HENRY COUNTY, Va. – “I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her,” said Bassett High School freshman MaKayla Dillon.
Dillon is referring to her new heifer, Paisley.
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The Virginia Hereford Association awards two heifers each year as scholarships to high school students across the state.
“They’re adorable and they’re really fun to work with,” Dillon said.
This year, both scholarship winners are from Henry County. They’re the first in the district to win.
Bassett High School agriculture teacher Cameron Kolinski said this is a great learning opportunity for the students.
“Responsibility is the biggest thing,” said Kolinski. “You might not have sports, but you’ve got animals that you’ve got to care for and they need just the same attention if not more.”
On Friday, Dillon showed her classmates how she gets a cow ready to show.
Showing Paisley is one of the responsibilities she'll have, along with artificially inseminating her to produce a calf.
“When she does calf, we will give the calf back to the association," Dillon said. "I didn’t grow up on a farm, but I went to work on the farm with Cameron and I just fell in love with working with cattle.”
Magna Vista High School sophomore Sadie Perry is the other scholarship winner.
“I’m excited to be able to expand my own registered herd now. I’ve had some commercial cows for awhile," said Perry. "The cow I got, her name’s Rose. I’m just really excited to see how her calves can expand my business.”
Being one of the first two scholarship winners from her school district is crazy, she said.
“I know it’s not as common around here to show livestock within school, so I think it’s a great opportunity to expand and maybe get other students involved in it,” Perry said.
The calves Paisley and Rose produce will be given to next year’s scholarship winners.