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Scholarship winners keep family farm heritage strong
Missouri
Each of the four scholarship winners know where their heart belongs--on the farm to give back to their community and to continue a valued way of life.
In honor of their dedication to preserving family farms, the Missouri Farmers Union Family Farm Opportunity Center will award four $1000 scholarships to deserving college students on August 15, 2004 at 1 p.m. at the Missouri State Fair in the Agriculture Building by the Missouri Farmers Union booth. Presenting the checks to the winners will be Lieutenant Governor Joe Maxwell. The State Fair queen and Peter Hofherr, Director of Agriculture, will also be in attendance to honor these hard working students.
Those chosen to receive $1000 are: Matt Beach of Leonard, Greg Meier of Jackson, Andrea Rice of Salisbury and Michelle VanOpdorp of Ava.
Beach attends the University of Missouri-Columbia with a major in agriculture systems management and minors in agricultural economics and animal sciences. He will graduate in May 2005. He is the son of Harold and Jan Beach and plans to return to the family farm to assist with his family farm's row crop and livestock operation. While he enjoys hunting and fishing, he also enjoys mechanic work on vehicles, boats and tractors. He was one of 40 students selected to attend the New Century Farm Program to learn new marketing ideas for agriculture commodities, risk management strategies and farm succession ideas.
Meier will graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in December 2004 with a degree in animal sciences and a minor in agriculture economics. He is the fifth generation member of his family's registered Angus farm currently operated by his parents Paul "Butch" and Eileen Meier. After experiencing a valuable internship with Milk River Genetics in Harlem, Montana, in the summer of 2003, Meier plans to continue his interest in cattle reproduction after graduation. He hopes to specifically operate an embryo transfer clinic in a rural community. Currently, Meier is on the Mizzou livestock judging team where he meets agriculture leaders from across the nation.
In May 2005, Rice will graduate from University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in agricultural education--leadership and communication. She currently helps her husband, Mitchell, on their farm but has always had an agriculture background. Her parents, John and Gayla Olendorff, help Rice's grandfather operate a corn, soybean and Wheat family farm. After graduation, she plans to continue helping her husband and hopes to work for University Extension. Previously, she was the American Salers Queen and sat on the American Salers Junior Association Board of Directors.
VanOpdorp will begin the veterinary technology program at Crowder College this fall and plans to graduate in December 2005. Before being accepted at Crowder, she attended Southwest Missouri State University for an agricultural degree. When finished with the veterinary technology program, she plans to run a dairy. VanOpdorp is the daughter of Jim and Chris Chapman, of Ava, and Steve VanOpdorp, of Genesseo, Illinois. During her free time she enjoys riding her Missouri Fox Trotter and playing with her chocolate Labrador. She said her greatest accomplishment is that she has learned to deal with a physically debilitating condition and continues to take part in activities she loves.
These scholarships were made possible by a grant from the Edward Chase Garvey Memorial Foundation of St. Louis.
Date: 8/26/04
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