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Bruce Porteous, Travis Dow and Sarah Kay each received a $2,500 scholarship to study at university.
OTTAWA — The Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association recently awarded three post-secondary students with $2,500 scholarships each to pursue agricultural careers.
The scholarships recognized interest, knowledge, and achievement in Eastern Ontario’s agricultural community. The three recipients were Travis Dow, Sarah Kay, and Bruce Porteous.
Travis Dow grew up on a family sheep farm outside Metcalfe where they raise a flock of 25 purebred Suffolk. He’s shown his stock across Canada and at the Royal Winter fair. Dow was a member of his local 4-H club for nine years, raising and showing livestock, as well as judging achievement days and regional youth shows. Last summer, he worked at SynAgri. He’s entering his first year of the bachelor of education program at Queen’s University.
“I hope to become a high school science teacher in a rural community, where I can continue to raise a small sheep flock, exhibit stock at local fairs, and be an active member of the agricultural community,” Dow said.
Sarah Kay grew up on her family’s hobby farm in Roslin, where they have horses, laying hens, and a Boer goat herd. Kay was in the 4-H Hastings Beef Club and participated in beef cattle, dairy cattle, and meat goat shows at the Royal. She worked as a veterinary assistant for two summers and is now a research assistant in a lab at the University of Guelph. She is entering her fourth year in a bachelor of science in agriculture, majoring in animal science.
“I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in animal reproduction,” Kay said. “I am keeping an open mind as to what career path I take once leaving university, but I want to remain a part of the agricultural community that I love so much.”
Bruce Porteous grew up on a family dairy farm north of Winchester. He has been a member of Dundas 4-H since age nine, participating in various clubs, including dairy and judging. He’s represented his county in the open Jersey, Holstein, and TD Classic shows at the Royal. Porteous has been relief milking on local farms. He’s entering his second year of mechanical engineering at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
“After graduating, I hope to design agricultural machinery with any given company but hope to still be able to manage the home farm,” Porteous said.
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