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Twenty-six North Carolina students have been named recipients of 2021 N.C. State Fair Youth Livestock Scholarships, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced.

Marcie Harward and Mattie Harward, both from Stanly County, will both attend N.C. State University this fall.

The scholarships are designed for high school seniors and students currently enrolled in an institute of higher education who have participated in the junior livestock or market turkey shows at the N.C. State Fair.

The scholarships are typically funded by sponsors of the annual N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Sale of Champions. Sponsors stepped up in 2020 to support the youth scholarships because the sale was not held due to the pandemic.

A total of 25 scholarships valued at $1,000 each were awarded this year. One $1,500 scholarship was also offered and paid for by Farm Credit of North Carolina.

“As Agriculture Commissioner, I am proud to help cultivate the future of agriculture in our state through these scholarships,” Troxler said. “We are proud to have awarded over $300,000 in scholarships since starting this program in 2015.”

A selection committee evaluated applicants based on their involvement with N.C. State Fair junior livestock shows, academic achievement, extracurricular activities and an essay. Each application was assigned a number and identifying information was removed before evaluation.