Ten area students have been selected to receive scholarships from the Burwell Cattlemen’s Association as the organization marks nearly two decades of supporting youth education. The following students were honored with a scholarship, Easton Ryschon, Gentry Racek, and Colton Thompson from Ord; Ella Switzer and Claira Morgan of Loup County; Cody Marshall, Ora Chaffin, Ericka Larsen, Karsyn Bower, and Brooklyn Gideon from Burwell.
The Burwell Cattlemen began the scholarship program after building funds through events like a summer golf tournament and later a benefit auction.
Lynn Jeffres, scholarship chairman and vice president of the Burwell Cattlemen Association, said the scholarships are a way for the organization to give back to the communities.
Since then, the group has awarded $1,000 scholarships to students in the Burwell Cattlemen’s affiliate mainly in Garfield, Wheeler and Valley counties, while also including applicants from the adjacent counties also. Jeffres said the program has supported a wide range of student over the years.
While preference is given to students pursuing agriculture related careers, the scholarships are not limited to that path. Jeffres said the association recognizes that it takes many different professions to keep a community running. With that in mind, the Burwell Cattlemen open the scholarships to students planning to return to their communities, whether as plumbers, doctors, electricians or farmhands.
Applications are distributed to area schools in January, with submissions due in early April. Recipients will officially be awarded their scholarships August 6, 2026 during the Burwell Cattlemen Association annual golf tournament at the Calamus Golf and Recreation Club, where a steak dinner and benefit auction will also be held.
Jeffres said community support remains key to the program’s success. The Burwell Cattlemen operates as a local affiliate of the Nebraska Cattlemen, but Jeffres noted the scholarship program is funded at the local level.
The scholarships aim to support not only students education, but the long term vitality of rural communities across the region.
