Houston Beryl Award Winners to Receive $1.4 Million in Rodeo Scholarships

The wrath of Hurricane Beryl didn’t stop the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from awarding 70 students, representing 57 Future Farmers of America chapters from across Texas, $1.4 million in scholarships to the college of their choice. The scholarships were awarded last week at the 96th Annual Texas FFA State Convention, which, surprisingly, was held July 8-12 at the George R. Brown Convention Center for the first time in 20 years. The scholarships are part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s $27.3 million commitment this year to support Texas youth and statewide education programs.

“The Texas FFA scholarship tradition is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s longest-standing educational commitment,” Rodeo President and CEO Chris Boleman said in a statement. “The Rodeo’s passionate connection to livestock and agriculture makes these scholarships even more special.”

Despite delays and closures caused by Hurricane Beryl, including the power outage at George R. Brown on the first day of the convention, FFA members from across Texas managed to attend the convention and even tour parts of the city. On Monday, attendees took part in workshops in the dark and by the light of cell phone cameras, and throughout the week, students and adults used TikTok to share their experiences.

FFA is a student-led leadership development organization in agricultural education. Since its inception in 1929, the Texas FFA Association has provided students, through its agricultural science program, with classroom learning and hands-on agricultural projects, while developing their potential for leadership, personal growth, and professional success.

And what colleges are these young scholars planning to attend? Of the 70 FFA scholarship recipients, the top four colleges are Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University and Sam Houston State University. The top four majors are animal science, agronomy, agricultural communications and pre-veterinary medicine.