ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota State Fair is pleased to announce the recipients of the Beginning Exhibitor Livestock Learning Experience (BELLE) Grant, a program that awards grants and provides mentors to youth livestock exhibitors who are first-time participants in the Minnesota State Fair. The BELLE Grant is in its third year and funded by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.
The 16 recipients of the 2023 BELLE Grant are:
- Samantha Bender of Howard Lake, Minn. (Beef cattle)
- Madison Dwire of Arco, Minn. (Sheep)
- Emmalie Fluegge of New Ulm, Minn. (Sheep)
- Chloe Gloege of Bellingham, Minn. (Goats)
- Alyssa Gruber of Glencoe, Minn. (Llama)
- Addison Hjlemen of Blooming Prairie, Minn. (Goats)
- Kendall Johnson of Boyd, Minn. (Rabbits)
- Taylor Lang of Buffalo Lake, Minn. (Beef cattle)
- Brayden O’Brien of West Concord, Minn. (Sheep)
- August Pauly of Utica, Minn. (Swine)
- Lydia Rose of Henderson, Minn. (Beef cattle)
- Ben Scheffler of Zumbrota, Minn. (Dairy cattle)
- Leah Schuett Worthington, Minn. (Beef cattle)
- Maggie Wingert of Harmony, Minn. (Dairy cattle)
- Melony Wingert of Harmony, Minn. (Dairy cattle)
- Chloe Zigan of Long Prairie, Minn. (Dairy cattle)
The State Fair showcases our state’s finest agriculture and recognizes the importance of cultivating youth experiences in the livestock industry. The BELLE Grant program helps finance participation while introducing new livestock exhibitors to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. For more information about this program visit mnstatefair.org/about-the-fair/awards-and-recognition/belle-grant/
The BELLE Grant gifts $500 each to large-animal exhibitors entering beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, swine, goats and llamas, and $250 each to small-animal competitors exhibiting rabbits and poultry. These funds help offset costs of participating in the fair, including travel, lodging and purchasing show supplies. Applicants must be Minnesota residents between the ages of 10 and 18. The program also matches BELLE Grant recipients with a peer-to-peer mentor to help guide them through their Minnesota State Fair experience.
The Minnesota State Fair Foundation’s nonprofit mission is to preserve and improve State Fair buildings, the fairgrounds and educational programs. Foundation funds benefit the fair in the areas of agricultural education, arts and culture, education, fairgrounds environment, and history and heritage. Visit msffoundation.org for more information.
The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world. Showcasing Minnesota’s finest agriculture, art and industry, the Great Minnesota Get-Together is 12 Days of Fun Ending Labor Day. The fair is self-supporting and has not received state government funding since 1949. The 2022 Minnesota State Fair will run Aug. 24 through Labor Day, Sept. 4. Visit mnstatefair.org for more information.
— Minnesota State Fair