Dixie National scholarships benefit future college students

JACKSON, Miss. -- You name the breed of beef cattle, and there is a good chance Julian Chavez has shown it at some point in the last 14 years.

The Lincoln County, Mississippi 4-H’er has exhibited Belted Galloway, Hereford, Charolais and Simmental cattle at countless livestock shows across the state. At the 2026 Dixie National Junior Round-Up livestock show, Chavez showed five Grey Brahman heifers and was one of just six competitors to be named a premier exhibitor after showing his breeding hair sheep.

The 2026 Dixie National Sale of Junior Champions, the grand finale of the round-up, was held Feb. 12. During the event, the high school senior received a $2,000 scholarship, which he will use to help pay for tuition when he starts college. He plans to major in animal and dairy sciences with a minor in agribusiness. One of the career options Chavez is considering is animal chiropractic care.

“I’d get to work with animals, which is probably one of my favorite things to do,” Chavez said. “Animals have always been a part of my life, so it’s always going to be something that I want to be a part of.”

Held at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson, the sale is the showcase for the 4-H and FFA livestock programs and is the site of the largest junior market livestock shows in Mississippi. Young people bring show entries from their junior livestock projects to compete to become champions in their individual categories.

The Sale of Junior Champions Promotion Committee awarded 25 $1,500 scholarships to exhibitors who are high school seniors, six $2,000 scholarships to premier exhibitors and 10 $1,500 scholarships to owners of supreme champion livestock.

“Since the first $1,000 scholarship was awarded in 1993, this program has grown to the point where we will award 41 scholarships totaling $85,000 in 2026, bringing the all-time total to 982 scholarships worth more than $1.41 million,” said Dean Jousan, 4-H livestock specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Of those, 226 scholarships -- more than $320,000 -- have gone directly to MSU students, which shows how strongly this program supports our university community.”

The round-up competition featured 1,759 animals. Fourteen hogs, 10 goats, eight steers, four lambs and four sheep were auctioned off to the highest bidding groups. A total of 1,152 members of 4-H and FFA competed in the round-up. This year’s sales total was $578,050. Two sales records were set at this year’s sale: $13,500 for the highest price paid for a market lamb and $25,000 for the highest price paid for a market goat.

The committee named one of the high school scholarships after one of its own members, the late Phillip Morgan. He was CEO of Southern AgCredit, one of the sale’s title sponsors, from 2020 until his passing in 2025. Prentiss County 4-H’er and Wheeler FFA member Ava Jacobs received the inaugural award honoring Morgan.

“Phillip was a huge advocate for 4-H, FFA and basically any organization related to agriculture where young people were involved,” said Elliott Fancher, Southern AgCredit regional vice president and branch manager. “There is no doubt that he’s leaving and will continue to leave a legacy.”

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, featured guest speaker of this year’s sale, lauded the 4-H’ers’ character and commitment to caring for the livestock they exhibited at the round-up and sale.

“They’ve learned so many valuable lessons during their journey to get here today. They know hard work starts early in the morning and doesn’t care if you had other plans,” Keenum said. “Along the way, they’ve learned responsibility, perseverance and pride in a job well done. These are values that don’t wash off when the Dixie National is over -- just like the values of integrity, hard work and respect for others that we hold dear at MSU.

“Perhaps the most important lesson they’re learning about,” Keenum added, “is leadership.”

That is just one of many skills Chavez says he’s gained during his years in 4-H.

“The doors 4-H will open for you are second to none,” he said. “I have been very blessed with some of the doors that I’ve had opened for me because I’ve been in 4-H. And because I’ve been pushed by my Extension agent (Lincoln County coordinator and 4-H agent Jennifer Williams) to try all these different programs.”