Union County Farm Bureau awards scholarship to La Grande student

A $1,500 scholarship for Gabriel “Gabe” Zamora did more than help a La Grande student pay for one more year at the University of Idaho. It also underscored what Union County farms, ranches and related businesses will need next: students trained in animal science, veterinary work, natural resources and hands-on trades that keep a rural economy moving.

The Union County Farm Bureau selected Zamora as its annual agriculture scholarship recipient for the coming academic year. The award is aimed at Union County high school graduates and returning college students who are pursuing degrees or training in agriculture, forestry, environmental sciences, natural resource science or vocational and trade-related fields, a list that reflects the range of skills local employers rely on beyond the field itself.

Zamora, a La Grande High School graduate, is entering his senior year at the University of Idaho as an Animal Science, Pre-Veterinarian major. He also carries a 4.0 GPA, a record the Farm Bureau highlighted as a strong fit for the scholarship’s purpose of backing students who are building expertise that can carry back into the county’s workforce.

His path has stayed close to Union County’s agricultural base. In high school, Zamora participated in football, swimming and FFA, where he served as secretary. He also earned the La Grande High School Principal’s Award and the 2024 Martha H. Fryer Animal Science Scholarship, signs of a student already aiming at the kinds of careers that matter in a livestock-focused region.

At the university level, Zamora has also received department awards for outstanding freshman and sophomore performance in veterinary science. Those honors matter in practical terms for Union County, where producers need more than labor at calving or harvest time. They also need people with enough training to understand animal health, preventive care, breeding, and the technical side of keeping farms and ranches productive.

The scholarship program itself is funded by local members and community events, which keeps the money circulating back into a local pipeline of young people. For a county that depends on agriculture and the industries around it, the investment is designed to do more than lower tuition bills. It is meant to help keep young talent connected to Union County long enough to bring new skills home.