me speechless during their interviews. Each year the pool gets stronger, making judging more challenging as they are all deserving,” Kolinski said. “These juniors possess a passion for others in the industry and give credit where it is due. I think the Hereford industry is in excellent hands with these young members, and the future is bright.” 

HYFA awarded $40,000 to outstanding Hereford youth at the 2024 JNHE and will award more than $200,000 throughout the year to deserving junior members to aid in their academic endeavors.

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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.