2026 Richard Gebhart Leadership Legacy Scholarship Application

Qualifications:

Applicants must be involved in the beef cattle industry with plans to continue their involvement through their educational and career plans.
By June 1, 2026, applicants must have been awarded a 4-year degree and be enrolled in and or/ pursuing a post-graduate degree. (Master's, PhD, Law Degree, etc.)
Individual applicants must be annual or lifetime members in good standing of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association or their state cattlemen's association. (This DOES NOT include Student, Junior, College, CattleWomen, Family, Ranch, Spouse, Parent, Grandparent, or Breed Association Memberships)

Application & Interview Process:

The selection committee will evaluate all applications and select a group of finalists they wish to interview in order to determine the recipient.
Interviews will be conducted Saturday, July 25, 2026, during the 74th Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen's Convention and Trade Show.

Recipient's Commitment & Opportunities:

The recipient will be notified in advance and should plan to accept their scholarship in person at the 74th Annual Oklahoma Cattlemen's Convention & Trade Show, July 24-25, 2026.
The recipient will be expected to provide a white paper on an issue of importance to the cattle industry within a year of being selected. The topic will be selected by the OCA staff based upon the recipient's area of study and current issues within the cattle industry. The white paper will be published in the Oklahoma Cowman magazine and on the OCA website.
The recipient may also be afforded speaking or interview opportunities on the topic of the white paper after publication.

Fields marked with an * are required.

Full Name: *

Campus Address: *

Permanent Home Mailing Address: *

Phone: *

Email: *

Date of Birth: *

Current paid member of which state cattlemen's association: *

Student ID or SSN: *

Currently Enrolled at: *

Degree Currently Pursuing: *

Credit Hours Earned: *

Cumulative GPA: *

University for Bachelor's Degree, Graduation Date, and GPA: *

University attended for Master's Degree, graduation date,and GPA:

University attended for other degree (please include degree title), graduation date, and GPA:

Please list any scholastic honors/ awards you have been given: *

Please describe your livestock background/involvement: *

Please list any livestock or other organization awards you have been given: *

Please list any memberships you hold with other organizations: *

Please list any community involvement or volunteer work you have done: *

Please upload your resume and cover letter: *

20MB max

Essay (Typed and double spaced) *

Applicant should draft a 1,000-1,500 word essay on a topic of their choice related to the beef industry. The topic should be relevant and important to the beef industry currently and/or in the future. Ideally, the essay topic will be related to the applicant's plans for graduate work and future professional goals.

20MB max

Please upload a letter of reccomendation: *

20MB max

Please upload a letter of reccomendation: *

20MB max

Please verify that you have checked the “I'm not a robot” checkbox.