TCGA SPECIAL REPORT

TCGA Scholarship Program Benefits
Texas Tech Ag Students

Agriculture is the backbone of America – cliché, but true. And the best way to keep this industry – including the cotton sector – viable is to encourage bright, enthusiastic young people to join its ranks. To help make this happen, the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association (TCGA) set up a scholarship fund with Texas Tech University several years ago for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

“TCGA sets up the scholarship guidelines, and Texas Tech University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources scholarship committee is responsible for selecting the recipients,” says Tony Williams, Executive Vice President of TCGA.

“The students must have a discipline in agricultural economics, plant and soil science or communications,” he adds. “We believe these are the disciplines that will best cover cotton. Typically, each of the students selected for a TCGA scholarship receives $1,000.”

TCGA also initiated the TCGA scholarship endowment at Texas Tech for the purpose of establishing the Rocky King Memorial scholarship fund.

“Rocky King, who passed away in his mid-50s, was the first Chairman and President of the Texas Cotton Ginners Trust, which is a workers’ comp insurance program that we set up in 1994,” Williams says. “Today, the program provides almost all of the workers’ comp for the cotton ginning industry in the state as well as other cotton business – warehouses, farms, etc.

“However, the bulk of the money for the TCGA scholarships comes from Cotton Farming magazine,” he says. “Cotton Farming contributes a percentage of the Show Program ad sales revenue to the TCGA scholarship fund.”

The TCGA scholarship winners for the 2010-2011 Texas Tech University school year are: Elizabeth Bertrand, a junior agricultural and applied economics major from Floydada; Justin Cave, a senior agronomy major from Lubbock; Sarah Hart, a junior agri-business major from Midland; Eric Odom, a senior agri-business major from Dimmitt; Levi Schaefer, a junior ag and applied economics major from Garden City; and Trevor White, a junior agri-business major from Tahoka. In addition, Tate Baumgardner, a senior from Wellington, Texas, and Skylar Sowder, a sophomore from Sudan, Texas, are the recipients of the Rocky King Memorial scholarship award. Sarah Hart says growing up in the country and raising animals for 4-H got her interested in agriculture.

“I like the agri-business program at Texas Tech, and, after graduation, I hope to manage a farm or a ranch or maybe get into the real estate side of agriculture,” she says. “My family has gone through some hard times financially, so the TCGA scholarship means so much to me and to my parents.”

Justin Cave completed his agronomy degree in December and is now working on his master’s degree in crop science. This young Texan grew up south of Lamesa in Ackerly, Texas, on a dryland cotton farm.

“Agronomy seems to be a good fit for me,” he says. “My dad, granddad and great granddad farmed. On my mom’s side, my granddad was a gin manager for 25 years, and his dad also was a gin manager for 25 years. With this type of background, I was probably destined to go into agriculture myself.

“Eventually, I would like to go back home and keep the family farm running,” Cave adds. “Another option may be to get into the industry side, perhaps go to work for one of the seed companies. I’m really interested in all of the new technologies that are coming out.”

When asked how he felt about having received a TCGA scholarship, Cave had this to say.

“Tuition is getting more and more expensive, and the TCGA scholarship helped remove some of that financial burden and allows me to focus on my studies without having to worry about how I was going to pay for school.”

Elizabeth Bertrand, another one of the TCGA scholarship winners, also comes from a cotton farming background. Several years ago, her father purchased a crop dusting business, and, all through high school, she worked with her dad at the airplane hangar.

“I talked with all of the farmers who came in, and I was dad’s ‘hand,’ whether that meant working with the chemicals, answering phones or lying under a greasy airplane at 10 o’clock at night,” Bertrand says. “I have a passion for agriculture and am majoring in agriculture and applied economics because I like working with the financial side of things, such as marketing and commodities.

“Also, a year ago I decided to pursue an agricultural communications minor,” she adds. “So many people don’t understand or give gratitude to farmers for what they do. I want to give recognition to farmers, which is what a communications minor will allow me to do.”

As for being a TCGA scholarship winner, Bertrand says, “Paying for college is not an easy thing to do, especially when you come from a farming community. Receiving a scholarship like this one from TCGA removes that burden and helps me focus on my education.

“It really means a lot to me that there are people who care about my education as much as I do and are willing to donate their money to help make getting that education possible,” she adds.

Cotton Farming magazine, which cosponsors the TCGA Annual Meeting and Trade Show, is proud to provide funding for the TCGA scholarship program and especially thanks those who advertised in the Show Program for making this funding possible. Deserving students like the 2010-2011 winners are well worth it.