Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

ustin graduate Emily Bollum has been awarded one of eight John C. “Jack” Ragsdale Memorial Scholarship at the 2020 National Junior Shorthorn Show and Conference Awards Ceremony, held in Abilene, Texas.

The recipient of this award exemplifies the qualities of Ragsdale, who is also known as “Mr. Shorthorn” by many breeders.

The $1,000 Jack Ragsdale Scholarship is awarded to a high school senior or college freshman who is an active AJSA member with a sincere interest in learning how to evaluate livestock and an appreciation for the purebred livestock industry. 2020 applicants wrote an essay on “The Value of the Whole Herd Reporting Program to the Shorthorn Breed.”

Bollum is the daughter of Cory and Mary Bollum of Austin and plans to attend Iowa State University and study agribusiness.

“I want to continue showing and helping my family produce and exhibit profitable cattle,” Bollum said in a press release Thursday. “It would be my ultimate goal to stay involved with the farm and continue to improve the herd so my children can grow up within agriculture and get the chance to show. This industry and the people in it have given me some of the greatest memories and a growing passion that I want my children to experience.”

Applications for the 2021 John C. “Jack” Ragsdale Memorial Scholarship are due May 1, 2021, to the ASA office located in Kansas City, Missouri.  For more information, contact Shelby Diehm or visit www.shorthorn.org.

Speech earns fourth in national speech competition

Bollum also took home top-five honors at the 2020 National Junior Shorthorn Show and Youth Conference.

Bollum, and other competitors from 24 states, competed with their animals and had the opportunity to compete in 13 individual, team or state contests.

Competitors exercised their public speaking skills in the speech contest, where Bollum placed fourth in the Senior Extemporaneous Speech age division, (17 -21 years).

The objective of the contest is to give a prepared or extemporaneous speech based on the topic of shorthorns or the cattle industry.

The speeches are judged based on organization, presentation, language usage, poise and eye contact, time and the quality of answers provided when the judges have the opportunity to ask questions.

“This event [youth show] is more than just a cattle show, it prepares these youth for future life experiences with the contests and added activities,” said Montie Soules, the Executive Secretary of the American Shorthorn Association. “The National Junior Shorthorn Show & Youth Conference brings together more Shorthorn producers and exhibitors than any other event we have.”