By Julie Tomascik
Editor

The future of our state and nation relies on Texas youth. They have opportunities for growth, education and leadership to help them explore a changing new world, but sometimes they need a helping hand.

That’s why Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) invests in youth, devoting money and time to develop leadership skills at a young age.

That investment comes through scholarships at the state and county levels.

Each year, Texas Farm Bureau awards more than $200,000 in scholarships, and over $350,000 in scholarships is given each year through county Farm Bureaus.

“From high school seniors to enrolled college students and students pursuing technical degrees, there are a variety of Farm Bureau scholarships available,” Mia Balko, TFB director of Youth Outreach, said. “These scholarships and awards are another way that Texas Farm Bureau and county Farm Bureaus invest in the future of our communities, state and agriculture.”

Applicants must create an account and register through the MyTFB Membership portal at my.texasfarmbureau.org. Once there, navigate to registration, and select 2021 scholarships 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 a completed application online is March 5 before midnight.

Visit https://texasfarmbureau.org/youth/youth-opportunities for more information and the scholarship application checklist.

Contact Balko at mbalko@txfb.org with questions.

Dick Mitchell Scholarship
This $1,000 scholarship is awarded to one high school senior who has attended the TFB Youth Leadership Conference or Virtual Leadership Conference.

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.

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. Three $2,000 Young Farmer & Rancher Enrolled scholarships will be awarded.

Student Teaching Award
Four senior Agricultural Education students will receive the Texas Farm Bureau Student Teaching Award 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 2021 are encouraged to apply.

A second application process will open later this year for those student teaching in the spring.

TSTC Scholarships
TFB has made scholarship funds available to first-year and enrolled students attending Texas State Technical College (TSTC). Fifty $1,000 scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis through the Texan Success Scholarship.

There are also five $1,000 scholarships for TFB members entering their second year at TSTC.

Another $5,000 is available through the “helping hands” scholarship, which is meant to help students with unexpected costs that are not usually covered by traditional scholarships.

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 who have declared agriculture as their major.

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.