By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) most prestigious scholarship was awarded to a Texas A&M University student with a passion for agriculture.

Savay Sexton of Gonzales County is the recipient of the 2025 S.M. True Jr. Agricultural Scholar Award.

The $25,000 scholarship is presented annually to a deserving student in honor of former TFB President S.M. True Jr.

“President True’s life was marked by integrity, service and a deep-rooted passion for agriculture,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “This scholarship is awarded each year to a student who exemplifies those same values, and. Savay Sexton’s dedication to agriculture and her community truly reflects that.”

Sexton is a sophomore at Texas A&M University majoring in agricultural leadership and development.

She grew up surrounded by agriculture in her hometown of Cost.

“I was heavily involved in 4-H, showing cattle, competing in contests, serving on Texas 4-H Council, being a Texas 4-H Livestock Ambassador and creating programs to cultivate others,” Sexton said. “Now, as a sophomore agricultural leadership and development major at Texas A&M University, it has been my goal to share Christ’s love and make him known through my involvement by being a teaching assistant, competing on the Wool Judging Team, volunteering in my church, studying abroad and serving as a club officer.”

While in college, she is an events student assistant for Texas A&M AgriLife. In this role, she plans, hirers event staff and coordinates with vendors for events on campus at Texas A&M University.

After completing her degree, Sexton plans to pursue a career in agritourism.

“My goal is to work in international agritourism, bringing people together to have experiences that deepen their understanding of agriculturists’ dedication to creating a safe and wholesome food supply,” she said. “I will do this by coordinating trips worldwide with tours showcasing ag entities and how the effects of policy, culture, technology, history and legacies weave together to create successful and innovative agricultural businesses.”

Sexton is the incoming Texas A&M Collegiate Farm Bureau secretary. She has attended TFB’s annual meeting, advanced to the Sweet 16 in the Speak Out For Agriculture  Challenge and helped with activities that promote agriculture in Gonzales County.

“I coordinated the first-ever Gonzales County Ag Camp,” Sexton said. “Twenty-four 6th-12th grade youths from three schools toured 17 ag entities. I created the idea and promotional items, and it was sponsored by my county Farm Bureau. I built the schedule, corresponded with parents and planned three days of ag enterprise tours, travel, food, speakers, activities and media training.”

The event helped fuel her passion for hosting events and connecting individuals to agriculture.

“This scholarship is an incredible blessing, and I am honored to be impacted by S.M. True Jr.’s legacy,” Sexton said. “It will allow me the time and opportunity to become more dedicated to my studies and extracurriculars, and not be as worried about financing college. I am grateful for this scholarship and excited to continue giving back to the agriculture community.”

She noted the scholarship encourages her to further grow her passion for agriculture and help people better understand what farmers and ranchers do.

“The S.M. True Jr. Scholarship will allow me to deepen my passion for agriculture and advance my future career goals in agritourism and farm-to-table experiences, bringing people together to learn about agriculture,” she said. “It is an honor to know that I have the support of Texas Farm Bureau, and I am excited to serve as an advocate for agriculture. I will strive to return value to such an impactful grassroots organization that empowers college students such as myself.”

Scholarship finalists
Four additional finalists for the award were:

  • John Klose, District 1, Randall County
  • Bailey Pennell, District 2, Garza County
  • Bayli Honeycutt, District 9, Anderson County
  • Lily Ford, District 13, Hidalgo County.

Each finalist received a $5,000 scholarship.

Scholarship details
The S.M. True Jr. Agricultural Scholar Award was established in 2014 by the TFB board of directors to recognize True’s commitment to agriculture.

True and his wife, Anna Jean, farmed in Hale County where they grew cotton, wheat, feed grains and raised cattle. True maintained a keen interest in farming and agricultural issues until his death in 2012.

True served as TFB president from 1982 to 1993. He had a passion for improving the lives of farmers and ranchers and believed Farm Bureau was the organization that best represented agriculture because of its grassroots orientation.

To be eligible for the scholarship, the students must have at least 60 hours of college credit and be enrolled in a four-year college or university. To receive the full amount, the recipient must continue to major in agriculture, maintain a satisfactory grade point average and maintain TFB membership for the duration of the scholarship.

To view the full list of 2025 scholarship recipients, visit texasfarmbureau.org/scholarships.