By Julie Tomascik
Editor
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) continues to invest in youth, devoting large amounts of money and time to help students develop leadership skills and a future in agriculture.
That investment comes through scholarships at the state and county levels. Each year, TFB awards more than $200,000 in scholarships, and over $350,000 in scholarships is given through county Farm Bureaus.
And this year, TFB is adding another collegiate scholarship opportunity—the Rural Veterinary Scholarship.
“Our scholarship program continues to grow and adapt to meet the future needs of agriculture and our youth who are furthering their education. High school seniors, enrolled college students and students pursuing technical degrees can apply for a variety of Farm Bureau scholarships,” McKenna Bush, TFB youth coordinator, said. “These scholarships and awards are another way that TFB and county Farm Bureaus invest in the future of our communities, state and agriculture.”
There are three high school scholarships available: Memorial/Honorary District Scholarship, Young Farmer & Rancher Scholarship and the Dick Mitchell Memorial Scholarship.
Enrolled college students can apply for four scholarships: Young Farmer & Rancher Scholarships for Enrolled College Students, S.M. True Jr. Agricultural Scholar Award, Mia Balko Student Teaching Scholarship and the Rural Veterinary Scholarship.
How to apply
Applicants must create an account and register through the MyTFB Membership portal at my.texasfarmbureau.org.
Once there, navigate to My Registration, and select 2022 scholarship applications from the list.
All scholarships require the student to be part of a TFB member-family to qualify, and membership must be maintained for the duration of the scholarship.
The deadline to apply and submit completed scholarship applications online is March 1 before midnight.
Visit texasfarmbureau.org/scholarships for more information and the scholarship application checklist.
Email youthactivities@txfb.org or call 254-751-2258 with questions.
Scholarships for High School Seniors
Dick Mitchell Scholarship
This $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one high school senior who completed the Thrive Experience through TFB’s Student Success Series last summer.
Young Farmer & Rancher Scholarship
High school seniors pursuing a degree in agriculture are eligible for TFB’s Young Farmer & Rancher scholarship. Each of TFB’s 13 districts will award one $1,000 scholarship.
Memorial/Honorary and District Scholarships
In each of the 13 TFB districts, one student will be awarded a $1,500 scholarship. Three students from each district also will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Scholarships for Enrolled College Students
Young Farmer & Rancher Enrolled Scholarship
The Young Farmer & Rancher Enrolled Scholarship is for students already in college pursuing undergraduate degrees. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours and a GPA of 2.5 or higher to qualify. Applicants must also intend to pursue a career in agriculture.
Three $2,000 Young Farmer & Rancher Enrolled scholarships will be awarded.
Mia Balko Student Teaching Scholarship
This scholarship was renamed in honor of the late Mia Balko, who was the director of youth outreach and scholarship coordinator for TFB. Prior to joining TFB, Balko was an agricultural science teacher for many years.
Four senior agricultural education students will receive the Mia Balko Student Teaching Scholarship each semester.
The scholarships, valued at $1,500, aim to help students cover expenses during their semester of off-campus student teaching. Students who will be student teaching off-campus in fall 2022 are encouraged to apply.
A second application process will open later this year for those student teaching in spring 2023.
S.M. True Jr. Agricultural Scholar Award
To acknowledge former TFB President S.M. True Jr., a $20,000 scholarship was established for college students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program with at least 60 hours of college credit and declared agriculture as their major.
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a Farm Bureau member-family for at least three years at the time of application. Applicants must submit a completed application and two letters of recommendation—one from the county Farm Bureau president and one from the dean or head of the agricultural department of the applicant’s college or university.
Students are encouraged to apply at the end of their sophomore year for TFB’s most prestigious scholarship.
Rural Veterinary Scholarship
The Rural Veterinary Scholarship is new this year. Four scholarships valued at $10,000 each will be awarded.
Applicants must be a second- or third-year veterinarian student at Texas A&M University or Texas Tech University with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. The applicant must also plan to enter a rural and/or food animal practice in Texas after graduation.
TSTC Scholarships
TFB has made scholarship funds available to first-year and enrolled students attending Texas State Technical College (TSTC).
Twenty-five $1,000 scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis through the Texan Success Scholarship.
Another $10,000 is available through the “helping hands” scholarship, which is meant to help students with unexpected costs that are not usually covered by traditional scholarships.
TSTC scholarship applications are available at tstc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/scholarships.