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N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation News — NCCF Awards 2020-2021 Scholarships
NEWS
The N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation has awarded 24 college scholarships and 3 graduate travel awards to students with backgrounds and interests related to cattle. These students aspire to pursue careers in agriculture or allied fields, particularly related to cattle. Scholarships were awarded to students attending college at Clemson University, Mars Hill University, N.C. State University, Redlands Community College, and the University of Mount Olive.
The scholarships are funded by earnings on donations to the N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation, which has been significantly supported by cattle producers in the state. The Foundation was established in 1982 with a significant donation from N.C. State University graduate E. Carroll Joyner. Since that time, numerous others have contributed to the Foundation.
The N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation is also supported by proceeds from sales of North Carolina Cattle Reflections, a history of cattle in North Carolina. The book may be purchased by contacting Kim Burdge at the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association at 919-552-9111 or kim@ nccattle.com or online at www.nccattle. com/resources/merchandise/cattlereflections-order-form.
The following personal stories were provided by the 2020-2021 scholarship and travel award winners: Kayla Birkholz
Family; the first word that comes to mind when thinking of the agricultural and cattle industries. Having a support system within an industry that has provided me with so much is a reward within itself. I know that no matter what happens or where I may end up, I will always have people cheering me on. In addition to having this support system, I also have been blessed with friendships that will last a lifetime. Growing up on my family’s farm, I have seen firsthand just how much we need the agricultural industry in our everyday lives and how the people within the industry make a difference.
In addition to being a second family to me, the industry has provided me with many opportunities which have helped shape me into the person I am today. Through showing livestock, I have been able to share this passion for cattle and the agricultural industry with others who share this same passion. Together we have been able to educate others within the community about the importance of agriculture and the cattle industry in North Carolina.
For me, agriculture has always been a huge part of my life which has made me want to pursue it as a career. I have always had a passion for helping people, so eventually being able to do that in an industry that has provided me with so much is a dream come true. There are so many negative stereotypes about the farming community in today’s society, which causes the industry to suffer. Growing up, I have seen the toll that these stereotypes can have on the farmers and their families.
By pursuing a degree in agricultural business management, I hope to be able to help farmers make the best decisions possible for their farms, as well as help them be able to advocate for the industry on a much broader spectrum. I think in the ever changing world that we live in, it is important that we are able to continue being able to provide for the community. By accepting this scholarship, I am able to continue pursuing a degree that will allow me to be able to give back to an industry that has provided me with so much.
Kayla Birkholz
Lynae Bowman
Lynae Bowman
I am a sophomore at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla., where I am a member of the livestock judging team. Prior to moving to El Reno, I had spent my entire life in King, just north of Winston-Salem, on our family farm. My freshmen year was the most exciting year of my life. I got to travel to lots of places and compete in over ten livestock judging contests. My livestock judging teammates are my pseudo family since I am over 900 miles away from mine. It was also a hard year because I wasn’t home to see calves being born and to watch them grow. I had to settle for photos and texts from my mom April, dad Neil, and little brother Nate. When I am not in class, studying, or practicing livestock judging, I have a part time job at a ranch north of El Reno working with their show and sale cattle. This helps to fill the void of seeing my own cattle.
El Reno is less than 30 minutes from Oklahoma City, which is the home to several major livestock shows, including the new Cattlemens’ Congress show that replaced the National Western Stock Show this year due to the pandemic. It is nice to live close to so many livestock opportunities.
I have been fortunate enough to have raised and shown cattle my entire life. We are blessed to live on a family farm at the foot of the Sauratown Mountains. We have a small cow/calf operation of mostly Angus cattle. We utilize artificial insemination and some embryo transfer with our cattle. We also try to practice rotational grazing and plant annuals to help dilute our fescue and increase gains.
I plan to graduate from Redlands with an associate’s degree in animal
science and will continue my education in animal science at a four year university where I hope to continue livestock judging. I am still exploring my career options for the future. The N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation scholarship will be a big assistance towards pursuing my dreams. wasn’t until I dropped showing pigs that I became more serious about livestock judging. I wasn’t the biggest fan of it at first, but I did it, and in time, the feeling of well earned victory washed away the feelings of boredom and frustration that tried to persist. I cannot say that I was the best judge on my team since I was far from a phenom. My teammates were definitely more talented judges than I was, but I kept my focus sharp to keep pace with them. I can definitely say that I made many friends from across the state and had my time in the sun. When the time came that I was offered a chance to practice with the state team, I wanted other, more talented judges to take my spot on the team. I knew I had accomplished what I set out to do: Be a part of the best senior team in the state.
During this time, I completed both levels of the N.C. Beef Leadership program in 2018 and 2019, and it was here I learned more about our industry and what is needed to guide it through the years to come. I also began to look around at the state of the world at that time and noticed an ever growing dissent towards agriculture, especially with PETA becoming an even more radically charged force in our society. I wanted to put my natural desire to help others learn, and to teach, with a major in agriculture education. Seeing all those who are ignorant to the plight of those who provide them food, or are even downright hostile to them, makes me really upset for about a split second. But I know they simply are unaware of what happens, and it is here that I hope to make an impact. Whether I become a teacher or I work in advocacy for an agricultural organization, I know that my path is filled with great people and great things to do. on a cow/calf operation in western North Carolina. I always enjoyed helping out on the farm with my family, whether it be feeding, checking on the cows, vaccinating, breeding, or calving season.
I became involved in the McDowell County 4-H Livestock Program when I was ten years old. Through the 4-H Livestock Program, I was able to meet other young people who share similar passions and see how agriculture varies in different parts of the country. I also had the opportunity to learn more about other livestock species I was less familiar with, such as pigs, sheep, and goats.
In ninth grade, I became a member of the McDowell High School FFA Chapter. I served in various leadership positions at the chapter level and as the regional reporter. I fell more in love with FFA and agricultural education as I took more agriculture classes and participated in career and leadership development events. In my junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to be an agriculture teacher when I graduate college. Therefore, I chose to attend N.C. State University to pursue a degree in agricultural education and minor in animal science. I am excited to be a future agricultural educator as I can share my passion for agriculture with my students and teach them about how important agriculture truly is to our world.
I am so grateful to be a recipient of the 2021-2022 N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation Scholarship and appreciate your investment in my future. This scholarship will help me achieve my educational goals without having to worry as much about the financial burden that comes along with college. of every summer was being able to train and work with my new group of heifers. Between working with my heifers, I would help milk cows, feed baby calves, and follow my dad around and learn as much as I could. This is when my passion for agriculture and the cattle industry began.
I currently work at Southern States and my family’s dairy farm, Grayhouse Farms. I served as the North Iredell FFA President my junior and senior years and served as the Northwest Region FFA Secretary my senior year. I competed in cattle working, land judging, livestock evaluation, equine evaluation, farm business management, extemporaneous speaking, and poultry judging. I was a member of the 2019 N.C. FFA and 4-H Dairy Evaluation teams. FFA has allowed me to expand my leadership experiences, grow as an individual, and expand my knowledge of the agricultural industry.
In May of 2021, I graduated from North Iredell High School. I will be attending N.C. State University in the Fall of 2021 to pursue a degree in agriculture business management. I plan on returning home and managing my family’s dairy farm.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the N.C. Cattlemen’s Foundation for granting me this scholarship. This scholarship will help allow me to further my education at N.C. State University. Thank you for supporting and believing in the future of North Carolina’s cattle and agricultural industry.
Mason Carpenter
Mason Carpenter
Hello, my name is Mason Carpenter, and I’m 18 years old. From the beginning of my time, it wasn’t a question of whether I was going to be raised on a farm. It was how far I would go on that farm and what I would learn from my days there. I certainly didn’t expect my experiences to be as varied as they were or the places it would take me to be as great, but I went there regardless.
Our operation in Fallston, N.C., has routinely maintained over 100 cow/calf pairs at any given time, and usually more. It might not have seemed impressive enough, so when I was nine, we added horses and pigs to our repertoire. For years afterward, we showed pigs in the Hickory American Legion Fair as well as the Mountain State Fair. My sister, good friend, and I were routinely champions in our class, and oftentimes, the show would provide entertainment for all to watch, as our pigs would hit the sawdust after being raised on concrete for their entire lives in high gear. Being the showmen we were, we simply laughed it off and got our animals under control quickly. I have many great memories of our time showing pigs, such as when a Yankee neighbor of ours called us to say that the hogs are out, but I completely forgot until 15 minutes into our conversation! Years later, we continue to laugh about the incident.
After we finished our time showing hogs, we quickly were put to the test in 4-H livestock judging competitions. My dad had coached teams that made it to the National Finals when I was very young, so my judging debut at the age of nine was viewed with high hopes. It Hannah Ellis
I’ve had a passion for the agriculture industry from a young age, more specifically, the cattle industry. My interest in cattle stems from growing up
Hannah Ellis Laurel Gray
Laurel Gray
My name is Laurel Gray, and I grew up on my family’s dairy farm in Stony Point, North Carolina. I began showing dairy cattle at the county fair when I was five years old. Growing up, the highlight
Rachel Gray
Rachel Gray
My name is Rachel Gray, and I am from Stony Point, North Carolina. I am a rising senior at the University of Mount Olive studying agribusiness. I live and work on my family’s dairy, Grayhouse Farms, in western Iredell
