The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Roy A. Wallace Memorial Scholarships to Audrey Tarochione and Sam Talley June 10 during the group’s Annual Research Symposium and Convention hosted in Knoxville, Tennessee. These scholarships were established to encourage young men and women interested in beef improvement to pursue those interests as Wallace did, with dedication and passion.
Audrey Tarochione of London Mills, Illinois, is this year’s undergraduate winner. She recently graduated from Kansas State University where she majored in animal sciences and industry.
Tarochione was a member of the K-State Animal Sciences Quadrathlon team that placed first at the Midwest American Society of Animal Science Academic Quadrathlon and served as an Animal Sciences Mentor. She will be starting a master’s program with a focus on beef breeding and genetics at Iowa State University this fall.
“I know eventually I will make it back to commercial beef production and my own herd, but I also want to help the industry make genetic progress,” Tarochione said. “My goal is to become a comprehensive resource for cattlemen and guide producers in making breeding decision to improve the productivity and profitability of their herds.”
The graduate student award was presented to Sam Talley of Easley, South Carolina. Talley is currently working on his master’s degree at Oklahoma State University.
“My area of study for my master’s degree is cattle feed efficiency,” Talley said. “As part of my research goal, I will look at how forage utilization equates to greenhouse gas emissions, and how selecting for animals with greater feed efficiency may reduce emissions in the U.S. cow herd.”
He completed his bachelor’s degree at Clemson University in animal and veterinary sciences with a concentration in animal agribusiness. After completing his bachelor’s, he was hired as a ranch hand for a commercial cow-calf operation in Douglas, Wyoming, where he worked alongside the ranch owner to help facilitate selection decisions to improve his commercial herd in areas that directly affected daily production, including calving ease and birth weight, and udder and feed issues before beginning his master’s program in the fall of 2023.
“I enjoy getting the chance to interact with producers and work with them to make research-based decision that can improve their cow herd,” Talley said. “I am passionate about bridging the gap between the great research conducted by our land-grant universities and the agricultural community.”
The Roy A. Wallace Beef Improvement Federation Memorial Fund was established by Select Sires to honor the life and career of its namesake. Wallace, who worked for Select Sires for 40 years, served as vice president of beef programs and devoted his life to the improvement of beef cattle. He became involved with BIF in its infancy and was the only person to attend all of the first 40 BIF conventions. He loved what BIF stands for — bringing together purebred and commercial cattle breeders, academia and breed associations, all committed to improving beef cattle. Wallace was honored with both the BIF Pioneer and BIF Continuing Service awards, and co-authored the BIF 25-year history, Ideas into Action.
Two $1,250 scholarships are awarded each year, one to an undergraduate and the other to a graduate student. Criteria for selection include a demonstrated commitment and service to the beef cattle industry, along with a passion for the areas of beef breeding, genetics and reproduction; academic performance; and personal character.
Approximately 500 beef producers, academia and industry representatives attended the organization’s 56th Annual Research Symposium and Convention in Knoxville. BIF’s mission is to help improve the industry by promoting greater acceptance of beef cattle performance evaluation.
For more information about this year’s symposium, including additional award winners and coverage of symposium and an archive of the presentations, visit BIFSymposium.com.