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$1,000 Greater Horizon Scholarships Awarded to Students from Valentine and Bassett

Ty Keller of Valentine and Abigail Sybrant of Bassett are the 2010 recipients of the Greater Horizon Scholarship, sponsored by Nebraska Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee.

Each will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be used at a college or university, Cathy Day, Farm Bureau director of special programs, said April 30. Keller plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in animal science or agribusiness, and Sybrant plans to attend the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis, majoring in veterinary technology or agribusiness.

Keller is the son of Shane and Karen Keller of Cherry County Farm Bureau and Sybrant is the daughter of Jim and Kelly Sybrant of Rock County Farm Bureau.

The Greater Horizon Scholarship is awarded to a student aged 18 to 35 who is from a Farm Bureau member-family and who plans to study an agriculture-related field full-time at a college or university. Recipients must plan to return to production agriculture. Applicants must demonstrate leadership potential through extracurricular activities and work experience.

For Keller, agriculture has always been the foundation of his family. Earning a degree in of animal science and agribusiness will help him with the background and knowledge necessary to help others in agriculture production as a veterinarian or veterinary technician, he said in his application. These areas of study also will help to enhance production and care of beef cattle at the family’s ranch.

Keller, 18, works for several ranchers and is very active at Thedford Rural High School. He is a  student council member; is involved in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America; and plays football and basketball. He held leadership positions in the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Institute, the Beef Leadership Symposium, Cornhusker Boys State and Sandhills Leadership.

Sybrant, 18, was born and reared on her family’s ranch in southern Rock County. After obtaining her college degree, Sybrant plans to attain certification in equine chiropractic care. She also plans to find a job as a veterinary technologist and operate her own equine chiropractic care business. In the future, she’d like to follow in her father’s footsteps and ranch in Rock County, raising cattle and performance horses.

Day said the purpose of the YF&R scholarship is to encourage and assist young people to meet their personal goals of higher education. “The scholarship is designed to help those individuals who have a clear vision of returning to production agriculture after completing their higher education,” Day said. Nebraska Farm Bureau Services is the founding contributor for the Greater Horizon scholarship.