Houston Livestock Show and rodeo gives 26 million dollars in scholarships

Standing on stage next to a black- and-white steer named Phantom, 15-year-old Mackenzie Elrod thanked God and the ranchers who taught her how to properly show livestock project animals.

Mackenzie had about 85,000 U.S. dollars worth of reasons to be grateful. That's the amount she's getting in scholarship money for raising and showing the junior market grand championship steer at the annual three-week rodeo, March 2-23.

The rodeo currently provides about 26 million dollars in scholarships to junior and high school students who show livestock, mechanical agricultural inventions or U.S. Western-themed art projects, demonstrate community leadership or participate in the Texas A&M University's College of Veterninary medicine.

"When you're spending that kind of money, it encourages young people, thousands of kids, who have learned how to be responsible not only for their animal project, but in life," said Paul Somerville, one of Phantom's buyers who shelled out a total of 175, 000 dollars for the animal.

Leroy Schafer, the rodeo's chief operating officer, said Phantom was one of about 30,000 head of livestock shown by young people in the world's largest rodeo.

"We have over 1.2 million people in paid attendance, with 1.9 million coming through the gates. We've been an institution since 1938," Schafer said.

More than 16,000 young people compete for the scholarships in several livestock categories that include steers, donkeys and mules, goats and lambs and poultry and swine.

The youth who show project livestock, members of their school's Future Farmers of America or 4-H Clubs, get a total of about 5 million dollars in earned take-home money, Schafer said.

Aside from the FFA and 4-H livestock shows at the rodeo, there are other junior competitions including meat judging, wool and mohair judging, wildlife habitat evaluations, floral culture, nursery landscaping and agricultural mechanics.

There also are contests for range and plant identification, tractor technology, multi-media and public speaking.

"In 1957, the year the first scholarships were presented, we gave out 200 scholarships for college," Schafer said. "Since then, we've given 140 million dollars in scholarships to more than 20, 000 students."

In addition to what the students net for showing a high-ranking champion in each livestock or other junior categories, there are 525 awards of 15,000 dollars each per year.

Not counting this year's awards, there are 1,884 students who are currently in college due to receiving past scholarships from the rodeo's education program.

The scholarships eventually help to provide educated professionals in various fields throughout the world, not just in agriculture but in law, medicine and other worthy occupations, Schafer said.

Somerville knows first hand the value of investing in the young people who show their projects and skills at the annual rodeo.

"My wife was in the hospital three years ago," Sommerville said. "The young man who looked after her in the Houston hospital was Dr. Garth Bienhardt, a young man I'd given a scholarship to about 12 years before.

"With the education program, you get back more than you give."

Source:Xinhua