Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”
It won’t be long before young folks are starting a new year of college. And 28 North Carolina students will be getting some financial help through the N.C. State Fair Youth Livestock Scholarship Program.
The scholarships are designed for high school seniors and students currently enrolled in a university or community college who have participated in the junior livestock or market turkey shows at the N.C. State Fair.
The program is funded by sponsors of the annual N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Sale of Champions. The number of scholarships awarded each year is based on the number of qualified applicants and the amount of money available from the previous year’s Sale of Champions. Because of strong support of the 2016 sale, 28 scholarships valued at $2,000 each were awarded this year.
A selection committee evaluated applicants based on their involvement with N.C. State Fair junior livestock shows, academic achievement and extracurricular activities. Applicants also had to write an essay.
The State Fair has awarded a total of $158,000 in scholarships since starting this program in 2015. In addition to the scholarships, the Sale of Champions program also supports youth livestock programs and shows in North Carolina.
The application for the 2018 scholarship class will be posted online at www.ncstatefair.org in early January. The deadline to apply will be March 1, 2018.
Click on the link below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss the scholarship program and why it’s important.
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