Since 2000, the Michigan Youth Livestock Scholarship Fund (MYLSF) has awarded more than $585,725 in scholarships and educational awards to outstanding youth who have exhibited at the premier livestock events in the state of Michigan. In 2019, there was $38,000 in scholarships awarded.
In 2020, a select number of applicants may be offered an opportunity to be interviewed, at the discretion of the MYLSF, prior to the Sale-Abration event for larger scholarship awards up to $5,000.
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 Livestock Expo, the Michigan Dairy Expo or the former Michigan State Fair, 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 Livestock Expo Sale-Abration auction 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. Also, in 2019 approximately $15,000 was deposited into the Michigan Education Saving Plans for youth exhibitors who compete in judging and showmanship events at the Michigan Livestock Expo on the Michigan State University campus.
The 2019 MYLSF scholarship winners were:
$3500 scholarship: Shannon Good of Caledonia; and Cassandra Perrin of Coopersville
$3,000 scholarship: Eric Moser of Dansville
$2,500 scholarship: Morgan Bollinger of Owosso
$2,000 scholarship: Victoria Vining of Sault Sainte Marie
$1,500 scholarship: Kristen Burkhardt of Fowlerville; Payton Hines of Quincy; Lydia Acmoody of Coldwater; Kaleb Bickel of North Branch; Caitlin Henne of Eaton Rapids; Mariah Jansen of Sturgis; Laken Polega of Unionville; and Nathan Scovill of Laingsburg
$1,000 scholarship: Ian Black of Eagle; Mary Hartman of Flint; Tyler Rozema of Coopersville; Kylie Slavik of Ashley; and Renee Souva of Bronson
$500 scholarship: Zachary Cline of Allenton; Spencer Fisher of Blissfield; Callie Halsey of Adrian; Chloe Harris of Ovid; Kinsee Lettinga of Wayland; Emily Carole Luthringer of Dowagiac; Taylor Peter of Vanderbilt; Kade Shiery of Camden; Shelby Souva of Bronson; and Madelyn Stewart of Charlotte
$1,000 statewide scholarship: Katherine Wilson of Blanchard
$500 statewide scholarship: Madeline Meyer of Ionia
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 Friday, May 15, 2020. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Haarer, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Producer Security Section Manager, at 517-284-5642 or HaarerJ@Michigan.gov; or Ernie Birchmeier, Michigan Farm Bureau’s Livestock & Dairy Specialist, at 517-679-5335 or ebirchm@michfb.com.
