Scholarships Awarded by TSGRA

March 31, 2005

March/April 2005 -- Scholarship winners of the 2004 Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Auxiliary (TSGRA) Congressional Letter Writing Contest were announced by contest chairman, Doris Haby.

Candidates had the opportunity to respond to one or both of the topics announced for this year's contest:
  1. discuss why the Electoral College is so important to American agriculture and
  2. explain how the Endangered Species Act affects private property and describe one change Congress should make to the Act that would benefit landowners.
"Since our agrarian territory has less population per square mile than urban areas, the Electoral College is the only fail-safe that gives these hard working constituents, i.e., the American farmer, a voice in the Presidential election," wrote James B. Hall, the winner of the first contest. Hall, of Stone Mountain, Ga., received a $1,000 scholarship for his winning entry.

Nathan Averbeck of Petersburg, Ill., earned a $750 scholarship for his second-place spot in the Electoral College issue while Dewi Harjanto of Irvine, Calif., took home the $500 third-place award.

Making the case that the Endangered Species Act is "unnecessarily punishing landowners," winner Harjanto argued that "the government has more often than not chosen to impose the costs of regulation upon private landowners alone. Without actually confiscating land within critical habitats, the government controls how this private property is used. ? It would not be much of a stretch to say that this is a violation of at least the spirit of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution."

The $750 second-place award winner was Brett Hultgren, Malibu, Calif., while Lee Wilson, Portageville, Mo., placed third, earning himself a $500 scholarship.

According to the contest judge, Floy Lilley, letters were received from across the country. "Once again, young people from every state in the nation, by responding to issues, are finding their voices and letting their voices be heard."

The annual scholarship contest is open to high school junior and senior students as well as college students. Major sponsors of the event include: the American Land Foundation, the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Auxiliary and the Riverside & Landowners Protection Coalition.

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