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Future planning
Winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers scholarships announced
October 9, 2020 By Top Crop Manager
Shaelyn Beswitherick from Austin, Man., and Clayton Lehr from Redcliff, Alta., have been selected as winners of the Outstanding Young Farmers Memorial Scholarship for 2020. Each winner received a $1,000 scholarship to support their post-secondary agricultural education.
A fascination with the growth of plants has Shaelyn Beswitherick pursuing a diploma in agriculture at the University of Manitoba. She was raised on a mixed farm. Shaelyn is excited to learn about the many facets of farming across Canada and how farming is adapting to maintain the health of the earth. She hopes to apply her new studies to the managerial side of farming if and when she returns to the family farm.
Clayton Lehr’s passion for agriculture came from being raised on a family ranch/farm, working alongside his dad and grandfather. He feels that, by attending Lethbridge College for an agricultural science diploma, he will learn and experience what the world of agriculture has to offer. He hopes to take that knowledge back to his fifth generation farm in southern Alberta and use it to feed the world.
Since 2009, Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF) program has supported agricultural education for young Canadians through its Memorial Scholarship fund. The OYF Memorial Scholarship was established by the late Martin Streef, recipient of both Ontario’s and Canada’s OYF awards in 1996, to help future generations of Canadians pursue their passion for agriculture. He was president of Streef Produce Ltd., a family-run fresh fruit and vegetable business in Woodstock, Ont.
The award includes two annual scholarships – one to an individual who has completed at least one year of post-secondary study in agriculture, and the other to someone who has completed high school and is enrolling in a post-secondary education in agriculture. As part of the application process, applicants write an essay about why they are passionate about agriculture in Canada.
Full details and application forms for the OYF Memorial Scholarships are available at www.oyfcanada.com under “Scholarships”. The deadline for nominations for the 2021 scholarships is June 30, 2021.
