The West Virginia Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers awarded two $500 scholarships at the 106th annual meeting of the West Virginia Farm Bureau Nov. 7 – 9 at the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center in Davis.
Lydia Heavner of Upper Tract was a recipient of one of the scholarships.
In her scholarship application, she wrote that WVFB had an impact on her life by introducing her to other fellow young farmers. Her parents, JD and Janice Heavner, are members of Pendleton County Farm Bureau and the state organization and receive a monthly WVFB magazine. The magazine articles she read from WVFB’s young members sparked an interest in the organization and served as a source of motivation and inspiration.
In 2023, Heavner competed in the youth speech contest at WVFB’s annual meeting. She selected solar panels as her topic. Having very little knowledge about the chosen topic, she did a lot of research and found the topic very interesting. While doing her research, she also learned about solar farming and the pros and cons affecting traditional agriculture practices. In addition to writing a speech for the farm bureau contest, Heavner wrote a second speech for the FFA Prepared Public Speaking contest.
“If it were not for this opportunity, my knowledge and experience of speaking in front of a room full of people would not be where it is now,” she wrote.
Heavner’s roots run deep in agriculture. She and her sisters are the sixth generation of the family farm. Traditionally the farm has raised cattle and corn, but she and her sisters have started a flock of commercial sheep and a herd of Boer goats. Currently, she is raising a few head of cattle and 15 goats.
A freshman at West Virginia University in Morgantown, her plans are to major in early childhood education with a minor in agribusiness which she will use to assist with the farm finances.
The second scholarship was awarded to Kellen Lambert of Taylor County.
