Nat'l Cattlemen's Foundation Accepting Applications for the W.D. Farr Scholarships

The National Cattlemen's Foundation is now accepting applications for the W.D. Farr Scholarships for the 2015-16 school year. The annual W.D. Farr Scholarship awards were established by the National Cattlemen's Foundation in 2007 to recognize outstanding students who plan to pursue careers in meat science and animal agriculture. Each $12,000 award recognizes superior achievement in academics and leadership, and will allow graduate students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry.


"By helping to make my student loan debt much more manageable, the W.D. Farr Scholarship has allowed me to pursue my interests at law school so that I may become a great legal advocate for farmers and ranchers," said 2014 scholarship recipient, Ariel Overstreet-Adkins. "Knowing that my friends in the cattle industry support my efforts has been a constant source of encouragement in the face of a challenging and rigorous law school curriculum."

Adkins received the award during her final year of law school at the University of Montana, where she focused her studies on property, land use, natural resource and water law. She said Farr's legacy has set an example for others to aspire toward.

Josh Ison, PhD student at Texas Tech University studying food safety and epidemiology within animal science, echoed Adkin's sentiment stating that the scholarship helped mitigate expenses associated with his dissertation research.

"This scholarship has supported my travel and subsistence for a research fellowship in antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Paris, France, to perform my dissertation research," said Ison.

W.D. Farr was the first president of the National Cattlemen's Foundation, and served as president of the American National Cattlemen's Association, which would later become the NCBA. His career spanned 75 years and included innovations in cattle feeding, uniform beef grading, water conservation and banking.

To apply for the scholarship, graduate students planning to pursue a career in meat science or the beef industry should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a description of applicant's goals and experience, a statement of belief in the industry as well as a review of the applicant's graduate research and three letters of recommendation. For more information and to apply, visit nationalcattlemensfoundation.org.