The May board meeting for Union County Farm Bureau was packed with excitement. Three scholarships were awarded as well as a presentation by State 4-H Council members and Tennessee 4-H Congress attendees.

This year, Union County Farm Bureau was thrilled to have many applicants for their college scholarship program. There are limited awardees chosen each year with three being granted the funds for the upcoming school year in 2019. Each student received $1,500 to the college of their choice. Any high school senior was invited to apply; however, it is emphasized that a student furthering their education in an agriculture related field may be given priority. An immediate family member of the student must also be a current member of the Union County Farm Bureau. The three chosen candidates this year were Union County High School seniors Ethan Dyer, Sawyer Henderson, and Zachary Hickman.

Ethan Dyer has a planned course of study in Business Administration Management at Lincoln Memorial University with a goal to complete his Master’s Degree. He has completed several dual enrollment credits during his high school career, all the while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. He is an active athlete and Beta Club member and invests many hours in community service projects such as East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and Youth Basketball Coaching. Ethan also has experience in working hay, mowing lawns, landscaping, and dog sitting.

Fellow senior Sawyer Henderson is planning to attend Pellissippi State Community College in the field of Water and Waste Water Treatment. He has already obtained a 10-hour Safety and Health OSHA Certification. He is an active member of Horace Maynard FFA and has recently received his State FFA Degree while being a local chapter officer. Sawyer says, “I think the City of Maynardville Utilities Department has given me valuable knowledge and a career set on what kind of work I enjoy doing and has given me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and learn valuable life lessons.” He has worked with the city over the last year, which led him to the specific career path.

The third awardee, Zachary Hickman plans to attend TCAT – Knoxville in the upcoming fall in the field of Equipment and Diesel Technology. Along with Sawyer, Zach is a member of the Horace Maynard FFA with his State FFA Degree. He has spent time working at Oakes Farm as well as some specialized experience in his field of study from working at Bobcat of Knoxville. He has served his community through packing and delivering food bags to Union County Schools during the last year as well.

Also, at the meeting, State 4-H Council members gave the board an outlook into some of the projects they have been involved in. Members Kennedy Hill and Savannah Jones travel and volunteer regularly around the state representing Union County proudly. They serve as leaders from our county and were recently re-elected to serve again. They are looking forward to a trip to the Virgin Islands this summer as a part of the council.

The Farm Bureau Board members show their support to the Union County 4-H program through partnerships as well as providing a scholarship to Tennessee 4-H Congress annually. Congress is a premier event that is very formal where only the most profound young leaders are invited to attend. The youth are provided with education in government and roles with such events as a mock senate and the passing of a bill in realistic mannerisms. Kadynce Collins and Kaleb Hanna were Union County representatives attending this year. They both attended the meeting to show their appreciation to the board for the opportunity of attendance. Kaleb gave the Swine speech that he won with at the state level securing his scholarship of attendance.

Farm Bureau is active in the community and works hard to provide youth with opportunities of growth, education, and experience, especially in the agriculture field. Meetings are held monthly at the Union County Farm Bureau office on the first Thursday.