Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Veterans and families attend the Memorial Day celebration at Stuhr Museum on Monday, May 27. The Public Exercises in Railroad Town began at 2 p.m.
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation has named Weston Svoboda as its 2024 Nebraska Cattlemen Beef State Scholar.
Svoboda is a fifth-generation agriculturalist from Burwell. Being raised in the family business, he says he quickly developed a passion for the beef industry. While studying ag economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he continued learning and developing ag advocacy skills through involvement in various student organizations.
A current law student, Svoboda ultimately plans to be involved on the family ranch while serving the legal needs of fellow agriculturalists focusing on estate planning and generational transitions of family farms and ranches.
Svoboda
“It is an incredible honor to be this year’s recipient of the Nebraska Cattlemen Beef State Scholarship,” he said. “I try to live by the motto: honor the past, enrich the present, forge the future. I’m excited to apply this mentality as I seek to contribute to the continued success of our beef industry and the people who make it great.”
In addition to the $10,000 Beef State Scholarship, the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation awarded nearly $60,000 in scholarships to 55 students furthering their education in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Scholars from Central Nebraska include: Cassidy Maricle of Albion, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; Emily Jonas of Ansley, $1,200 West Central Affiliate Scholarship; Rio Remund of Arnold, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; Marshall Humphrey of Aurora, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; David Switzer of Burwell, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; William Ford of Cairo, $1,200 Bill Heller Memorial Scholarship;
Katherine Mohr of Genoa, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; Jaylea Pope of Ravenna, $1,200 Vance Uden Memorial Scholarship; Kacey Dethlefs of Ravenna, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; Colton Bernt of Spalding, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; Abigail Hirschman of St. Paul, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship; and Zachary Hirschman, $1,000 Retail Value Steer Challenge Scholarship.
All scholarship recipients will be recognized at the Nebraska Cattlemen Midyear Meeting set for Thursday, June 13, in Ogallala.
Established in 1968, the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation’s mission is to advance the future of Nebraska’s Beef industry by investing in research and education programs. The foundation’s success and its ability to endow scholarships, sponsor leadership and education programs, and assist with research and infrastructure projects has been possible only because of the support from the Nebraska cattle producers and allied industries.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Veterans and families attend the Memorial Day celebration at Stuhr Museum on Monday, May 27. The Public Exercises in Railroad Town began at 2 p.m.
Svoboda
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

source