Hereford Youth Foundation of America Scholarships

Spring HYFA Scholarships Offered

The National Junior Merit Scholarship

$5,000 – The National Junior Merit Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards given at the JNHE. It was developed to encourage individual and cooperative effort, enthusiasm, leadership and achievement and to develop well-rounded breeders for the Hereford breed and the beef industry. Each year a $5,000 scholarship is awarded, with the winner also receiving a subsidized trip to a Hereford operation in the continental U.S.

The Bob Call Founders Scholarships

$5,000 – The Hereford Youth Foundation of America is deeply grateful to its founding members, whose vision made today’s programs possible. The two Bob Call Founders Scholarships, named after HYFA’s first president who helped establish its scholarship and leadership initiatives, are fittingly being awarded at the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) — where Call chaired the host committee 26 years ago for the first JNHE in Oklahoma.

Golden Bull Achievement Awards

$2,500 – The Golden Bull Achievement Awards are given to three collegiate students each summer. This is one of the most coveted honors at the JNHE as these youth not only receive the scholarship but also a bronze bull.

The Donna Curry Memorial Scholarship

$2,500 – The Donna Curry Memorial Scholarship offers three scholarships valuing $2,500 each. In memory of Donna Curry, McAlester, Okla., the Hereford family created the Donna Curry Memorial Scholarship Endowment during the 2022 Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), in an effort to honor Donna’s legacy and continue to provide opportunities for hard working Hereford youth.

Hereford Herdsman Scholarship

$2,500 – Sullivan Supply Inc., Hereford herdsmen from across the country and HYFA work together to support two herdsman scholarships. These scholarships are given to college students who not only excel in the classroom and showring, but also have a passion for and dedication to raising and showing Hereford cattle.

Bud Snidow Award

$2,500 – Each year the NHW honor Bud Snidow, past AHA employee and Hereford historian, with a hand-crafted belt buckle and scholarship. It is awarded to a commendable NJHA member who demonstrates the characteristics Snidow admired most – honesty, fairness, hard work, enthusiasm and dedication to the Hereford breed and its members.

John Wayne Memorial Scholarship

$2,000 – The John Wayne Memorial Endowment is awarded each summer to deserving college students who have made outstanding contributions to the agricultural industry and Hereford breed. They are awarded in remembrance of John Wayne – a legendary actor, agriculturalist and Hereford breeder.

NOP Founders Scholarship

$2,000 – The Poll-Ette Founders Scholarship was established in 2003, in honor of the women who laid the foundation for the National Organization of Poll-ette’s (NOP), which was organized in 1965.

Mead Family Scholarship

$2,000 – In 2020, the Mead family suffered loss of two amazing ladies and backbone of their Hereford operation, Tommy’s mother, Hazel Mead, and his wife, Valarie Mead. In 2021 the Mead family and friends rallied together to honor the passing of Hazel and Valerie with the Mead Family Memorial Scholarship Endowment, generating funds that will perpetuate over time to support Hereford junior members from across the country and assist them as they chase their dreams and further their education.

Charles E. Boyd Sr. Memorial Scholarship

$1,500 – The Boyd Memorial Scholarship honors the legacy of Hereford breeder, Charles E. Boyd, Sr., a third-generation Hereford breeder from Mays Lick, Ky., who mentored youth in the agricultural 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 helps young people in the Hereford breed who plan to attend college and pursue a degree in agriculture.

Buckeye and Bluegrass Scholarship

$1,500 – The Kentucky and Ohio Hereford Associations, along with HYFA, present a scholarship each year to provide recognition for an outstanding member of the NJHA. Its purpose is to develop good leaders for both the Hereford breed and the beef industry.

Walter and Joe Lewis Memorial Award

$1,000 – The Walter and Joe Lewis Award will be awarded to the high point senior competitor at the current Junior National Hereford Expo, recognizing overall achievement in leadership, teamwork, skills and competition and will be presented at the conclusion of the annual event.