Rhianna Murty. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TOLEDO – Each year, Tama Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) partners with Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) to help foster the higher education endeavors of Iowa high school seniors beginning college studies in natural resources or agriculture. Tama SWCD selects one applicant to receive a local $1,000 scholarship and forwards that application to CDI for regional and statewide scholarships.

Several outstanding local high school seniors applied for this year’s SWCD/CDI scholarship. In fact, two applications were so impressive, Tama SWCD opted to award TWO local scholarships! Tama SWCD is thrilled to announce this year’s local $1,000 high school scholarship recipients: Rhianna Murty and Belle Werner!

Rhianna, a senior at Green Mountain-Garwin High School, is the daughter of Steve and Erin Murty of rural Gladbrook. Fall will find her majoring in Animal Science at Iowa State University. In her application, Rhianna shared that she has been very active in her family’s farming operation over the last nine years, growing her own beef herd to 15 head. She took an even larger role during her senior year and acquired a loan to finance and raise 20 head of fat cattle to market. In her application, Rhianna noted, “Soil and water conservation is important to me because it is important to our operation. Our livestock rely on the feed that we produce on our farm. In order to produce that high quality feed, we have learned that cover crops, managing our manure for fertilizer needs, and rotational grazing of pastures are all helping us to be more sustainable. These practices have helped us build our soils to be more productive.”

Belle, a senior at Benton Community High School, is the daughter of Eric and Michele Werner of rural Toledo. She’ll be attending Iowa State University to double major in Agricultural Business and Finance. In her application, Belle shared, “Farmers don’t just work for one season; they plan for the future. My grandparents often talked about leaving the land better than they found it. That idea has stayed with me. Conservation is about protecting the land so it can continue to provide for the next generation, just as it provided for the last. Overgrazing, poor land management, or careless water use may bring short-term gains, but they cause long-term damage that can be hard to undo. To me, soil and water conservation means respect, hard work, and thinking ahead. It means understanding that the land and water support not only farms, but families, communities, and food systems.”

Belle’s application was forwarded for CDI regional and state consideration.

Best wishes in your college careers, ladies, and have fantastic finishes to your senior years!