During the recent Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Banquet in Kearney, the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation recognized numerous honorees.
The Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment award was established to provide grants to beef industry-related research and teaching positions at Nebraska’s post-secondary educational institutions. This award rewards professors or instructors who provide cutting-edge research or student instruction in the beef industry. This year’s winner is Matt Spangler, Ph.D., from Lincoln, Nebraska. Spangler is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in beef cattle genetics and genomics.
The Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment provides grants to range management and conservation research or teaching positions as Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions. This year’s honoree is Karla Wilke, Ph.D., from Kimball, Nebraska.
The Friend of the Foundation award is presented annually to a person or business that has shared endless amounts of time, talent, and treasure with the Foundation. David and Ann Bruntz of Friend, Nebraska, are this year’s Friends of the Foundation Honorees. Their roots run deep in Nebraska agriculture, where they have both served in key leadership roles locally, statewide, and nationally. The Bruntzs have built many relationships across the globe and are respected as leaders shaping, promoting, and preserving Nebraska agriculture.
The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation is proud to be able to provide scholarships yearly to students seeking secondary education. This year the foundation funded $69,500 in scholarships, which awarded 54 students. This year at the annual banquet, the foundation announced a new scholarship to honor the memory of Shari Flaming. Flaming was a vibrant teacher, a cattle feeder, a rancher, and a lifelong Nebraska agriculture enthusiast.
This scholarship will be awarded to students residing in Nebraska, majoring in animal science, feedlot management, or range management. A student must be involved in student organizations related to their field of study, have a 3.3 GPA and preference will be given to those with cattle industry involvement. A minimum of $1,000 will be awarded to an outstanding junior or senior level student with strong character and leadership skills.
