2014 Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund Scholarship Winners announced - Cowsmo

2014 Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund Scholarship Winners announced

Cambridge, ON  – Congratulations to this year’s Ontario Dairy Youth Trust Fund Scholarship winners!

With close to 15 scholarship applications submitted, choosing the winners proved difficult for the judging committee. Four students pursuing their degrees at the university level, and three pursuing diplomas at the college level, will each receive a scholarship worth $1000.00. One lucky applicant was also selected as this year’s recipient of the Lyle Martin Scholarship, a $750 annual award donated by the Martin family in Lyle’s memory. Selection for the scholarships was based on the student’s involvement on their family farm and their connectedness to agriculture and their community, with youth from all breeds eligible for the award. All recipients were also required to have completed at least one year of their studies. Congratulations and best of luck to this year’s deserving winners!

DEGREE WINNERS

BRANDON DIETRICH, Desboro [email protected]

Brandon is completing his degree in Animal Science at the University of Guelph. He grew up on a dairy farm in Desboro, ON, and has been involved in the operation as long as he can remember. His very first responsibilities included bottle-feeding calves when he was young, but these days, he is able to complete all the day-to-day chores needed to successfully run Donrich Farm. Brandon returns home on the weekends during the school year to assist with milking, and helps on the farm in the summer when time allows. For the past two summers he has worked as an agronomy assistant at Sprucedale Agromart where his main duties include scouting crops, making deliveries and putting up field signs. He values the skills he has learned at his job and knows they will come in handy when identifying weeds and estimating crop yields in the future. Brandon has been involved in 4-H for several years, completing clubs in dairy and life skills. He credits 4-H with helping his develop his communication skills and make many connections within the agricultural industry. In the future, he looks forward to returning to his family’s dairy farm.

DENNIS CATT, St. Thomas [email protected]

Dennis is currently in his second year of the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program at the University of Guelph. He has been actively involved on his family’s farm in St. Thomas and has also spent time working on neighbouring farms in the area. During his first year, Dennis learned about how agriculture and the ecosystem interact, while also learning from other “farm kids” from dairy farms across the province. He has taken on a leadership role at university, acting as both a Campus Tour Guide and Academic Cluster Leader for students new to the Agriculture program, and credits his time in 4-H for allowing him to develop the leadership skills necessary to take on these important roles. Off the farm, Dennis has volunteered with the East Elgin Sportsman’s Association, helping to educate the public on safe firearm handling; and with his church, collecting old newspapers to be made into insulation. The funds earned from this venture have helped to sponsor a child in Africa, purchase nets to fight malaria and have been donated to the local food bank and United Way. In the future, Dennis dreams of becoming a Holstein Canada Classifier, before returning to his family’s dairy farm. Congratulations to Dennis on also being selected as this year’s Lyle Martin Award winner!

MORGAN BAKER, Schomberg [email protected]

Morgan is completing her fourth and final year at the University of Guelph and hopes to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in the Science of Agriculture, majoring in Animal Science. Her love of animals and her experience growing up on a mixed farm with dairy, beef, sheep, horses, chickens and goats is what led her to the University of Guelph and she has taken advantage of the opportunity to its fullest. Morgan loves being an “Aggie” not only because of the great classes offered at Guelph, but she also enjoys the “family” of like-minded classmates who challenge her views and bring knowledge from their own farms to share. In addition to helping on her home farm, Morgan has worked on a 40-cow tie-stall dairy operation for the past three summers and on weekends during the school year. Here she is in charge of feeding, milking and registering heifers, as well as cleaning pens, meeting with the vet and organizing paperwork. She has a real passion for her job and looks forward to work every day. Morgan has been involved in 4-H since the age of 10 and has completed a wide array of clubs. She has received awards too numerous to list and hopes to stay involved in 4-H in some capacity in the future. Regardless of where her career path leads, Morgan plans to give back to youth, work with animals and educate the public on agriculture going forward.

SABRINA VAN SCHYNDEL, Carleton Place [email protected]

As a student at the University of Guelph majoring in Animal Biology, Sabrina is gaining knowledge she can apply when she returns home to work with her own animals in Lanark County. Though her agricultural roots started in horses – she has owned and worked with them since the age of eight – Sabrina also worked full-time for three summers at Jockbrae Farms where she was a milker and general herdsperson. In addition to milking, she was responsible for treating cows, calving, vaccinating and feeding, among other duties. She currently works for Semex as a herdsperson in the Kemptville bull barns, where she works with approximately 420 animals, feeding them, cleaning and clipping them, vaccinating them and preparing them for semen collection. Sabrina is an active 4-H member and has completed an impressive 40 clubs to date. She is involved in extra-curricular activities at university and has been the Livestock Director for the university’s College Royal. In her free time, she enjoys a variety of sports and competitively shows her 14-year-old Paint Gelding horse at local shows and beyond. After Guelph, Sabrina hopes to apply to vet school.

DIPLOMA WINNERS

CLAIRE HAZELEGER, Embro [email protected]

Claire is enrolled in the Practical Nursing program at Conestoga College and after initially exploring several options in the medical field, including becoming a surgeon or paramedic, nursing has proven to be the perfect educational path for her. Claire has been working on her family’s dairy farm (Hanalee Holsteins) since the age of 10, feeding, bedding and training calves, and later taking on some of the milking duties. Being away at school has made Claire realize how fortunate she was to have grown up on a farm and she now views it as more of a relaxing get away from the daily grind of schoolwork. Claire has been involved in 4-H since the age of 11 and believes it has helped develop her strong work ethic, confidence and leadership skills. She was honoured to be named to the Dean’s Honour List last year and will continue to work hard with the hopes of being accepted into the RPN to RN bridge program in the future. Outside of school and 4-H, Claire enjoys traveling and hopes to visit each continent at least once in her lifetime.

DERIC HARTEMINK, Belmont [email protected]

Deric is enrolled in the general Agriculture diploma program at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus. He has always enjoyed growing up on his family farm (Hartemink Holsteins) in Belmont, ON, and is confident his experience at Ridgetown will give him better insight into the farming industry. From an early age, Deric assisted with all aspects of chores on the farm and by 13, he was able to complete evening chores on his own. In his high school years, he worked as a relief milker for several larger herds in the area. Presently he is working for a custom worker, fixing equipment, planting hay, harvesting and wrapping hay for a number of clients. Though the hours are long, Deric enjoys learning about the latest equipment and visiting other farms to meet new people. Deric has been involved in 4-H for several years, which has taught him the responsibility, time management and discipline needed to train and show a calf, and allowed him to develop better social skills and meet new friends at the same time. In the future, he dreams assuming control of his family farm and expanding it going forward.

SARAH MASON, Woodstock [email protected]

Sarah is entering her second year of post-secondary studies at University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Ridgetown has been a perfect fit for her and has allowed her to explore various avenues of agriculture that she finds interesting. At home on her family’s 55 head purebred Jersey operation, Sarah helps with general labour in the barn and fieldwork. In the past, she has worked for neighbouring farms, assuming the responsibility of calf manager and providing a high-level of care for the animals. Sarah has been involved in 4-H since 2006 and has completed clubs in both livestock and life skills. Her involvement has allowed her to establish connections and gain the confidence necessary to become a strong leader. Sarah was named Oxford County’s Queen of the Furrow last year and will travel to plowing matches and fairs across Ontario this summer as part of her duties. She enjoys the outdoors and loves to canoe and hike. She also has a passion for niche markets in the agricultural industry and looks forward to starting a bee colony to produce honey next year.

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