For immediate release:
April 7, 2014
Scholarship contact: Jeff
Haarer, 517-284-5642 or Ernie Birchmeier, 517-323-7000.
Lansing, MI - Since 2000, the
Michigan Youth Livestock Scholarship Fund (MYLSF) has awarded more than
$350,000 in scholarships and educational awards to outstanding youth who
have exhibited at the premier livestock events in the state of
Michigan.
To be eligible for either the
MYLSF general scholarship or the statewide scholarship, the applicant must
be a resident of Michigan and a graduating high school senior or a high
school graduate continuing their education at an accredited institution in
the year in which they are applying.
For the general MYLSF
scholarship, the applicant must be a youth exhibitor at the Michigan State
Fair, Michigan Livestock Expo or the Michigan Dairy Expo for a minimum of
three calendar years prior to the year of application. For the
statewide scholarship, an applicant must be a youth exhibitor at a local,
county, or statewide exhibition for a minimum of three years prior to the
year of application.
Specific proceeds from the
Michigan State Fair Youth Livestock Auction and the Michigan Livestock Expo
as well as charitable donations help fund the scholarships. The fund
is governed by a 10-member board comprised of volunteers from Michigan’s
agricultural community, with the corpus of the fund held at the Battle
Creek Community Foundation. In 2013, approximately $17,000 was deposited in
the Michigan Education Saving Plans for youth exhibitors that compete in
judging and showmanship events at the Michigan Livestock Expo on the
Michigan State University campus.
The 2013 MYLSF $1,500 general
scholarship winners were: Kelly Raterink of Zeeland; Bryant Chapman of
South Rockwood; Jake Sloan of Quincy; Kayla Mitchell of Burr Oak and Joshua
Kelpinski of Owosso. The MYLSF $1,000 scholarships were awarded to
Justin Ruggles of Kingston and Seth Gibson of Union City. The statewide
$1,000 scholarship was awarded to Bethany Myers of Montgomery; and the $500
statewide scholarship was awarded to Michaela Marks of Stephenson.
The 2013 Quality of Life,
comprised of the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Environmental Quality, and Natural Resources, the $500 Gene Thompson
Scholarship winners were: Trevor Adams of Gaylord; Gregg Davis of Leslie;
Kyle Helwig of Lake Leelanau; Joshua Kelpinski of Owosso; Ryan Knox of Sand
Creek; Russell Lipe of Bath; Duane London of Bay City; Abby Maynard of
Holt, and Erin Wenk of Williamston.
Applications and
qualification requirements for the MYLSF and the statewide scholarship can
be obtained at www.michigan.gov/mda-mylsf.
Applications must be postmarked no later than May 31, 2014. If
you have any questions, please contact Jeff Haarer, Michigan Department of
Agriculture’s Producer Security Section Manager, at 517-284-5642 or Ernie
Birchmeier, Michigan Farm Bureau’s Livestock & Dairy Specialist, at
517-323-7000.
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