39.0997° N, 94.5786° W GATHERING ON THE world stage
Welcome to the World Hereford Conference and the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting and Educational Forum. We’re honored to welcome guests representing 20 countries.
The AHA is proud to host this extraordinary event, as well as the herd tours before and after. This is a singular opportunity for U.S. breeders and the international Hereford community to meet and learn from one another.
This event occurs at a unique point in U.S. Hereford history, when demand for the breed’s inherent genetic advantages has never been higher and continues to grow.
Registered Hereford bull sales during calendar year 2024 demonstrate the breed’s expanding market share. American Hereford Association (AHA) field staff reported 7,320.70 bulls selling at auction for an average of $6,964 ($US). Compared to the previous year, 629 more bulls sold for an average price that was $588 higher per head. The number of bulls sold, and average prices paid will be higher yet for the current calendar year. Keep in mind, breed opportunity should expand further when the national cow herd expansion begins in the U.S.
Increasing demand stems from more commercial cow-calf producers seeking to add efficiency to their herds through direct and maternal heterosis by choosing Hereford genetics as the essential component to their crossbreeding program. You will learn more about validation of Hereford’s efficiency advantages through collaborative research results presented during the Educational Forum.
We’re also excited to welcome young cattlemen from across the globe to the Young Breeders Competition taking place alongside the World Hereford Conference. What an amazing opportunity for talented young producers just starting their careers, and for their respective countries, as the world’s best showcase their skills.
We are grateful to share this experience with Hereford breeders from around the world, and we appreciate all of those who made hosting an event of this caliber possible.
Please, take advantage of this opportunity to mingle with old friends, make new ones, aim higher and celebrate where Hereford is heading next. Celebrate Hereford’s role in feeding the world sustainably and those dedicated to the effort.
Regards,
Jack Ward Executive Vice President
American
Hereford Association
Chad Breeding President
American Hereford Association
Dale Venhuizen Chairman
World Hereford Conference
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025
Time
10 a.m.–3 p.m.
6–9 p.m.
Event Description
World Hereford Council Delegate Meeting
Lunch will be provided.
Welcome Beef Festival
Buses from the Kansas City Marriott Downtown will depart at 5:15 p.m. for the American Hereford Association.
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025
7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Attendee Registration and Trade Show
A continental breakfast will be provided from 7-8 a.m. in the Basie Ballroom.
8–8:45 a.m. The Hereford Quest for Excellence
8:45–10:15 a.m.
Tom Field, Ph.D., University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Beef Cattle Improvement – Past, Present and Future
Dorian and Daniel Garrick, Ph.D., Theta Solutions
10:15–11 a.m. Refreshment Break
11–Noon
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Global Perspectives: Country Report Presentations
Argentina, German Hereford Association, Kazakhstan, South African Hereford Cattle Breeder’s Society, Asociación Paraguay Polled Hereford
Unlocking Potential Luncheon: How Innovation is Redefining Animal Health in Cattle Production
Presented by Merck Animal Health, Tiago Arantes, DVM
1:30–3 p.m. Hereford F1 Efficiency Impacts
Shane Bedwell, American Hereford Association
Dan Shike, Ph.D., University of Illinois
3–3:45 p.m. Refreshment Break
3:45–4:45 p.m. Global Perspectives: Country Report Presentations
Norwegian Hereford Association, Danish Hereford Association, Dutch Hereford Society, NZ Herefords, Canadian Hereford Association, Hereford Cattle Society
SHUTTLE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025
5:15 p.m.
Load shuttles at the Marriott for the American Hereford Association Welcome Beef Festival
9 p.m. Final bus departs for the Marriott Kansas City Downtown
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025
5:15 p.m.
Load shuttles at the Marriott for Arrowhead Stadium
9:45 p.m. Buses begin loading to depart for the Marriott Kansas City Downtown
SATURDAY, Oct. 25, 2025
11:30 a.m.
–8:30 p.m.
Continuous shuttles from the Marriott Kansas City Downtown to the American Royal Complex
SUNDAY, Oct. 26, 2025
7:30 a.m.
Continuous shuttles from the Marriott to the American Royal Complex until conclusion of the show
3 p.m. All post–tour attendees must board the shuttle from the American Royal to the Marriott
3:30 p.m. Pick-up post-tour attendees at the Marriott to depart for Kansas City Downtown Airport
EVENT SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2025
7 a.m.–4 p.m. Attendee Registration and Trade Show
A continental breakfast will be provided from 7-8 a.m. in the Basie Ballroom
8–8:45 a.m. Tracing the History of the National Reference Sire Program
Shane Bedwell, American Hereford Association
8:45–10 a.m. Genetic Improvement of Hereford Sustainability Traits
Mark Enns, Ph.D., Colorado State University
10–10:45 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m.–Noon Global Perspectives: Country Report Presentations
Herefords Australia, Irish Hereford Breed Society, Animal Breeders´ Association of Estonia, Hereford Uruguay
Noon–1:30 p.m. Shaping the Breed’s Future: Young Breeders Competition and Hereford Youth Foundation of America Scholarship and Awards Luncheon Presented by VitaFerm®, Chris Cassady, Ph.D.
1:30–2 p.m. Coffee and Dessert in the Trade Show
2–3:30 p.m. Lifecycle Assessment of High Performance Cattle in the Cow-Calf Sector
Greg Thoma, Ph.D., Colorado State University
3:30–4 p.m. Carrying the Tradition Forward
Jack Ward, American Hereford Association
6–9:45 p.m. Global Celebratory Gala
Buses will depart from the Kansas City Marriott Downtown at 5:15 p.m. for Arrowhead Stadium.
SATURDAY, Oct. 25, 2025
7 a.m. Attendee Registration, Trade Show Open and Breakfast Served
8 a.m.
1 p.m.
AHA Annual Membership Meeting and Hereford Honorees Recognition
Young Breeders Fitting and Showmanship Competition | Hale Arena Presented by Sullivan Supply
2 p.m. American Royal National Junior Hereford Show | Hale Arena
5 p.m. International Sale Social | Wagstaff Arena
6 p.m. Young Breeders Competition Awards Ceremony | Wagstaff Arena
6:30 p.m. The Ladies of the Royal International Edition Sale | Wagstaff Arena
SUNDAY, Oct. 26, 2025
8 a.m.
American Royal National Hereford Show
Show point awards presentation following the selection of the champion female drive. Crowning of the 2026 National Hereford Queen will take place prior to the champion bull drive.
All sessions for the World Hereford Conference will be held in the Basie Ballroom located on the second floor of the Marriott Downtown Kansas City. Registration and Shop Hereford will be open on the first floor in the 12th Street Meeting Room.
Better Breeding Begins With Us.
Revolutionising agrigenomics through accessible, science-backed genetic insights.
Proud genotyping partner of the American Hereford Association and sponsor of the 2025 World Hereford Conference.
Honoring heritage
inspiring progress
A LETTER FROM THE WORLD HEREFORD COUNCIL
On behalf of the World Hereford Council, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 19th World Hereford Conference.
Founded in 1951, the World Hereford Council had met every four years up to the year 2020, when the meeting in New Zealand was completed just as the dreaded COVID-19 epidemic hit an unprepared world. The subsequent closure of business across the world disrupted the World Hereford Council’s four-year schedule, pushing this current event to 2025.
The team at the American Hereford Association (AHA) has been beavering away in the intervening period. I believe they have put together what promises to be a most informative, entertaining and exciting event. I was privileged to attend the 1996 World Hereford Conference in Fort Collins, Colo., which was an enormous success and demonstration of innovation. This event, I believe, will surpass 1996.
In addition, following on from the very successful Young Breeders Competition in New Zealand, the one this year promises to be bigger and better. Many countries across the world are currently experiencing an increase in the average age of their farming population. For this reason alone, it is imperative that the industry encourage its youth in every way possible to be engaged in day-to-day farming activities and in honing their cattle skills, ensuring the future of this great Hereford breed.
Some considerable care has been taken in selecting the various topics and speakers for this event in an effort to ensure relevance and offer perspectives on improving our production and cattle selection abilities in the years ahead.
It is anticipated that the attendees from each country represented will enjoy their visit, gain knowledge and experience, and in turn, share their knowledge and experience with their fellow Hereford breeders in the United States. On a personal basis, I can say that it was following the 1996 Conference in the U.S. that the germ of an idea for a Certified Hereford Beef® type of project was sown and taken home to my own country. Let’s hope new ideas can take root and grow in stature as we all return home following this event, having made valuable contacts and new and lasting friendships.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank the AHA and its staff for their unstinting assistance to me during the past years and especially in the runup to this event. A special word of thanks to conference chairman, Dale Venhuizen, and to Jack Ward, AHA executive vice president.
Regards,
Larry Feeney
Larry Feeney Secretary General World Hereford Council
The EFFICIENCY BREED
Nearly 300 years ago, farmers in Herefordshire, England, founded the Hereford breed in response to consumer beef demand created by Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Efficient production, high yields and sound reproduction were of utmost importance.
Hereford cattle arrived in the United States in 1817 to serve a similar need — efficiently adding pounds to native cattle grazing the nation’s rangelands, while also creating reproductively efficient females. American Hereford breeders founded the Hereford Cattle Breeders Association in 1881, which was later renamed the American Hereford Association (AHA).
The Hereford breed and AHA maintain the original vision — build more pounds of quality beef and more production-efficient females with fewer resources than otherwise possible, via the breed’s inherent genetic advantages.
As U.S. beef cattle producers seek to restore fertility and production efficiency lost to decades of straightbreeding, more are turning to the irreplaceable power of heterosis through strategic, disciplined crossbreeding, and they’re choosing Hereford genetics as the proven, essential component.
Heterosis Pays
Decades of industry-wide research document the advantages of heterosis (hybrid vigor) in commercial crossbreeding systems. Direct heterosis — increased performance of the crossbred calf relative to the average of the straightbred parental breeds. Maternal heterosis — increased performance of the crossbred cow relative to the average of straightbred females of the parental breeds.
Primary crossbreeding advantages are improvement of lowly heritable traits, such as those associated with reproduction, which are difficult to impact through direct selection pressure. Small, net-positive effects in multiple traits affecting commercial cow-calf profitability — pregnancy rate, calf livability, calf health, etc. — yield significant returns that are difficult to measure.
Crossbreeding value is most visible in the increased number of calves (lifetime), cow longevity and cumulative weaning weight (lifetime). Developing and maintaining a crossbreeding system that captures maternal heterosis is critical to long-term profitability in the commercial cow-calf business. Likewise, increased production efficiency is crucial to maintaining social license to operate.
Hereford Heterosis Pays More
Hereford genetics offer more crossbreeding power because they are the least related to other Bos Taurus breeds, as documented by the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC).
Plus, Hereford’s unique, inherent genetic advantages compared to other breeds offer added breed complementarity, especially when crossed with Angus. Hereford advantages include docility, fertility, feed efficiency in the pasture and feedlot, longevity and production efficiency.
Research consistently documents the advantage of Hereford-sired F1 black baldy heifers and steers compared to straightbred black Angus peers in the same production setting. Science and experience suggest these advantages would be similar in herds using Hereford bulls with Red Angus cows to produce red baldies. Unless otherwise noted, the research results below are from the multi-year Harris Ranch Heterosis Research Project completed in 2010.
HEREFORD-SIRED BLACK BALDY FEMALE ADVANTAGES
• 7% higher pregnancy rate
• More calves weaned per cow exposed
• $51 more per cow per year in net present value (2009 calculation)
• 3.5% more average rate of return on assets
• Maintaining more body condition (OSU) black baldy cows require one acre less of moderate-quality forage per year compared to straightbred black Angus peers, according to OSU research.1
HEREFORD-SIRED BLACK BALDY STEERS
• Heavier weaning weights
• Increased feed efficiency
• Lower cost of gain
• Lower feedlot breakeven
• $28 per head less feed cost across finishing period
Based on feed efficiency alone — breed differences documented by the USMARC — Hereford has a $51 per head advantage over the finishing period when compared to Angus.2 Hereford’s economic advantage increases as feed costs rise.
Current Economics
The AHA worked with the University of Tennessee3 to apply current economics to the research cited here.
Net farm income — At the end of 10 years, breeding commercial Angus cows to a Hereford bull returns an average of $90 more per cow per year in a 500-cow herd, compared to breeding commercial Angus cows to an Angus bull.
At the end of 10 years, breeding commercial Angus cows to a Hereford bull returns an average of $76 more per cow per year in a 30-cow herd, compared to breeding commercial Angus cows to an Angus bull.
Net farm income is larger in the Angus-sired herds for the first two years as Hereford-sired herds retain more replacements, foregoing increased cash sales.
Net worth — Across 10 years, breeding commercial Angus cows to a Hereford bull returns an average of $305 more per cow per year in a 500-cow herd, compared to breeding commercial Angus cows to an Angus bull.
Across 10 years, breeding commercial Angus cows to a Hereford bull returns an average of $1,326 more per cow per year in a 30-cow herd, compared to breeding commercial Angus cows to an Angus bull. The significant difference in value, compared to the 500-head herd is because each single head contributes more relative value to the smaller herd.
Commercial producers on the Gulf Coast and in the Southeast see similar advantages when using Hereford bulls on Brahman (Bos Indicus) cows to create what are commonly called “tiger stripes” because of their unique hide markings. The tiger stripe cow is recognized as the undisputed queen of the south, just as the black baldy cow is regarded as unmatched in other parts of the country.
Hereford is the essential component to crossbreeding systems in the United States.
1On average, OSU researchers measured about two pounds per day less moderate-quality forage (Oklahoma pasture) intake in the black baldy cows. On an annual basis the black baldy cows would be expected to consume about 725 pounds less forage.
2Calculation based on breed differences for feed efficiency documented by the USMARC, using current feed costs (Oct. 2022).
3Executive Summary, Triple the Returns, University of Tennessee economic analysis.
YOUR GUIDE FOR CONFERENCE SESSIONS.
Members of the American Hereford Association (AHA) have always valued objective, collaborative research as requisite guideposts for breed improvement. Participants at the World Hereford Conference Educational Forum will be the first to see the latest results of innovative, multi-year studies, which further define the breed’s advantage in sustained efficiency.
Presenters are pioneers and leaders in their respective fields. Collectively, they provide insight to current research guiding Hereford breed improvement and industry positioning.
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025
The Hereford Quest for Excellence | 8-8:45 a.m. Looking back informs our vision for the future. Tom Field, Ph.D., will share lessons from the 1996 Hereford Generations research project and provide context as breeders look forward to 2026 and beyond. He is director of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program and holder of the Engler Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
An enthusiastic advocate for free enterprise, the potential of young people and opportunities in both agriculture and rural communities, Field is an internationally recognized educator and innovator who has the ability to connect the dots between people, industries and ideas.
A fifth-generation cattleman, who is a partner in his family’s cow-calf business in western Colorado, he also authors the column, Out of the Box, consults and advises a number of enterprises and organizations. Field is also a sought-after speaker who challenges and inspires audiences to lead their organizations to excellence by asking the right questions, seeking solutions beyond conventional wisdom and unleashing the power of focused creativity.
Field, his wife, Laura, and their family live near Raymond, Neb. He is a native Coloradoan and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at Colorado State University (CSU).
Dan Garrick, Ph.D., and Dorian Garrick, Ph.D., will review the nature and scope of genetic evaluation in the past and present, with reference to the AHA. They will also provide insight to future developments in genetic evaluation and associated infrastructure.
Dan spent his childhood on a sheep, beef and deer farm in rural New Zealand — an early connection to agriculture that later shaped his career. After high school in Colorado, he studied at Iowa State University (ISU) to earn a bachelor’s and a doctorate degree in
aerospace engineering. In 2017, he turned his “rocket science” training toward agriculture — adapting techniques from high-performance computing, numerical optimization and large-scale data systems to build genomics software that drives innovation in animal and plant improvement worldwide.
Dan is the managing partner of the U.S.-based Theta Solutions LLC, which develops the Biometric Open Language Tools (BOLT) software for largescale genetic evaluations. He is also the co-founder of New Zealand–based The Helical Co. Ltd., which develops the Helical genetics data platform.
Collectively BOLT and Helical help breed associations reduce information system support costs, while helping producers generate genetic gains, manage genetic defects, improve fertility and growth, enhance health and drive sustainability across multiple species worth many hundreds of millions of dollars each year globally.
A defining feature of Dan’s work is systems thinking: every project is framed within the broader strategy, its data flows and its long-term trajectory.
Dorian’s passion is in facilitating others to improve the cost-effectiveness of their genetic improvement programs. Dorian obtained a first class honors degree in agriculture at Massey University and his doctoral degree at Cornell University. He held leadership positions in animal breeding and genetics for more than 40 years at Massey, CSU and ISU. Over the course of his academic career, he studied theoretical aspects of the linear models that are used in genetic and genomic evaluations, and invented algorithms for their efficient implementation.
Dorian co-founded Theta Solutions LLC in 2014. This company developed the BOLT software used for single-step evaluations by the AHA and International Genetic Solutions (IGS) in North America, and it is now widely used throughout the world in national and international genomic evaluations, in a wide range of species.
Dorian also works for The Helical Co., which has state-of-the-art database systems that complement BOLT, including the most comprehensive data system in the world for managing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip genotypes, along with additional modules that can collectively comprise a complete registry system now globally used by large and small companies and in various species.
Unlocking Potential: How Innovation is Redefining Animal Health in Cattle Production | Noon-1:30
Tiago Arantes, UFU, USEP et al, is associate vice president of ruminant global marketing at Merck Animal Health. He will explore how cutting-edge innovations
in animal health and technology are transforming the global cattle industry. He will highlight the integration of monitoring technologies that generate actionable insights to improve herd health, productivity and welfare.
Arantes brings more than 20 years of experience in the animal health industry, leading Merck’s largest livestock segment — ruminants — which spans operations in more than 140 countries and focuses on beef and dairy cattle, as well as sheep.
Arantes holds a degree in veterinary medicine (UFU, Brazil), a master’s in veterinary parasitology (UNESP, Brazil), a master’s of business administration in finance (FGV, Brazil), a master’s in positive leadership (Tecmilenio, Mexico) and a master’s in development of people potential (MSD University, Brazil).
Before joining Merck, Arantes was a researcher at São Paulo State University in Jaboticabal, Brazil, specializing in veterinary parasitology. He contributed to the development and testing of several parasiticides. His career began as a biology and karate teacher, and he also led a social initiative teaching karate to underprivileged children.
Hereford F1 Efficiency Impacts | 1:30-3 p.m.
Dan Shike and Shane Bedwell will present findings from the multi-year cooperative research project between the AHA and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), which documents the efficiency advantages gained through maternal heterosis by breeding Hereford bulls to commercial Angus cows.
Shike lives in Sadorus, Ill., with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children: Olivia, Hunter and Harper. He grew up on a diversified grain and livestock operation in western Illinois.
He received his associate’s degree from Black Hawk East, his bachelor’s from Kansas State University (K-State) and his master’s and doctorate from UIUC.
He is currently a professor and the interim head of the UIUC Department of Animal Sciences, where he is responsible for teaching and research in beef cattle nutrition and management. Dan coached 11 livestock judging teams (2001-2011) at the UIUC and served as the coordinator of the team from 2012-2019. Shike previously served as the faculty supervisor for UIUC’s three beef cattle operations.
Shike’s research focuses on identifying nutritional strategies and management practices that improve efficiency, reproduction and profitability in beef cowcalf production. He enjoys working with youth who are passionate about the livestock industry.
He has served as an official at many national
judging contests and is currently the assistant superintendent for the junior college livestock judging contest at the North American International Livestock Exposition. He has judged shows in more than 35 states, including several junior nationals and major steer shows, as well as internationally at the Sydney Royal and Royal Adelaide in Australia.
Bedwell works closely with the AHA’s genetic evaluation, as well as National Reference Sire Program (NRSP). He led the Association through the successful implementation of its single-step genomic evaluation using BOLT software and adding dry matter intake and sustained cow fertility to AHA’s suite of traits and economical indices.
Prior to joining the AHA, Bedwell was a professor and livestock judging coach at CSU for eight years. He received an associate’s degree from Butler County Community College in 2002 and a bachelor’s degree in animal science and industry from K-State in 2004. Shane completed a master’s degree in beef cattle nutrition at UIUC in 2007.
Bedwell has judged cattle in 33 states, as well as international cattle shows in Canada, South America and Australia.
Bedwell was raised on a cow-calf and stocker ranch near Medicine Lodge, Kan., and helps manage his family’s cow-calf operation, which consists of a rotational cross of Hereford, Angus and Red Angus. He and his wife, Lacey, have two children, Cealy Rose and Chisum.
Friday, Oct. 24, 2025
Tracing the History of the National Reference Sire Program | 8-8:45 a.m.
Bedwell will describe the structure and power of the AHA’s NRSP, which helps validate the genetic merit of young Hereford sires by comparing progeny in large contemporary groups from birth to harvest, including individual feed intake, as well as individual methane emissions and nitrogen excretion.
Genetic Improvement of Hereford Sustainability
Traits | 8:45-10:15 a.m.
Mark Enns will focus on the outcomes of cooperative research conducted by the AHA and CSU. Research includes heritability of methane emission rate, blood urea nitrogen and feed intake along with their relationships with other traditionally measured performance traits. The project aims to create genetic selection tools for improvement in traits related to environmental sustainability.
Enns is currently a professor and John E. Rouse Chair in Animal Breeding at CSU. He grew up working on his family’s fourth-generation wheat and
cattle operation in northwest Oklahoma. Those early experiences stimulated his interest in livestock and agriculture and led him to undergraduate degrees from Tabor College, and master’s and doctorate degrees in animal breeding and genetics from CSU. After college, Enns worked two years in New Zealand for Landcorp Farming Ltd., the largest ranching company in that country.
He serves the beef industry through activities with the CSU Center for Genetic Evaluation of Livestock — a center that calculates expected progeny differences and performs foundational genetic evaluation research for breed associations and producer groups both nationally and internationally. He also serves on the board of directors for the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) as the western region secretary.
Enns’ primary research areas include beef animal sustainability and adaptability, cow longevity and genetic improvement in health traits, such as susceptibility to bovine respiratory disease and pulmonary hypertension (e.g. High Mountain Disease and feedlot heart failure).
He is married to Kellie, who teaches agricultural education at CSU. They have a son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Avery.
The Care That Comes Full Circle | Noon-1:30
p.m.
Chris Cassady will share BioZyme® Inc.’s core values and its focus on building leaders in the industry through innovation and providing the best for livestock every day.
He grew up on a diversified, family-owned purebred Angus and grain farm in north-central Illinois. He attended Black Hawk East and Texas A&M University and received a bachelor’s in animal science. He went on to receive a doctorate in cowcalf nutrition and management from the UIUC in 2016.
Cassady has judged shows in more than 35 states at all levels, including several beef breed junior nationals. Aside from his consulting role, Chris is the co-owner of the family herd, C-5 Angus, which markets show heifers to junior members through an annual sale in the fall and an online sale in the spring. Chris currently resides in St. Charles, Ill., with his wife, Katie, and their three children.
Lifecycle Assessment of High Performance Cattle in the Cow-calf Sector
| 2-3:30 p.m.
Greg Thoma will explore the benefits of fecundity and calving rate as influenced by performance traits that are affected by genetic selection programs.
He is the director for agricultural modeling and lifecycle assessment (LCA) with AgNext at CSU, where he is leading a team of modelers in construction of a robust model of beef production. He was the inaugural director for research of The Sustainability Consortium (University of Arkansas and Arizona State University). He serves as subject editor (agriculture) for the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment and was a member of the steering committee for the Swiss National Research Program (NRP69) — Healthy Nutrition and Sustainable Food Production — as an expert in agricultural LCA.
Thoma currently serves as a board member of the International Lifecycle Academy in Barcelona, Spain. He played an active role in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) partnership, leading the scientific technical advisory groups for poultry supply chains, and subsequently was co-lead for both swine production and large ruminant technical advisor groups. The LEAP guidelines are being used worldwide by LCA practitioners evaluating agricultural production practices and sustainability characteristics. He is currently a member of the International Dairy Federation’s working group revising the carbon footprint guidelines for the global dairy sector.
Carrying the Tradition Forward | 3:30-4 p.m.
Jack Ward will provide context to the breed’s deliberate steps in breed improvement and the research enabling Hereford’s expansion of market share among commercial users of the breed’s genetics.
He currently serves as the executive vice president of the AHA. When he joined the Association in 2003, he served as the COO and director of breed improvement.
Ward received his bachelor’s in agricultural economics from Purdue University and an associate’s degree from Black Hawk East.
He and his wife, Mary Ann, live at Plattsburg, Mo. They have two grown sons, and together they operate Ward Bros. Livestock.
Ward has served on various boards and advisory committees including the BIF board, Germ-Plasm preservation committee, Ultrasound Guidelines Council and National Beef Cattle Evaluation advisory committee. Additionally, he is a member of the American Royal board of directors.
He has traveled across the U.S. and to seven countries, judging livestock shows and presenting lectures on beef cattle genetic improvement.
Tiago Arantes, UFU, USEP et al, associate vice president of ruminant global marketing, Merck Animal Health
Shane Bedwell, director of breed improvement and chief operating officer, AHA
Chris Cassady, director of beef technical solutions, BioZyme® Inc.
Mark Enns, Ph.D., professor and the John E. Rouse Chair in animal breeding, CSU
Tom Field, Ph.D., Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program director, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Dan Garrick, Ph.D., managing partner, Theta Solutions LLC, and co-founder, The Helical Co. Ltd.
Dorian Garrick, Ph.D., co-founder, Theta Solutions LLC and consultant, The Helical Co. Ltd.
Dan Shike, Ph.D., professor and interim head of the Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, UIUC
Greg Thoma, Ph.D., director for agricultural modeling and lifecycle assessment with AgNext, CSU
Jack Ward, executive vice president, AHA
Herefords in
Kansas City Kansas City
THE HEREFORD BREED HAS DEEP ROOTS IN THE CITY OF FOUNTAINS.
Hereford cattle and Kansas City share a deep and intertwined history. The bald-faced breed played an important role in the development of some of the city’s most treasured events and notable landmarks. At its core, Kansas City is an agricultural town. In 1870, railroad executives fenced off five acres along the Kansas River’s West Bottoms to build stock pens. These humble paddocks would turn into the Kansas City Stockyards — once home to the second largest meat packing industry in the country, just behind Chicago, according to KC Today’s write-up penned by Skylar Webb in 2021. As the article notes, at its height, the Stockyards covered more than 200 acres, handled around 170,000 animals daily, represented 91% of the city’s industry and employed around 20,000 people.
As fate would have it, the Kansas City Stockyards would also serve as the perfect place for the National Hereford Show to literally pitch its tent in 1899. Credited as being the first national purebred livestock show, more than 500 registered Hereford cattle were sold during the event, averaging $334 per head, according to Taylor Drummond’s article, “KC’s American Royal Evolves,” published in Kansas City
Mag. It was estimated that 55,000 people attended that first event, which makes it no wonder that the show soon outgrew its humble beginnings under an almost circus-like tent. Today, you can still attend a National Hereford Show, which takes place on the West Bottoms ground that once held the Stockyards. But now it’s known as the American Royal — one of the nation’s most prestigious stock shows and beloved Kansas City events, boasting everything from rodeos to barbecue contests.
Shortly before the inaugural National Hereford Show, the breed’s second secretary, Charles Gudgell, kept the records for the American Hereford Cattle Breeders Association (later named the American Hereford Association[AHA]) in the office of his Independence, Mo., home, according to KChistory.org. After the breed outgrew the home office, they moved to an office building in on the saloon side of Independence Square in Indepence, Mo. The Association became the first breed registry to establish permanent headquarters in 1920 when they set up shop in 300 West 11th Street, Kansas City, Mo. The bald-faced breed called this office their home until 1953, when U.S. President
Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated the second Hereford headquarters at 715 Hereford Drive, Kansas City, Mo.
What was to become one of the Kansas City area’s noted landmarks, BOB — or “Bull on a Building” as the statue became known — was slated to greet President Eisenhower for the dedication, but sadly, wouldn’t be finished until October 1954, according to the KC Parks. The 5,500-pound likeness to a Hereford sire is over 11 feet tall, 19 feet long and four feet wide from the tip of one horn to another. After the AHA and its architects dreamed up the monument, they commissioned Paul Decker with the firm Rochetti and Parzinin of New York to create the sculpture. Originally, BOB was perched on a 90-foot pylon outside of the Association’s second headquarters facing north toward the Missouri River and municipal airport, according to Elijah Winkler’s article about BOB published on KChistory.org.
When the Association decided to downsize its headquarters and move to 1501 Wyandotte Street, Kansas City, Mo., in 1986, BOB was left at his post. HNTB Architects who moved into the building in the late-‘90s had the iconic bull placed in storage, only for BOB to be retrieved a few short years later after several journalists, concerned citizens and Hereford enthusiasts bemoaned his absence. In 2002, the AHA, MC Real Estate Services and KC Parks and Recreation agreed to move the bull to Mulkey Square in West Terrace Park, according to KCparks.org. Today, you can see BOB perched on a new pylon overlooking I-35, still facing the Missouri River.
The AHA headquarters was on Wyandotte Street from 1986 until 2018, when it moved once again following the sale of the Wyandotte Street location to KC Hotel Developers LLC. Today, Wyandotte Street is home to the Loews Kansas City Hotel, one of the recommended accommodations for this year’s event.
Now, you can find the AHA at 11500 N Ambassador Drive, Suite 410, Kansas City, Mo. The Ambassador Drive building was constructed in 1971 for Howard
Hughes and Trans World Airlines. It is a piece of Kansas City history in its own right with its stark Miesian Modernism design — from its terrazzo floors and crisscross escalators to its dramatic atrium lit by large skylights. Located just east of I-29 near the Kansas City International Airport, the Hereford headquarters on Ambassador Drive are easily accessible to Hereford enthusiasts from around the globe. The office is adorned with priceless original paintings, photos and artwork depicting the history of the breed, bound issues of Hereford publications and a museum dedicated to the breed.
A sketch of BOB published in the Feb. 1968 American Hereford Journal on pg. 34.
DELEGATE LIST & COUNTRY REPORT
Lyazzat Idrissova, Association Kazakhstan Hereford and Republican Chamber of Hereford Breed Kazakhstan
Alejandro de La Tour, Asociación Argentina Criadores de Hereford and d´Auvergne Argentina Hereford Association
José María, Goyanes Argentine Hereford Association
Carsten Schmidt, German Hereford Association
Maximilian Schäfer, German Hereford Association
Keidi Tamm, Animal Breeders Association of Estonia
Kristjan Jürisalu, Animal Breeders Association of Estonia
Tanel-Taavi Bulitko, Animal Breeders´ Association of Estonia
Inge Grepstad Kristoffersen, Norwegian Hereford Association
Celina Lindeborg, Norwegian Hereford Association
Per Windfeldt Kristensen, Danish Hereford Association
Posy Moody, NZ Herefords
Robert Peacock, NZ Herefords
Michael Latimer, Canadian Hereford Association
Janice Tapp, Canadian Hereford Association
Heather Ribey, Canadian Hereford Association
Hamish Chandler, Herefords Australia
Alan Crowe, Irish Hereford Breed Society
Joseph O’Connor, Irish Hereford Breed Society
William Branagan, Irish Hereford Breed Society
Seth Wareing, UK Hereford Cattle Society
Mike Shaw, UK Hereford Cattle Society
David Makin, UK Hereford Cattle Society
José Bonica, Hereford Uruguay
Joaquín Martinicorena, Hereford Uruguay
Lucia Perdomo, Hereford Uruguay
Ing. Agr Lucía Perdomo, Hereford Uruguay
Lic. Joaquín Martinicorena, Hereford Uruguay
Jack Ward, American Hereford Association
Chad Breeding, American Hereford Association
Austin Snedden, American Hereford Association
ARGENTINA
MEMBERS: 500 REGISTRATIONS: 5,000
DENMARK
MEMBERS: 210
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 40
REGISTRATIONS: 1.4 million
IRELAND
MEMBERS: 800
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 50
REGISTRATIONS: 5,000
ESTONIA
MEMBERS: 700
REGISTRATIONS: 17,748
KAZAKHSTAN
MEMBERS: 136
REGISTRATIONS: 138,000
SOUTH AFRICA
MEMBERS: 33 REGISTRATIONS: 5,095
AUSTRALIA
MEMBERS: 1,030
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 185
REGISTRATIONS: 18,000
GERMANY
MEMBERS: 160
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 10 REGISTRATIONS: 5,000
NEW ZEALAND
MEMBERS: 327
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 38 REGISTRATIONS: 18,000
UNITED KINGDOM
MEMBERS: 1,080
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 116 REGISTRATIONS: 8,905
CANADA
MEMBERS: 1,304
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 360 REGISTRATIONS: 10,000
HOLLAND
MEMBERS: 145
REGISTRATIONS: 2.5 million
NORWAY
MEMBERS: 190 REGISTRATIONS: 1,210
UNITED States of America
MEMBERS: 4,226
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 4,094 REGISTRATIONS: 70,592
HUNGARY
MEMBERS: 75
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 5 REGISTRATIONS: 50,000
PARAGUAY
MEMBERS: 70
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 25 REGISTRATIONS: 16
URUGUAY
MEMBERS: 325
JUNIOR MEMBERS: 11
REGISTRATIONS: 9,000
FOR GENERATIONS, THE HEREFORD HAS STOOD AS THE ICON OF THE CATTLE INDUSTRY. STEAK & POTATOES HONORS THIS LEGACY WITH BOLD, FOOD-FRIENDLY WINES CRAFTED TO CELEBRATE THE BREED. WHETHER YOU’RE GATHERING AROUND THE RANCH TABLE OR RAISING A GLASS AT THE WORLD HEREFORD CONFERENCE, OUR STEAK & POTATOES WINES ARE THE PERFECT PAIRING.
RESEARCH
IS CRITICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY
Past American Hereford Association (AHA) research projects demonstrated the economic value associated with direct and maternal heterosis in Hereford-sired, F1 black baldy females, compared to straightbred black Angus peers. Documented advantages include fertility (pregnancy rate), pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed, feedlot feed efficiency and cost of gain, cow feed efficiency (pasture) and net return per calf.
AHA’s current multiyear research project with the University of Illinois carries previous knowledge about maternal heterosis a step further. The project compares Hereford-sired, black baldy cows to straightbred black Angus peers for economically relevant traits such as conception rate, calving rate and pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. But the project also measures individual cow feed intake prior to breeding and during lactation to establish maintenance energy requirements.
Additionally, steer progeny of cows in the project will be fed and finished, providing a comprehensive assessment of values and efficiencies from conception through slaughter.
Ultimately, the project goal is to develop a global economic model to quantify direct and maternal heterosis advantages of the Hereford-sired, F1 baldy female.
GRASPING THE FUTURE
AHA launched a landmark collaborative research project with Colorado State University in FY22, which will enhance the understanding of the genetic differences in seedstock relative to enteric methane production and nitrogen excretion. Both contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the carbon footprint of cattle. Documenting the relationship between traits associated with efficiency — Hereford advantages — and GHG emissions is the logical next step for the breed and the industry.
This project leverages decades of AHA research and member data, including individual feed intake records collected through the National Reference Sire Program (NRSP) since 2010. Unbiased reporting associated with AHA’s Whole Herd Total Performance Records (TPR™), established in 2001, adds prediction accuracy. Because of leadership foresight and breeder commitment to progress, the Hereford breed is poised to represent the entire beef industry as leaders in the sustainability arena. Expected outcomes of the multiyear project include characterization of Hereford’s sustainability advantages.
1999 | AHA participated in the beef checkoff-funded Carcass Merit Project (CMP), which was initiated to develop genetic selection tools for carcass and consumer-satisfaction traits, such as marbling, tenderness and meat composition. This was in response to two decades of declining domestic consumer beef demand and challenges revealed by the National Beef Tenderness survey. Olsen Ranches, Inc., Harrisburg, Neb., and Stahly Ranch, Cavour, S.D., provided and fed some of the Hereford and Hereford-influenced cattle that were part of the CMP. For AHA, this project also served as the template and starting point of the National Reference Sire Program (NRSP), as founders recognized the opportunity and value of comparing sires via larger contemporary groups to prove merit and increase prediction accuracy faster.
2001 | AHA established Whole Herd Total Performance Records (TPR™), building upon the early performance programs of the late 1960s. This enabled the collection of complete calf crop information and eliminated reporting bias.
2004 | AHA and Hereford associations in other countries completed the national genetic linkage project demonstrating the efficacy of intercontinental genetic evaluation.
2005 | AHA conducted the Harris Ranch Project, which validated the direct and maternal heterosis advantages of Hereford genetics. The study documented a $30 dollar advantage for Hereford-sired black baldies, compared to purebred Angus contemporaries, due to health, pounds produced and efficiency throughout the finishing phase. Black baldy females also had a 7% advantage in pregnancy.
2007 | AHA conducted the Circle A Ranch Project to validate the direct and maternal advantage of Hereford genetics. Economist Vern Pierce demonstrated the baldy female had a $51 advantage over straightbred Angus due to fertility and longevity.
2009 | The first Pan American Cattle Evaluation was released.
2010 | Olsen Ranches, Inc., implemented feed intake systems, adding individual feed efficiency data to the NRSP.
2011 | AHA collaborated in the National Feed Efficiency Project. This project established collection of multiple genotypes that would serve as the foundation of the AHA’s genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GEEPDS). This project also served as the basis for the first across-breed comparison for feed intake developed by the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (US-MARC).
2017 | AHA transitioned its genetic evaluation to a mixed marker effect model using only data from progeny born after 2001, when TPR was established, but including three generations of pedigree.
2019 | Oklahoma State University published research results showing the baldy female consumes 2 pounds less feed per day while carrying a 0.5 higher body condition score (BCS), compared to straightbred Angus cows.
2020 | AHA established a research project with the University of Illinois to fully characterize the maternal efficiency advantages of the baldy female. This project expands on previous research — Harris Ranch, Circle A Ranch and Oklahoma State University –– documenting direct and maternal heterosis.
2022 | AHA established a research project with Colorado State University to enhance understanding of the genetic differences in seedstock relative to enteric methane production and nitrogen excretion. The research includes identifying selection tools that can help reduce beef’s carbon and environmental footprint.
2023 | AHA collaborated with the University of Tennessee to apply modern-day economic to previous research documenting performance differences between straightbred commercial Angus females and Hereford-sired daughters of straight bred commercial Angus females. At the end of 10 years, breeding commercial Angus cows to a Hereford bull returns an average of $90 more net farm income per cow per year in a 500-cow herd, compared to breeding commercial Angus cows to an Angus bull.
2025 | Multiple collaborative research projects provide a lifecycle assessment of Hereford genetics utilized in disciplined crossbreeding.
CONNECTING CATTLEMEN across continents
WHERE HERITAGE MEETS GLOBAL HORIZONS.
HEREFORDS IN BIG SKY COUNTRY | Montana
Breathtaking wide-open spaces and skies stretching for miles encapsulates the beauty of Montana, home to plenty of Hereford history and current-day breed leaders. Regarded as the fountainhead of Line 1 Hereford cattle, the state still offers some of the most progressive Hereford genetics in the country. Participants will tour NJW Polled Herefords, the Ward family’s commercially-oriented Hereford herd; L Bar W Cattle Co., a newer, data-driven operation; Feddes Herefords and their 70 years experience; Churchill Cattle Co., which recently hosted the record-shattering, $10.4 million World Class Dispersal Sale; the fourth-generation Storey Hereford Ranch with special guests Ehlke Herefords; and Cooper Hereford Ranch and Holden Herefords, modern day homes to the historic Line 1 bloodlines. Montana offers both mountain views and breed changers.
SOUTHBOUND TO COWTOWN | Oklahoma and
Texas
Pay homage to American cattle heritage with landmark stops, from historic stockyards to progressive breeders from Oklahoma to Texas. Attendees visit the largest seedstock breeder in the country, Express Ranches; Bar A Cattle Co.’s impressive Hereford program in addition to the Allan family’s marketing and semen companies; GKB Cattle’s Desdemona, Texas, location touting their state-of-theart sale and embryo facility; elite Hereford and Maine cattle breeder, Buck Cattle Co.; OKBRAND Fencing; and D&H Cattle Co., home to some of America’s rankest bucking stock. The Southbound to Cowtown tour offers an extraordinary view of cattle country, American agriculture and Hereford history, while rubbing elbows with the people pushing the breed forward.
SANDHILLS SIGHTS AND MOUNTAIN VIEWS |
Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado
The Sandhills Sights and Mountain Views tour offers a glimpse of Western cowboy culture, unique American Hereford Association (AHA) research, historic Hereford herds and the distinct, diverse and wide-open spaces that make up Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska. Visitors will see Hoffman Ranch’s multigeneration Hereford operation, the Buzanowski family’s Snowshoe Cattle Co., Van Newkirk Herefords more than 100, years of ranching legacy, the home of the AHA’s National Reference Sire Program — Olsen Ranches, three-generations of Hereford progress at Coyote Ridge Ranch, and AgNext and Colorado State University’s research exploring genetic differences related to beef’s carbon footprint. From historic cowtowns flanked by the snow-capped Rocky Mountains to history-making industry research, this tour offers a deep dive into America’s cattle industry — past and present.
YOUNG BREEDERS COMPETITION
CELEBRATING WORLD WIDE talent
7 COUNTRIES. 11 TEAMS. one STAGE.
Team USA — Blue
Blake Bruns, North Platte, Neb.; Jacob Johnson, Ruth, Miss.; Trevor Johnson, Centerville, S.D.; Logan Topp, Grace City, N.D.
Tabby Cross, Indigo Valley, VIC; Lochie McLauchlan, Glenormiston North, VIC; Emily Taylor, Quipolly, NSW; William van Gend, O’Connell, NSW.
Team Canada — National Selects
Codee Kopelchuk, Canora, Saskatchewan; Emma Lees, Arcola, Saskatchewan; Levi Rimke, Oaklake, Manitoba; Daniel Schuepbach, Claresholm, Alberta.
Team Canada — Red Coats
Emma Cross, Camrose County, Alberta; Brandon Fraser, Rocky View County, Alberta; Megan Nicholas, Milestone, Saskatchewan; Matthew Trefiak, Edgerton, Alberta.
Team Denmark — The Danish Vikings
Sofie Brydsø, Varde, Vestjylland; Natasja Jakobsen, Auning, Midtjylland; Maria Jensen, Horsens, Midtjylland; Peter Olesen, Allingaabro, Djursland.
Team Ireland — Green
Catherine Smyth, Navan, Co. Meath; Colin Burke, Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath; Patrick Farrell, Athlone, Co. Westmeath; Jack Larkin, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
Team Ireland — White
Sarah Armstrong, Arva, Co. Cavan; Mark Hyland, Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim; John O’Dwyer, Nenagh, Co. Tipperay; Sarah Murray, Moate, Co. Westmeath.
Team New Zealand
Niamh Barnett, Southland; Ella McWilliam, Gisborne; Georgia Moody, Manawatu; Joel Steele, Taranaki.
Team UNITED KINGDOM — Beef AND Beyond
Matthew Fearon, Keswick, Cumbria; Lottie Hill, Evercreech, Somerset; Sean Mitchell, Carlisle, Cumbria; Isal Soutter, Leicestershire.
Team UNITED KINGDOM — Hereford Cattle Society
William Awan, Bath, Somerset; Ethan Brook, Mynach, Hengoed; Cara Doggett, Hildale, Carlisle; Iona Smith, Turnberry, Ayshire.
Welcome Global Neighbors and welcome to
The Sandhill Advantage
Sandhill Farms is a registered and commercial Hereford operation in south central Kansas. Today, the SHF cow herd ranks in the top 10% of the Hereford breed for Baldy Maternal Index (BMI$) and in the top 4% for Certified Hereford Index (CHB$).
Don’t miss SHF OKSANA 2912 M153 ET Selling at the Ladies of the Royal: International Edition Sat., October 25, 2025 • 6:30 PM Wagstaff Arena • American Royal 1701
PERFORMANCE: Unique performance breeding program intensely focused on increasing profitability for our customers. Our focus on calving ease, growth, longevity and carcass merit help our customers profit.
PREDICTABILITY: Over 50 bulls tested in the National Reference Sire
ATTENDEE LIST
Carlos Bobrovsky, Argentina
Alejandro de La Tour, Argentina
Jose Goyanes, Argentina
Sergio Mundet, Argentina
Rebecca Cadzow, Australia
Steven Cadzow, Australia
Hamish Chandler, Australia
Tabithia Cross, Australia
Grace Elsom, Australia
Michelle Elsom, Australia
Ben Hayes, Australia
Nicole Hayes, Australia
Rosemary McKean, Australia
Tim McKean, Australia
Lochie McLauchlin, Australia
Aleacea Nixon, Australia
Tom Nixon, Australia
Kim Oldfield, Australia
Tim Reid, Australia
Annette Rogan, Australia
Cheryl Rutherford, Australia
Michael Rutherford, Australia
Jamie-Lee Scott, Australia
Deanne Sykes, Australia
Peter Sykes, Australia
Kristen Tanner, Australia
Michael Tanner, Australia
Emily Taylor, Australia
William Van Gend, Australia
Anne Brunet-Burgess, Canada
Wayne Burgess, Canada
Matthew Charlton, Canada
Neal Church, Canada
Emma Cross, Canada
Brandon Fraser, Canada
Joanne Hawkwood Fraser, Canada
Kevin Fraser, Canada
Jill Harvie, Canada
Karen Huestis, Canada
Patrick Huestis, Canada
Codee Kopelchuk, Canada
Michael Latimer, Canada
Lance Leachman, Canada
Shari Leachman, Canada
Emma Lees, Canada
Megan Nicholas, Canada
Bruce Ribey, Canada
Heather Ribey, Canada
Albert Rimke, Canada
Levi Rimke, Canada
Michelle Rimke, Canada
David Ross, Canada
Andy Schuepbach, Canada
Daniel Schuepbach, Canada
Janice Tapp, Canada
Trevor Tapp, Canada
Matthew Trefiak, Canada
Kailey Wirsta, Canada
Alejandro Marinovic, Chile
Sofie Brydsø, Denmark
Peter Hoejris Olesen, Denmark
Natasja Dahl Jakobsen, Denmark
Maria Nygaard Jensen, Denmark
Per Windfeldt Kristensen, Denmark
Tina Windfeldt Sønderskov, Denmark
Tanel Bulitko, Estonia
Jurgen Jurisalu, Estonia
Kristjan Jurisalu, Estonia
Rivo Jurs, Estonia
Margus Keldo, Estonia
Keidi Tamm, Estonia
Aku Länninki, Finland
Markku Länninki, Finland
Hannele Moisander, Finland
Juha Moisander, Finland
Markus Hassel, Germany
Maximilian Schäfer, Germany
Carsten Schmidt, Germany
Sarah Armstrong, Ireland
William Branagan, Ireland
Colin Burke, Ireland
Alan Crowe, Ireland
Darielle Crowe, ireland
Tennyson Egar, Ireland
Patrick Farrell, Ireland
Laurence Feeney, Ireland
Kevin Galvin, Ireland
Mark Hyland, Ireland
Jack Larkin, Ireland
Eoin Lynch, Ireland
Abby Mahon, Ireland
Sarah Murray, Ireland
Joseph O’Connor, Ireland
John O’Dwyer, Ireland
Catherine Smyth, Ireland
Nicole Engels, Italy
Xupov Asset, Kazakhstan
Utelbayev Bakhtiyar, Kazakhstan
Anuarbek Bissembayev, Kazakhstan
Bauyrzhan Bissembayev, Kazakhstan
Lyazzat Idrissova, Kazakhstan
Dauren Matakbayev, Kazakhstan
Karimova Medina, Kazakhstan
Shyngys Muxhtar, Kazakhstan
Ganimat Nurmukhanov, Kazakhstan
Aida Nurmukhanova, Kazakhstan
Nurtay Zhumashev, Kazakhstan
Aliya Zhumasheva, Kazakhstan
Ana Maria Baeza Lopez, Mexico
Rogelio Sanchez, Mexico
Raquel Imelda Sanchez Sanz, Mexico
Rogelio Sanchez, Jr., Mexico
Philip Barnett, New Zealand
Alistair Campbell, New Zealand
Claire Hill, New Zealand
Jason Hill, New Zealand
Ryan Hill, New Zealand
Samantha Hill, New Zealand
Amanda Jeffries, New Zealand
Christopher Jeffries, New Zealand
Mary-Anne Kane, New Zealand
Robert Kane, New Zealand
Posy Moody, New Zealand
Robert Peacock, New Zealand
Niamah Barnett, New Zeland
Hannah Gibb, New Zeland
Ella McWilliam, New Zeland
Georgia Moody, New Zeland
Joel Steele, New Zeland
Hallstein Flesland, Norway
Ingrid Lund Flesland, Norway
Bente Fuglstad, Norway
Johnny Fuglstad, Norway
Anette Trosby Hartveit, Norway
Leif Morgan Hartveit, Norway
Ellen Kristoffersen, Norway
Inge Grepstad Kristoffersen, Norway
Celina Maria Lindeborg, Norway
Arvid Mytting, Norway
Mona Stubberud Mytting, Norway
Håkon Marius Nybrenna, Norway
Rune Tetmo, Norway
Silvia Gosling, Paraguay
Hinner Koster, South Africa
Ensli Strydom, South Africa
Pascal Habegger, Switzerland
Gabriela Meier, Switzerland
Paul Meier, Switzerland
Beda Rutzer, Switzerland
Doris Rutzer, Switzerland
William Awan, United Kingdom
Ethan Brook, United Kingdom
George Brown, United Kingdom
Monica Brown, United Kingdom
Christine Caunter, United Kingdom
Phillip Caunter, United Kingdom
Rebecca Cook, United Kingdom
Caroline Davies, United Kingdom
Emma Dexter, United Kingdom
Cara Doggett, United Kingdom
Josh Dowbiggin, United Kingdom
Emma Edwards, United Kingdom
Matthew Fearon, United Kingdom
Margaret Galbraith, United Kingdom
Harrison Green, United Kingdom
Sophie Harvey, United Kingdom
Lottie Hill, United Kingdom
Fiona Hodge, United Kingdom
James Hodge, United Kingdom
John Kemp, United Kingdom
Thomas Kemp, United Kingdom
James Ludgate, United Kingdom
David Makin, United Kingdom
Richard Mann, United Kingdom
Sean Mitchell, United Kingdom
Maddy Roberts, United Kingdom
Mark Roberts, United Kingdom
Daniel Seaborne, United Kingdom
Mike Shaw, United Kingdom
Iona Smith, United Kingdom
Isla Soutter, United Kingdom
Laura Teasdale, United Kingdom
Judy Tice, United Kingdom
Seth Wareing, United Kingdom
Helen Whitlow, United Kingdom
John Whitlow, United Kingdom
Michael Wilson, United Kingdom
Audrey Accord, United States
Kane Aegerter, United States
Wyatt Agar, United States
Andrew Allen, United States
Martina Alley, United States
Craig Anderson, United States
Lynnie Anderson, United States
Pat Anderson, United States
Deb Andras, United States
J.C. Andras, United States
Billy Ashe, United States
Laura Atkins, United States
Peter Atkins, United States
Jon Averhoff, United States
Craig Bacon, United States
Debbie Bacon, United States
Addison Baker, United States
Kaitlyn Baker, United States
Emma Ballinger, United States
Brett Barber, United States
Carla Barber, United States
Terri Barber, United States
Jill Bayers Hotchkiss, United States
Oliver Beall, United States
Sherry Beaty-Sullivan, United States
Chris Beck, United States
Lydia Beck, United States
Lacey Bedwell, United States
Shane Bedwell, United States
Matt Beery, United States
Sara Befort, United States
Trey Befort, United States
Jess Beissel, United States
John Beissel, United States
Lily Beissel, United States
Maddi Beissel, United States
Nataleigh Belcher, United States
Raegan Bell, United States
Jonathan Bellis, United States
Craig Beran, United States
Michelle Beran, United States
Bianca Bevan, United States
Jaclyn Bevan, United States
Mya Bevan, United States
Karly Biddle, United States
David Bielema, United States
Jill Bielema, United States
Andrew Billing, United States
Sheri Billing, United States
Ryan Billman, United States
Heather Birdsall, United States
Samuel Birdsall, United States
Joel Birdwell, United States
Beth Blinson, United States
Bryan Blinson, United States
Becky Blume, United States
Rett Blume, United States
Kade Boatman, United States
Kendall Boatman, United States
Tammy Boatman, United States
Doug Bolte, United States
Nancy Bowling, United States
Brock Braden, United States
Ralston Braden, United States
Edy Brainard, United States
Doug Branch, United States
Austin Brandt, United States
Glenna Brandt, United States
Dakota Brasher, United States
Chad Breeding, United States
Edie Breeding, United States
Erin Breeding, United States
Bill Breeding, United States
David Breiner, United States
Diane Breiner, United States
Ryan Breiner, United States
Joseph Brockman, United States
Donald Brumley, United States
Blake Bruns, United States
Kelly Bruns, United States
Matthew Bruns, United States
Stacie Bruns, United States
Gary Buchholz, United States
Kathy Buchholz, United States
P.J. Budler, United States
David Burns, United States
Gayanne Burns, United States
Phillip Burns, United States
Sarah Beth Callicott, United States
Ross Carlson, United States
Chris Cassady, United States
Sherry Cassidy, United States
Jack Chastain, United States
Jackson Chastain, United States
Lee Chastain, United States
Lyn Chastain, United States
Bailey Clanton, United States
Kayla Claridge, United States
Kyle Claridge, United States
Stephen Coates Jr., United States
Jim Coley, United States
Cierra Collins, United States
Claire Collins, United States
Cricket Collins, United States
Shellie Collins, United States
Cruz Colyer, United States
Guy Colyer, United States
Katie Colyer, United States
Katie Cooper, United States
Kelsy Cooper, United States
Mark Cooper, United States
Cliff Copeland, United States
Pat Copeland, United States
Hampton Cornelius, United States
Jane Evans Cornelius, United States
Katie Cornelius, United States
Josie Correll, United States
Amy Cowan, United States
Corbin Cowles, United States
Bill Cox, United States
J.W. Cox, United States
Brooke Cromwell, United States
Becky Cronin, United States
Beverly Crouch, United States
Russell Crouch, United States
Curtis Curry, United States
Trish Dalbey, United States
A.J. Daniel, United States
Kendra Daniel, United States
Danny Davis, United States
Ernie Davis, United States
Jalyn Davis, United States
James Davis, United States
Amanda Davis, United States
Zach Day, United States
Holly Delaney, United States
Jerry Delaney, United States
Michelle Delaney, United States
Nick Delaney, United States
Timothy Dennis, United States
Wes Denton, United States
Ben Diekevers, United States
Eileen Doetker, United States
Richard Doetker, United States
Beth Donnelly, United States
Kevin Donnelly, United States
Sarah Donnelly, United States
Cody Doubet, United States
Mike Doyle, United States
Denver Drake, United States
Ginger Dudley, United States
John Dudley, United States
Jill Duncan, United States
Chloé Durian, United States
Matt Durian, United States
A.J. Ebert, United States
Jackson Ebert, United States
Jorja Ebert, United States
Nikki Ebert, United States
Cindy Elzemeyer, United States
Lee Elzemeyer, United States
Matthew Elzemeyer, United States
Barbara Ernst, United States
Marshall Ernst, United States
Thad Espenscheid, United States
Hannah Evans, United States
Kelly Evans, United States
Margaret Evans, United States
Mark Evans, United States
Rebekah Evans, United States
Sarah Evans-Fraizer, United States
Sarah Evans-Watson, United States
Bruce Everhart, United States
Marie Farr, United States
Danny Fawcett, United States
Dawson Firlus, United States
Kelly Firlus, United States
Morgan Firlus, United States
Scott Firlus, United States
Sam Fisher, United States
Greg Fowler, United States
James Fraizer, United States
J.L. Frazier, United States
Jayna Frederickson, United States
Nate Frederickson, United States
Teegan Frederickson, United States
Tiernan Frederickson, United States
Aaron Friedt, United States
Jennifer Gatz, United States
Lauren Gatz, United States
McKenna Gatz, United States
Taylor Gatz, United States
Douglas Gerber, United States
Jarrod Gillig, United States
Aaron Glascock, United States
Amy Glascock, United States
Mason Glascock, United States
Kevin Glaubius, United States
Donna Gleason, United States
Harold Gleason, United States
Becky Goehring, United States
Bill Goehring, United States
Bruce Gordon, United States
Matea Gordon, United States
Mary Granzow, United States
Tom Granzow, United States
Beau Ann Graves, United States
Preston Graves, United States
Samantha Graves, United States
Riley Greiten, United States
Kim Gumenberg, United States
Deb Gustafson, United States
Gus Gustafson, United States
Shelbi Gustafson, United States
Tava Gustafson, United States
Dave Hanson, United States
Jeff Harr, United States
Keayla Harr, United States
Lou Ellen Harr, United States
Bob Harrell, United States
Lexie Harrell, United States
Elizabeth Harris, United States
Paul Harris, United States
Cody Harter, United States
Clayton Hayes, United States
Debbie Hayes, United States
Jennifer Hayes, United States
Lee Haygood, United States
Dustin Heeter, United States
Tom Heidt, United States
Ronette Heinrich, United States
Pam Helms, United States
Rob Helms, United States
Jarrid Herrmann, United States
Paul Hill, United States
Denny Hoffman, United States
Dixie Hoffman, United States
Jason Hoffman, United States
Kaycee Hoffman, United States
Jack Holden, United States
Emilee Holt, United States
Scott Holt, United States
Brian House, United States
Kelly Houston, United States
Grant Hubbard, United States
Tammy Huber, United States
Lillian Hulse, United States
Lowry Hunt, United States
Jerry Huth, United States
Wes Ishmael, United States
Lindsey Jacobs, United States
Roger Jennings, United States
Allie Jensen, United States
Ben Jensen, United States
Brady Jensen, United States
Kevin Jensen, United States
Sheila Jensen, United States
Jamie Johansen, United States
Kevin Johansen, United States
Diane Johnson, United States
Jacob Johnson, United States
Jeanne Johnson, United States
Mark Johnson, United States
Tate Johnson, United States
Trevor Johnson, United States
Lauren Jones, United States
Chloe Jordan, United States
Matt Jordan, United States
Monica Jordan, United States
Jodi Jordan, United States
Sarah Kalman, United States
Eric Katzenberger, United States
Madison Katzenberger, United States
Rosie Katzenberger, United States
Nancy Keilty, United States
Chip Kemp, United States
Vickie Kern, United States
Bill King, United States
Becky King-Spindle, United States
Glen Klippenstein, United States
Jay Kloos, United States
Steve Kloos, United States
Kathleen Koechner, United States
Klinton Koechner, United States
Paul Koffskey, United States
Tia Koffskey, United States
Addison Koontz, United States
Misti Koontz, United States
Dylan Kottkamp, United States
Laura Kouba, United States
Tom Kouba, United States
Tom Krauss, United States
Jordan Lamb, United States
Steve Lambert, United States
Steve Landt, United States
Aaron Larson, United States
Fred Larson, United States
Lori Larson, United States
Nikki Larson, United States
Rylie Larson, United States
Paul Laubach, United States
David Lauber, United States
Jeff Lauber, United States
Bailey Lewis, United States
Emma Lewis, United States
Kay Lewis, United States
Neil Litton, United States
John Loewen, United States
Mona Loewen, United States
Marty Lueck, United States
Cody Lunsford, United States
Kaylee Lunsford, United States
Kim Lupichuk, United States
Tracy Mader, United States
Beth Mansfield, United States
Josh Mansfield, United States
Matt Marion, United States
Jenette Masarie, United States
Andrew Matheny, United States
Rylee Matheny, United States
Suzanne Matheny, United States
Taylor Belle Matheny, United States
Leslie Mathews, United States
Mike Mathews, United States
Allison May, United States
Katie Mayo, United States
Lee Mayo, United States
Grace McClain, United States
Jackie McClaskey, United States
Travis McConnaughy, United States
Mike McDonald, DVM, United States
Logan McFatridge, United States
Angie McGuffee, United States
Ryan McGuffee, United States
Grant McKay, United States
Linda McKay, United States
Jill McKellar, United States
Walt McKellar, United States
Terry McNatt, United States
Tommy Mead, United States
Rylie Meinhardt, United States
Harlan Meischen, United States
Marilyn Meischen, United States
Robert Meischen, United States
Kurt Mendel, United States
Jann Merry, United States
Steve Merry, United States
Brendan Midla, United States
Leslie Midla, United States
Lowell Midla, United States
Kay Miigerl, United States
Kendi Miigerl, United States
Myron Miigerl, United States
Crystal Miles, United States
Steven Miles, United States
Brandi Mills, United States
Ivan Mills, United States
Karaleigh Mills, United States
Cheryl Miner, United States
Gretchen Miner, United States
Jess Miner, United States
Lars Miner, United States
Lynn Miner, United States
Jordan Mitchem, United States
Anthony Monroe, United States
Phillip Moon, United States
Caroline Moore, United States
Jon David Moore, United States
Haley Mouser, United States
Stephanie Murnin, United States
Steve Neil, United States
Brett Nelson, United States
Talina Nelson, United States
Katie Nolles Smith, United States
Claire Norris, United States
Cache Norton, United States
Lucy Norton, United States
Beth Norvell, United States
Tyler Norvell, United States
Richie Oakes, United States
Tiffany Ogle, United States
Brandon Oleen, United States
Leah Oleen, United States
Travis Oleen, United States
Hannah Oleson, United States
Josh Oleson, United States
Kelly Oleson, United States
Jerome Ollerich, United States
Art Olsen, United States
Douglas Olsen, United States
Isaac Olsen, United States
Pamela Olsen, United States
R.J. Orsten, United States
Robert Orsten, United States
Kelly Owen, United States
Randy Owen, United States
Kristen Parman, United States
Garrett Parsons, United States
Marka Parsons, United States
Morgan Perkins, United States
Wade Perks, United States
Railen Peterson, United States
Amy Phillips, United States
Cassie Phillips, United States
Reese Pinkerton, United States
Roxanne Pinkerton, United States
Kim Prestwood, United States
Lori Prestwood, United States
Cindy Pribil, United States
Oline Price, United States
Randy Price, United States
Marie Prodell, United States
Peyton Pruett, United States
Bellana Putz, United States
T.R. Putz, United States
Steven Rader, United States
Susan Rader, United States
Ray Ramsey, United States
Matthew Randerson, United States
Peter Rausch, United States
Bonnie Reed, United States
Jeffrey Reed, United States
Jim Reed, United States
Roger Rees, United States
Barb Reynolds, United States
Makayla Reynolds, United States
Matt Reynolds, United States
Gavin Rhode, United States
Isaac Rhode, United States
Jeff Rhode, United States
Susan Rhode, United States
Joe Rickabaugh, United States
Tracey Rickabaugh, United States
Derek Ridder, United States
Heidi Ridder, United States
John Ridder, United States
John Ridder, United States
Gray Riley, United States
Deanna Roeder, United States
Kim Rosson, United States
E.C. Rosson, Jr, United States
Burt Rutherford, United States
Stacy Sanders, United States
Susan Sanders, United States
Dustin Schaaf, United States
Monte Schockley, United States
Chris Schoen, United States
Molly Schoen, United States
Joseph Schohr, United States
Kevin Schultz, United States
Tyler Schultz, United States
Vera Schultz, United States
Ronald Schutte, United States
Jill Schwer, United States
Sam Schwer, United States
Chris Scott, United States
Lydia Shaw, United States
Sydnee Shive, United States
Salem Sifford, United States
Becky Simpson, United States
Mike Simpson, United States
Bette Slayton, United States
Paul Slayton, United States
Ashleigh Sloan, United States
Ben Smith, United States
Cole Smith, United States
Austin Snedden, United States
Angelina Sonoqui, United States
Ed Soto, United States
Lisa Sparrow, United States
George Sprague, United States
Kristi Sproul, United States
Ryan Sproul, United States
Jenny Starck, United States
Rick Starck, United States
Jace Steenhoek, United States
Andy Stellpflug, United States
Theresa Stellpflug, United States
Chris Stephens, United States
Mark Stephens, United States
Lori Stickley, United States
LaMecia Stidham, United States
Tim Stidham, United States
Ella Stiefvater, United States
Alexis Stitzlein, United States
Kailyn Stokes, United States
Kenny Storie, United States
Skyler Storie, United States
Keysto Stotz, United States
Savannah Stratmeier, United States
Roger Stuber, United States
Angie Stump Denton, United States
Scott Sullivan, United States
Sarah Tatman, United States
Shawn Tatman, United States
Russ Tegtmeier, United States
Logan Topp, United States
Prarie Topp, United States
Ryan Topp, United States
Tar Tut, United States
Cyndi Van Newkirk, United States
Joe Van Newkirk, United States
Caryn Vaught, United States
Eric Vaught, United States
Kelsey Vejraska, United States
Dale Venhuizen, United States
Nancy Venhuizen, United States
Joe Waggoner, United States
Eric Walker, United States
Rhonda Walker, United States
Katelynn Wallace, United States
Daniel Walsh, United States
Ray Walston, United States
Bell Ward, United States
Jack Ward, United States
Jan Ward, United States
Mary Ann Ward, United States
Ned Ward, United States
Charles Warfel, United States
Harlee Watson, United States
Jack Watson, United States
Melinda Watson, United States
Maddie Weaber, United States
Cord Weinheimer, United States
Collin Welper, United States
Amanda Welsh, United States
Ashlie Werk, United States
Shane Werk, United States
Bryson Westbrook, United States
Wren Westbrook, United States
Shane White, United States
David Wiese, United States
Diana Wiese, United States
Katie Wiese, United States
Shayne Wiese, United States
Jim Williams, United States
Sheila Williams, United States
Foster Wingler, United States
Lauren Wingler, United States
Sally Wingler, United States
Peggy Wolf, United States
Rusty Wolf, United States
Tim Wolf, United States
Weston Wolf, United States
Brian Wolfgang, United States
Teri Wolfgang, United States
Johnny Woolfolk, United States
Matt Woolfolk, United States
Leandro Pereira Besozzi, Uruguay
Jose Bonica, Uruguay
Jose Burjel, Uruguay
Ana Laura Piriz Colombo, Uruguay
Marina Born Engels, Uruguay
Roberto Engels, Uruguay
Jacinto Larraechea, Uruguay
Fernando Martinicorena, Uruguay
Joaquin Martinicorena, Uruguay
Maria Alejandra Parietti, Uruguay
Lucía Perdomo, Uruguay
ASSOCIATION HONORS & HIGHLIGHTS
Since Kansas City, Mo., hosted the first National Hereford Show in a tent along the Kansas River in 1899, the city has served as a meeting place for the Hereford breed and its enthusiasts. Kansas City has long-been the home of the Association’s headquarters and today’s descendant of that first national show, the American Royal. Each fall, Hereford breeders from around the country make the trek to middle America to elect leaders, exchange ideas and encourage innovation for the future of the breed. This convergence of the Hereford industry is known as the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Membership Meeting and Conference, which is held each fall in Kansas City, alongside the American Royal’s National Hereford Show. The event brings together the membership for a trade show, educational sessions, honorees reception and meeting where three new members of the Board of Directors are elected. In 2025, the Annual Meeting takes on added significance as it will be held in conjunction with the prestigious World Hereford Conference, which will welcome not only Hereford breeders from around the country, but great minds from around the globe.
Board of Directors
Each year, during the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Kansas City, Mo., voting delegates representing each state cast ballots to determine three new AHA Board members.
This year, voting delegates will select from a slate of six nominees appointed by a nominating committee. Every active adult AHA member may take part in the election process through the selection of state delegates, which will vote on behalf of the membership to select the new Directors. Each Director will serve a four-year term on a 12-person Board, which governs and provides strategic direction. The Association boasts more than 7,500 adult and junior members from across the U.S.
National Hereford Queen
Each year, since 1955, a young lady involved in the breed is crowned the National Hereford Queen during the American Royal Hereford show. Selected from a slate of state queen candidates, she will don the iconic white dress, boots, statement sash and classic crown and spend the next year promoting Hereford cattle, attending shows and sales, educating and using her platform to be a spokeswoman for the AHA and the bald-faced breed. Upon the completion of her reign, the retiring queen is presented with a $10,000 scholarship by the Hereford Youth Foundation of America in partnership with the National Hereford Women (NHW).
Hall of Fame and Hall of Merit
The Hall of Fame honor recognizes Hereford breeders who have dynamically influenced the direction and advancement of the breed. The Hall of Merit commends individuals who have greatly influenced the cattle industry. These industry influencers and breed changers are recognized each year during the AHA Annual Meeting and Conference.
Commercial Producer of the Year
The Commercial Producer of the Year is presented to a commercial cattle operation that demonstrates how progressive producers can increase profitability through Hereford’s added heterosis. Each year, this award is presented during the AHA Annual Meeting and Conference as a nod to the vital role Hereford genetics play in the commercial cattle industry and as an example of how progressive producers use the baldfaced advantage for heterosis.
Golden and Century Breeders
The Century Breeder recognition honors families and operations in the Hereford business for 100 years. The Golden Breeder distinction recognizes those in the business for 50 years. Each year, these dedicated breeders, who have stood the test of time, are honored during the AHA Annual Meeting and Conference.
Certified Hereford Beef Awards
Certified Hereford Beef®(CHB) recognizes brand partners, such as packers, distributers and retailers, for their commitment and dedication to the CHB program each year. Certified Hereford Beef is a premium quality, producer-owned beef brand backed by Hereford’s unique story. CHB was established as a subsidiary of the AHA in 1995.
National and Regional Show Awards
National and regional Hereford show bull and female of the year winners, along with premier exhibitor awards, recognize Hereford breeders and exhibitors who present their cattle at the national level. To earn the coveted bronze cattle trophies, exhibitors garner points throughout the year by showing at national and regional events. Points were calculated throughout the 2024-25 show season, which ran from May 2024 through April 2025.
Each year, these award winners are recognized prior to the Ladies of the Royal Sale hosted at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo.
Hereford Woman of the Year
Each year, the NHW recognize the Hereford Woman of the Year. This honor is reserved to an outstanding woman who tirelessly promotes the Hereford breed and supports the organization. These women are chosen based upon their contributions to the breed, whether that be through their state auxiliaries, promotional media or their own farm or ranch. Additionally, the honorees are known for their service and philanthropy, and they serve as value members of their communities and the cattle industry as a whole.
HYFA Scholarships
The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its donors award more than $150,000 in scholarships each fall to National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members during the American Hereford Association Annual Meeting and Conference. The scholarship fund serves as the bedrock of the foundation, and countless youth benefit from its mission. Since its inception, HYFA has awarded scholarships fueling educational opportunities and lighting the way for youth in the Hereford breed. In total, the foundation has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships since its founding in 2000, to assist Hereford youth further their education.
NJHA Fed Steer Shootout Awards
The NJHA Fed Steer Shootout teaches young people about the opportunities and challenges of the cattle feeding industry. Along with the cattle performance awards, the top three junior members in both the junior and senior age divisions are recognized for their efforts and cattle feeding industry knowledge. The top three participants in each age division gave speeches and were interviewed by a panel of judges to be chosen for contestant of the year. Winners receive more than $15,000 in cash prizes and awards from HYFA during the AHA Annual Membership Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo.
CHRIS BECK
Minden, Nev.
Chris Beck manages Genoa Livestock, Minden, Nev., a registered Hereford ranch situated in the heart of Carson Valley. Covering 1,100 acres of grassland, the ranch supports 250 mother cows — 210 spring-calving and 40 fallcalving cows — in west-central Nevada.
The ranch focuses on breeding and marketing commercial range bulls and low-maintenance females, continually improving genetics tailored to thrive in the arid western environment. Each fall, Genoa Livestock hosts an annual production sale and offers private treaty bulls early in the winter, marketing 70 bulls per year. Additionally, the ranch presents a pen-of-three females at the National Western Stock Show each year and consigns the pick-of-the-pen to the Herefords in the Yards sale.
Originally from Illinois, Chris now lives on the ranch with his wife, Lydia, and their daughter, Hallie, surrounded by views of the Sierra Mountains and Hereford cattle. Chris’ journey as a herdsman began in the sow unit of a neighbor’s farrowing operation. He relocated to Lafayette, Colo., to work for Culver Cattle Co., a progressive and large commercial cowcalf operation, ranching in two locations with distinct environments. After Culver Cattle dispersed in 2015, he spent two years in eastern South Dakota on a diversified farm and GAP-certified feedlot, managing daily operations and the cow herd. Chris was drawn to the seedstock side of the cattle industry and knowing the value of Hereford genetics in a commercial setting, he moved to Minden to pursue a career at Genoa Livestock. Through his diversified experiences, he’s built a skillset that works in all segments of the beef industry.
Chris has worked for Genoa Livestock for nearly nine years and has served as the ranch manager for eight. As a first-generation Hereford breeder, he’s deeply committed to being an active member of the AHA and highlighting the opportunities and resources the Hereford breed offers to the commercial cattle industry.
Chris devotes most of his time to the ranch and his family. He believes his greatest achievement is successfully marketing bulls to commercial customers who understand the benefits of incorporating Hereford genetics to improve their operations, while also providing a consistent, high-quality product for the end consumer.
BRYAN BLINSON
Buies Creek, N.C.
Bryan Blinson and his wife, Beth, operate Blinson Hereford Farm, a small seedstock operation split between Buies Creek, N.C., and Lenoir, N.C. Calving about 20 cows annually, the farm’s focus is selling a few select bulls each year as well as offering females private treaty and through the North Carolina Hereford Association (NCHA) sale. They work hard to manage their pastures, improve soil health and breed cattle that can efficiently perform in their environment — through those practices the Blinsons provide more adapted and efficient seedstock to their customers.
Bryan and Beth live on the farm near Buies Creek, and his parents help manage the cattle on the farm in Lenoir. Breeding, marketing, pasture management and other decisions are a family effort. The couple’s daughters, Rossie and Mason, both served on the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) board, and Beth served on the National Hereford Women board. The Blinsons have always tried to be involved in the Associations that supported their family.
Bryan was named distinguished alumni by North Carolina State University (NCSU) and has a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the university, in addition to graduating from the Forrest School of Auctioneering and Mendenhall Auction School. He finds his greatest educational opportunities working alongside and advocating for farmers and ranchers, having served as the executive director of the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and Beef Council for 24 years.
He helped organize and served as president of the Feed the Dialogue Foundation (a multi-organization advocacy group). Bryan also served as secretary of the NCSU Agricultural Foundation for two decades, along with serving on numerous NCSU advisory boards. He was named president of the Auctioneers Association of North Carolina and the Harnett Area Board of Realtors.
From serving as chairman of the National Junior Polled Hereford Council to holding various leadership positions on the NCHA board and auctioneering the NCHA sale, Bryan has been involved in all levels of the Hereford industry.
Bryan hopes to serve producers large and small and use his experiences to unify all segments of the Hereford breed and make each breeder stronger.
ROSS CARLSON Murdock, Minn.
Carlson Farms, located near Murdock, Minn., is owned and operated by the Carlson family. Ross Carlson and his wife, Beth, in partnership with his brothers and their wives, represent the fourth generation to operate the west central Minnesota farm and ranch.
Carlson Farms currently maintains a 250-head spring-calving Hereford cow herd, with most of their females being bred to Hereford bulls through AI and walking herd sires. In addition to the Hereford calves from these matings, they also produce black baldies by breeding Angus bulls to the bottom 25% of their cow herd, adding immediate value through heterosis. The operation’s goal is to maintain a reliable herd while striving to enhance its quality and customers’ profitability.
The Carlson family markets their registered and commercial calf crops in several ways. They sell the males as private treaty bulls or feedlot steers and keep their best females as their own replacements while marketing the baldy heifers as replacements for commercial cattlemen.
Ross and Beth have two children. Their daughter, Mallory, her husband, Ryan, and their grandson, Beau David, are involved in the family operation. Their son, Regan, is currently in medical school at the University of Minnesota. Both kids were involved in the NJHA and showed at the VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), along with participating in the NJHA Fed Steer Shootout.
Ross received his bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University, where he was a member of the livestock and meats judging teams. He’s been involved in his state Hereford association since the early 1980s and helped facilitate the merger of the polled and horned Minnesota associations in 1998. He was named the Minnesota Hereford Breeders Enthusiast of the Year in 2003.
Ross has been a regular attendee of the AHA Annual Meeting for more than a decade and has served as a Minnesota voting delegate. Moreover, he is a longtime member of the Glacial Ridge Cattlemen’s Association and has served on the Kerkkoven Lutheran Church Council and livestock advisory board for Swift County 4-H.
JOE ELLIS
Chrisman, Ill.
Joe Ellis, Chrisman, Ill., operates Ellis Farms Beef Genetics, a three-generation family business, which raises row crops and cattle to support four family households. Hereford cattle have always been the operation’s primary focus. Today, the family runs 200 momma cows.
The Ellis family has raised registered Herefords for 143 years. The first registered stock were brought into the family operation as a wedding gift in 1883: two cows and the imported sire, Beekjay Hero.
The EFBeef program provides seedstock genetics to the commercial cow-calf producer and purebred sector. EFBeef genetics have been utilized on four continents and nearly all 50 states. They strive to produce a low-cost female with high fertility, which will thrive on fescue grass pastures, while also making a steer of the highest value that garners carcass weight and yield and quality grade incentives. The operation emphasizes producing a pound of beef more efficiently than prior generations through feed intake testing. EFBeef invests significant time and resources gathering genetic information each year. They’re committed to providing commercial cow-calf producers with additional data to help make decisions when marketing offspring sired by EFBeef bulls.
EFBeef is a two-time winner of the Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer Honor Roll of Excellence. Joe’s parents, Phil and Joyce, previous directors of the AHA, were recently inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame. EFBeef has been named the Illinois Hereford Breeder of the Year multiple times, along with being the winner of the Illinois Beef Seedstock Breeder of the Year and winning multiple grand championships at the national show in the ’70s and ’90s. EFBeef has received multiple honors and designations from the AHA and American Polled Hereford Association (APHA) for Sires of Distinction (SOD), Certified Hereford Beef® SOD, Gold Seal Sire and Gold Trophy Sire.
Joe has served on the nominating committee for AHA Board candidates and the committee for genetic evaluation updates. He was a member of the 2005 Young Cattlemen’s Conference and was active in the APHA youth program during the 1980s.
Joe is retired from a career in the material handling industry. He currently serves as treasurer and is a past president of The Vermillion RISE, a 7,000-acre redevelopment of a former World War II Army base. He’s served on the County Area Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and is serving his 18th year as treasurer of the Hopewell Friends Meeting.
Joe and his wife, Lauri, have three daughters: Audrey, Hannah and Lauren.
JOE DAN LEDBETTER Wheeler, Texas
Joe Dan Ledbetter owns and operates Ledbetter Cattle Co., Wheeler, Texas, a progressive herd consisting of around 50 cows — 35 Hereford females and 15 commercial recip cows. As a smaller breeder, Joe Dan threads the needle each year by producing bulls that perform with limited input while maintaining functionality, eye appeal, fleshing ability and style that will impress any cattleman and be problem-free. Ledbetter Cattle Co. markets these bulls through the Indian Mound Ranch Annual Production Sale every October.
When it comes to females, udders and disposition are at the top of the operation’s selection criteria, along with a mother cow that’s earned her keep. Some females are marketed as show heifers to local and regional customers; everything else is sent to wheat pasture. Once they come home, anything that won’t be a Ledbetter replacement is bred to an Angus bull and marketed as a commercial bred heifer.
Ledbetter Cattle Co. is a family operation. Joe Dan and his wife, Hope, their sons and their wives, Ceaton and Erin, Grant and Lauren, and Grady and Lindley; two grandchildren, Knox and Tandi Jo; and daughter, Caton, all chip in on the ranch from time to time.
Joe Dan was born and raised in Wheeler. He attended West Texas A&M University and graduated with a degree in animal science in 1997. He’s been a member of the Texas Hereford Association for 30 years, serving as director for more than 15 of them. He’s currently serving his second term on the executive committee. Joe Dan is a past member of the Texas Association of Sports Officials and was a high school football official for almost 20 years before retiring due to injury in 2021.
Ledbetter Cattle Co. is an AHA-recognized Gold Total Performance Records (TPR™) Breeder, and they regularly go the extra mile to collect and report data at all levels of production in a timely manner.
Ryan McGuffee
New Hebron, Miss.
Third-generation cattleman, Ryan McGuffee, owns and operates McGuffee Herefords, New Hebron, Miss. Ryan began his Hereford operation in 1977 with polled Hereford heifers for a 4-H project. Nearing almost 50 years in the Hereford business, McGuffee Herefords has always been a family affair. Ryan considers it a blessing that his parents, Joe and Delores, still play an active role in the operation, along with his wife, Angie, their son, Walker, and his wife, Mary Jo.
The family’s operation consists of a 285-head registered Hereford herd and a 500-head black baldy commercial herd. McGuffee Herefords utilizes extensive AI and embryo transfer (ET) programs, producing more than 150 ET calves each year. By investing heavily in AI and ET, the McGuffees ensure they maintain focus on quality genetics and an emphasis on maternal ability, carcass strength and above-breed-average genomic profiles.
McGuffee Herefords sells bulls private treaty, supplying more than 80 registered Hereford bulls annually to some of the most prolific commercial operations in the Southeast. In 2024, McGuffee Herefords hosted a female production sale for the first time in 35 years along with their inaugural commercial bull sale. In addition to successful female and bull sales in 2024 and upcoming sales in 2025 and 2026, McGuffee Herefords, along with partner, Pérez Cattle Co., exhibited the 2024 American Royal champion Hereford bull, KRM 9160 Follow Me 8G L35 ET.
The McGuffee family is a dedicated supporter of Hereford youth. Walker was an active NJHA member and showed at the JNHE. Over the past 30 years, more than 100 young people have been mentored by the McGuffee family as they began their 4-H and FFA career with a Hereford heifer provided by McGuffee Herefords.
Outside of McGuffee Herefords, Ryan is president of McGuffee Properties LLC, Mendenhall, Miss., a land development firm he founded upon graduation from the University of Southern Mississippi. Giving back and supporting their community is a pillar of strength for the McGuffee family. Ryan has served on the Mississippi Hereford Association board of directors for many years, dedicated countless hours to helping Mississippi Hereford youth plan to attend the JNHE, co-founded the Mississippi Youth Expo and was awarded the Simpson County Cattleman of the Year.
Chad Breeding Chairman Miami, Texas
Lou Ellen Harr Jeromesville, Ohio
Travis McConnaughy Wasola, Mo.
Jim Coley Lafayette, Tenn.
Hampton Cornelius LaSalle, Colo.
Austin Snedden Maricopa, Calif.
Jerry Delaney Lake Benton, Minn.
Scott Sullivan Grannis, Ark.
Cindy Pribil Hennessey, Okla.
Jim Williams Kearney, Neb.
Grant McKay Marysville, Kan.
Danny Fawcett Ree Heights, S.D.
2024–2025
AHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
National Hereford
QUEEN
candidates
MORGAN FIRLUS
Morgan Firlus, Wonewoc, Wis., is the 19-year-old daughter of Scott and Kelly Firlus. She is a sophomore at Kansas State University (K-State) majoring in animal sciences and industry. An active member of the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA), she has participated in the Building on Leadership Development (BOLD) and Faces of Leadership conferences. At K-State, Morgan serves as an Agriculture Ambassador and is a member of Block and Bridle. She has also served as a Juneau County Youth Livestock Association director in Wisconsin.
“I truly believe that the National Hereford Queen is a platform and a position to advocate for an industry that has given me so much. To be able to give back and help the next generation of young women know that no matter what they are not alone would mean the world to me,” Morgan says.
McKENNA GATZ
McKenna Gatz, Fairview, Kan., the 18-year-old daughter of Taylor and Jennifer Gatz, is a freshman at K-State majoring in integrative human sciences with a pre-nursing emphasis. She serves on the Kansas Junior Hereford Association board and has been involved in numerous NJHA programs and competitions, including the Faces of Leadership conference, the Future Professionals contest, Pen-to-Pen and showmanship at the VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE). At K-State, she is a member of the Pre-Nursing Club, the Leadership Club and the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
“I am committed to upholding the legacy of the Queens before me and would strive to gracefully fulfill all the duties of the National Hereford Queen to the best of my ability,” McKenna says.
EMMA LEWIS
Emma Lewis, Litchfield, Ohio, is the 18-year-old daughter of Dawn Handrosh. She is a freshman at Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI), pursuing a degree in agricultural business. An 11-year member of both the Buckeye Junior Hereford Association and the NJHA, Emma has held various leadership roles and participated in multiple programs, including the Faces of Leadership conference. She served as the premier show committee chairman for the Buckeye Junior Hereford Association and was named the overall intermediate member at her state show in 2024.
“Serving as National Hereford Queen would be a significant honor,” Emma says. “Inspired by exemplary role models, I am eager to give back to the Hereford industry.”
REESE PINKERTON
Reese Pinkerton, Troup, Texas, is the 18-year-old daughter of Roxanne Pinkerton, and she is currently a freshman at K-State majoring in animal sciences and industry. An active member of her community and state association, Reese has contributed through a variety of service projects. As Texas Hereford royalty, she has represented the breed at major events including the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo and San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.
“If selected, I would fulfill this role by being a visible, approachable and enthusiastic representative of the Hereford breed,” Reese says.
LAUREN WINGLER
Lauren Wingler, Christiana, Tenn., is the 18-year-old daughter of Russ and Sally Wingler. She is a freshman at the University of Tennessee at Martin, studying agricultural business. Lauren is an active member of the university’s Cattlemen’s and Farm Bureau Associations and has been heavily involved in Tennessee 4-H. She also serves as a Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association youth ambassador. Currently, Lauren is president of her state junior Hereford association, and she has attended the Faces of Leadership conference and participated in various leadership opportunities and contests at JNHE.
“Serving as National Hereford Queen would allow me to give back to the industry that has shaped me, share the values and traditions of the Hereford breed and ensure a bright, sustainable future for agriculture and for the generations that follow,” Lauren says.
Merit
HALL OF JOE RICKABAUGH
Joe Rickabaugh, retired American Hereford Association (AHA) director of seedstock marketing, led the AHA field staff and Hereford Publications Inc. from alongside his team. For 25 years, he built a career rooted in integrity, hard work and an unwavering commitment to the Hereford breed and its breeders.
Originally a farm kid from Greeley, Kan., Joe enjoyed 4-H and FFA. He attended Fort Scott Community College and Kansas State University, where he sorted livestock on the collegiate team. After graduating with a degree in agricultural education, Joe entered the field rather than the classroom. He joined the Kansas Livestock Association in 1982, and for 13 years, Joe helped Kansas cattlemen and women market their stock, before joining Genetics Plus, a company specializing in marketing bred heifers. Joe married his wife, Tracey, in 1983, and the couple has three children: Drew, Chelsey and Cole. Drew is married to Julia, and Cole and his wife, Briana, have four children: Jantzen, J.J., Savannah and Sienna.
When sitting executive vice president Craig Huffhines tapped Joe to join the AHA staff on Feb. 4, 1999, Joe brought not only his valuable industry experience but also a relentless drive to make things better. Joe worked tirelessly to improve the services the Association offered to help members market their cattle while building demand for the breed. He took notes and continuously refined and improved everything he touched.
The Hereford sales he managed highlighted Joe’s talents as a marketeer. The National Sale and Ladies of the Royal reached new heights under his watch, and his eye for quality cattle set a new standard for the breeder consignment sales he was involved with. In Iowa, his influence was particularly transformative, as he helped revive the Hereford offering at the Iowa Beef Expo and set new benchmarks for success. Joe made it his mission to ensure the quality of these sales. He would go out into the field and hand-pick sale offerings for breeders to highlight their best genetics and for buyers to grab breeding pieces.
Connecting buyers and sellers was always one of Joe’s favorite parts of his role with AHA. Joe always emphasized the people side of the Hereford business. Not only did he genuinely take an interest in the Association members he met along the way, but he felt honored the leadership entrusted him with serving as an ambassador for the breed. Joe was always there when he was needed, whether ringside, visiting breeders, mentoring young people, calling bids or even cooking Certified Hereford Beef®. Even after long weekends on the road working sales, Joe would still be one of the first to arrive at the AHA office to start the week.
“In a nutshell, Joe was passionate, driven, humble and a hard worker that believed in the Hereford breed and loved the Hereford people,” penned Charlie Boyd II, of Boyd Beef Cattle, in his letter to the selection committee. “He has touched so many people in so many positive ways.”
Joe never asked someone to do what he wouldn’t do himself. It was one of his greatest strengths in his 25 years with the AHA. Under his tutelage, several breed- and industry-changing staff cut their teeth in the marketing business.
While he never sought the spotlight, Joe’s 25 years with the Association leave a lasting legacy of leadership, trust, integrity, respect, market-savvy knowledge and friendship. Simply put, it serves as a testament of his oftenused phrase: “The Hereford breed is great, but the breeders are greater.”
Merit
HALL OF RANDY & KELLY OWEN 2025
From an early age and throughout his musical career, Randy Owen knew he wanted a ranch and cattle operation. Randy and his wife, Kelly, purchased their first Hereford cattle in 1980, and Tennessee River Music Inc., (TRM), named for the first No. 1 single released by Randy’s chart-topping country music group, Alabama, was born.
Randy has deep roots in agriculture. He grew up in Adamsburg, Ala., where he worked alongside his parents and sisters on the family’s small farm. Randy was an active member of both the Fort Payne, Ala., 4-H and FFA. As a child, he enjoyed trips with his father buying and selling cattle in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Scottsboro, Ala. The father-son duo often dreamt of owning a seedstock cattle operation, like TRM, during these trips. Randy’s grandfathers, Joseph Ernest Owen and Henry Baughton Teague Sr., inspired his interest in livestock. After graduating from high school, he attended and graduated from Jacksonville State University, where he now serves on the board of trustees.
Just three years after Randy and Kelly purchased their first Hereford cattle, TRM held their first production sale in 1983. In 2023, TRM celebrated its 40th consecutive Hereford production sale and hosted its 10th annual bull sale. Today, the Owen family’s diversified cattle operation consists of a custom bull collection facility, Lookout Mountain Genetics; the seedstock operation, Tennessee River Music Inc.; and an on-farm local meat market, The Market at TRM. The Owens see all aspects of the beef industry from conception to consumption.
TRM is no stranger to showring success; they’ve exhibited numerous national champions and Southeastern Show Bull and Show Females of the Year throughout the years, while also maintaining a sound, functional herd of Hereford cattle backed by years of genetic testing and breed-improving management practices. In 2022, the operation was recognized as the 2022 Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association Seedstock Producer of the Year and has been selected as a national finalist for the Beef Improvement Federation’s Seedstock Producer of the Year.
Randy and Kelly have three children, Alison, Heath and Randa. Today, Randa and husband, John, run the day-to-day operations on the ranch. Their experiences as young people inspired the Owen family to become long-time advocates for youth in agriculture. Randy and Kelly have sponsored and supported numerous youth programs, from local FFA field days and judging and show clinics to national show sponsorships. One of the family’s fondest memories is hosting the 2008 Music on the Mountain Hereford fundraiser, which brought 560 attendees to their ranch to raise more than $200,000 for the Hereford Youth Foundation of America.
The family’s philanthropy reaches far beyond the Hereford youth, though. Randy founded Country Cares for St. Jude’s, an annual country music radiothon benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Country Cares has raised more than $1 billion for children with childhood cancer and disease.
Even with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Alabama Business Hall of Fame inductee, Randy remains true to his agricultural roots. Randy and Kelly have established an incredible legacy of friendship, integrity and Hereford cattle at Tennessee River Music Inc., and their impact on the Hereford breed and its young people will be felt for generations to come.
“Randy and Kelly’s life story is a remarkable testament to the values of heritage, perseverance and leadership that this award embodies,” penned Terri Barber, of Barber Ranch, in her nomination letter. “Their contributions to the Hereford breed and the broader cattle industry have left a lasting legacy that stretches far beyond the boundaries of their Alabama ranch.”
Fame
ART OLSEN
Owned and operated by Art and Douglas Olsen and family, Olsen Ranches of Harrisburg, Neb., is a multi-generational seedstock and commercial cattle operation in western Nebraska. The Olsen family’s legacy began in 1885, and the ranch has remained in the family ever since — with Herefords serving as a steady presence.
For more than 60 years, Art has been the visionary behind Olsen Ranches, supporting innovation to improve the Hereford breed and beef cattle genetics. His forward-thinking, creativity and technology savviness paved the way for the next generations — including son, Douglas, and grandsons, Isaac, Luke and Gabe — to continue prioritizing programs like the National Reference Sire Program (NRSP). The family’s push for science-backed solutions catapulted Hereford ahead of the curve among other beef breeds.
In 1959, Art purchased 20 registered Hereford heifers from the Coulter Ranch. He and his wife, Sharon, grew their registered herd when they purchased 150 cows from the Bradbury Ranch in 1967. The couple hosted their first sale in 1972 and held sales through 1979. During this time, Olsen Ranches received Nebraska’s first Register of Merit sire designation.
Olsen Ranches has always run commercial cattle. The operation has collected carcass data on all ranchraised calves since 1992. They were one of the first operations to ship age- and source-verified beef to Japan after its borders reopened in 2005, thanks to their meticulous recordkeeping.
For more than 20 years, Olsen Ranches has been the driving force behind one of the AHA’s most impactful breed improvement initiatives — the NRSP. What began as a conversation about how to evaluate bulls in a commercial setting, the NRSP — industry-unique in size and scope — has enabled the Hereford breed to quickly and accurately identify the genetic merit of young sires, while also developing new selection tools and validating genomic data.
Since the program’s inception in 1999, Olsen Ranches has provided the foundation herd for the NRSP, building a data-rich engine for genetic advancement. The Olsen cow herd serves as a powerful contemporary group structure used to evaluate young sires.
The Olsens’ commitment to the program has enabled the breed to move forward with confidence — verifying traits such as calving ease and feed efficiency and, most recently, sustainability traits like methane emissions and nitrogen excretion. Their operation was the first in the country to measure greenhouse gas output as part of the AHA’s collaboration with Colorado State University’s AgNext program.
Olsen Ranches’ commitment to continuous improvement — not only for their herd, but for the entire breed — makes the operation truly extraordinary. With more than 300 NRSP-tested sires since 1999, their work has directly contributed to more than 7% of the breed’s two million performance pedigrees. The integrity of their random mating, consistent management and rigorous data reporting has created one of the beef industry’s most trusted sources of phenotypic data.
Art demonstrates an unwavering dedication to the betterment of the breed. Under his leadership, Olsen Ranches has redefined what it means to be a breed improver.
“Art’s impact on the Hereford industry is profound and enduring,” writes Bryce Schumann, Schu-Lar Herefords, in his letter to the selection committee. “Through Olsen Ranches, he has created a legacy of excellence, innovation and community engagement. His contributions have not only advanced the quality of Hereford cattle but also fostered a spirit of collaboration and education within the industry. As Olsen Ranches continues to grow and evolve, it stands as a living tribute to Art’s vision and dedication to the art of cattle breeding.”
Fame HALL OF MARK FREDERICKSON 2025
In 1950, Mark Frederickson’s father, Don, founded Frederickson Hereford Ranch in west central Minnesota. When Mark was a young 4-Her, he started his beef project with one heifer — by the time he finished high school his herd had grown to 10 head.
Mark graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1971, where he was a member of the livestock judging team. Upon graduation, Mark began expanding his cattle operation. He and his wife, Mary Kay, purchased land near Starbuck, Minn., in 1974 and moved their cattle there. This ranch’s rolling hills and grasslands were better suited for cattle.
Mark and Mary Kay’s new ranch was home to 40 purebred polled Hereford cows. Through hard work and determination, the couple grew their operation to around 100-125 purebred Hereford cows. While living on the ranch, Mark and Mary Kay raised two children, Nate and Sarah.
During these early years, Mark immersed himself in Minnesota beef cattle leadership roles and activities. In the mid-1990s he worked on the merger of the Minnesota polled and horned Hereford associations. He also helped start the annual Minnesota Go-Pher the Purple Sale and was active in the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association. He volunteered to assist with educational workshops for cattle producers through the University of Minnesota. Mark served on the Minnesota Beef Council Board and was a member of the Pope County Fair Board, where he helped initiate a youth open class beef show. Mark also helped found the Minnesota Beef Expo.
In addition to his diligent effort improving the Minnesota beef industry, Mark was an active member of the American Polled Hereford Association (APHA) and was on the committee that facilitated the polled and horned association merger and the creation of the American Hereford Association (AHA).
Mark has always been a staunch supporter of youth beef programs at all levels and through 4-H, FFA and the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA). Mark’s greatest contribution to youth programs has been his time, positive attitude and effort. His willingness to mentor young people is his contribution to the future.
Mark is a nationally recognized judge, evaluating the National Hereford Show along with several other national and regional shows.
In 2011, Mark and Mary Kay relocated from their Minnesota ranch to western South Dakota. They were able to purchase the land they now call home near Spearfish. The couple currently runs Frederickson Ranch with their son, Nate, his wife, Jayna, and their two sons, Teegan and Tiernan. Their daughter, Sarah, her husband, Shawn, and their children, Payton and Tryg, raise Herefords and own Foothills Veterinary Services in Sheridan, Wyo. The Frederickson family hosts an annual bull sale the first Saturday in December at the ranch near Spearfish.
Mark’s commitment to the Hereford breed is steadfast. His drive to improve the breed, along with the beef industry, speaks for itself. Perhaps most important is the innumerable number of breeders across the U.S. who’ve leaned on Mark’s leadership, mentorship and friendship.
“Mark has a passion for this breed and good cattle. He has built a very reputable, highly valued herd through his well-thought-out breeding visions, performance testing, strict culling and honesty,” writes Jan Ward, NJW Polled Herefords, in her nomination letter. “I think for me though, Mark’s greatest attribute is his heartfelt mentoring to countless folks throughout the breed. He is the one we all call on for his level-headed, well-thought-out advice and the friend we all count on.”
Fame
BILL BREEDING
Bill Breeding, Miami, Texas, got his start in the Hereford breed at a young age. He began raising Hereford cattle in 1957 when he and his father, Earl, purchased two Hereford cows and a bull. He grew up exhibiting cattle and showing Hereford steers at Texas majors — winning champion steer at the San Antonio Livestock Show and the State Fair of Texas. Today, he owns B&C Cattle Co. in Miami, Texas, where three generations of Breedings produce and promote Hereford cattle at the top of every segment of the industry.
Bill attended Texas A&M University. There, he joined the Corps of Cadets, while he earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and his doctor of veterinary medicine degree. After graduating in 1964, Bill joined the Army and was stationed in New York City, working as a meat inspector, where he met and married Edie McFadden Breeding in August 1965.
Shortly after, the couple returned to Miami, where Bill began practicing veterinary medicine and continued to grow B&C Cattle Co. After many years of being the only vet in Roberts County, Texas, he closed his clinic to focus solely on the Hereford breed and his herd. During this time, the couple also had two children, Chad and Christi.
Bill grew his herd via AI and embryo transfer (ET), new techniques at the time. While expanding B&C Cattle, he sought out the best genetics in the country. He was one of the first breeders to utilize Line 1 cattle in the ’70s, when he purchased HH Advanced C759 “Hatchet” and WCF L1 Domino 6313 “Clown” from Jimmy Fiddler in Stanford, Mont. These bulls went on to successfully produce many high-quality offspring, and both sires earned the Super Register of Merit award in 1977. Today, many members of the B&C cow herd go back to those genetics.
Bill has hung numerous grand champion banners. Some of the operation’s most recent accomplishments include supreme champion Hereford at the 2018 National Western Stock Show (NWSS), champion female at the 2019 NWSS junior Hereford show, reserve horned bull at the 2023 Cattlemen’s Congress and reserve polled bull at the 2025 Cattlemen’s Congress.
In addition, the family consistently produces top-grading and top-selling bulls at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Houston Livestock Show’s all-breed range bull sales, showing the grand champion bull across all breeds more than 10 times. Outside of the showring, Bill has been a long-time consignor to Texas Hereford sales and has worked tirelessly to get Hereford bulls working for commercial outfits across Texas.
Currently, Bill runs roughly 300 head of Hereford cattle alongside his son, Chad. B&C has been a strong influence in the Hereford breed, but Bill’s impact goes beyond the showring and range. A dear friend to many, his lifetime spent raising Hereford cattle serves as a testament to his love for and dedication to the breed.
“Bill is one of the most knowledgeable and respected men the Hereford breed has ever known,” writes Bobby Singleton, livestock marketer, in his nomination letter. “He shares that knowledge to all that are smart enough to listen and has taught many life lessons to several generations of cattlemen over the years, including many of our elite breeders today. A spot in the Hereford Hall of Fame is the highest honor for our breed; a spot I feel is well deserved for Mr. Bill Breeding.”
Commercial
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
GROENDYKE RANCH | Oklahoma
Groendyke Ranch, Enid, Okla., uses top quality, genomic-tested, multi-trait-selected, curve-bending sires from progressive Hereford breeders to cover more than 70% of the operation’s 1,500 Angus and Red Angus cows.
Ranch manager, Paul Koffskey, tracks the additive effect of bald-faced hybrid vigor with the operation’s extensive record-keeping system powered by GEM herd management software. With eight years of data collected across the cow herd, ranging from weaning weight to calving intervals, Koffskey chisels away at the Groendyke commercial cow herd’s inputs while optimizing outputs. His numbers prove the Hereford influence not only pencils but pays.
Using genomic-tested sires allows Koffskey to confidently make mating decisions, and the added accuracy of buying Hereford herd sires with genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) helps the ranch make more rapid genetic progress. Groendyke Ranch carefully evaluates its bull battery’s performance with the data they collect, including recording individual weaning weights.
The operation applies the same scrutiny and high standard to its cow herd. The cows graze native grasses in north central Oklahoma, and they’re expected to wean calves half their body weight by 205 days actual age and breed back with no added inputs outside of harsh winter weather. The operation’s record-keeping system separates the low-performers and females that fall outside of their calving window; these cows are culled on their first strike with no questions asked.
The cows are then grouped into herds of 50-100 head according to their performance. They are paired with multi-trait selected Hereford sires, some more terminal and some more maternally minded, to optimize their genetic potential. The resulting baldy offspring are high-performing and in high demand. Koffskey’s performance data showed the Hereford-sired calves averaged more than 600 pounds at 210-220 actual days of age.
Groendyke Ranch’s Hereford-influence steer calves are enrolled in the Hereford Advantage program provided by the American Hereford Association (AHA) and IMI Global. These age- and source-verified calves must adhere to specified vaccination protocols and be sired by Hereford bull batteries ranking in the top half of the breed for AHA’s Certified Hereford Beef® Index. For the past three years, Groendyke calves enrolled in the program brought top dollar in the Cherokee Sales Co. Hereford-influenced Special in Cherokee, Okla. A recent consignment of 400 Hereford-sired calves brought $11-13 per hundredweight more than any lot at the sale.
A few years ago, Groendyke Ranch established a bred commercial female sale to further capitalize on the genetic selection and evaluation behind their operation. The commercial heifer sale started as a way to diversify the operation’s income beyond the feeder calf market. Koffskey saw there was a need for quality replacements, and each year, the sale grows alongside the demand for the Hereford-sired replacements they offer.
Recently, Groendyke Ranch calved out the operation’s first set of baldy females after retaining some of the Hereford-sired heifers they raised. As firstcalf heifers, the group weaned calves weighing 575 pounds at 205 days of age with a 92% breed-back in a 60-day breeding season. Koffskey and his crew are excited about the addition of these F1 females. Repeat buyers of the ranch’s commercial females shows other commercial cattlemen feel the same way. Whether marketing feeder calves, replacement females or calving out Hereford-sired heifers, Groendyke Ranch’s data clearly shows the bald-faced advantage of Hereford influence.
HOW DOES YOUR HEREFORD BULL COMPARE?
Satellite connected smart ear tag
“We partnered with 701x® to compare Hereford bull performance to another breed during the 2024 breeding season. We were excited, but not surprised to see that the Hereford bull was more productive while exposed to the same females as the other bull. The xTpro® can help your operation monitor your bulls’ GPS location, health, and breeding performance, making it a powerful tool for your operation. The crew at 701x® also released satellite communication, an estrus alert and a calving alert, making xTpro® THE breeding management device for your herd.”
Shane Bedwell
- COO - American Hereford Association
Exportable semen available!
LOEWEN SANDHILL L70 ET
{DLF,HYF,IEF,MSUDF,MDF,DBF}
BULL | Calved: 1/29/2023 • P44455227 • Tattoo: BE L70
Homozygous Polled
BMI$ 545
BII$ 662
CHB$ 184
LOEWEN GENESIS G16 ET {CHB}{DLF,HYF,IEF,MDF,DBF}
LOEWEN DCF DEFIANCE H49 ET {CHB}{DLF,HYF,IEF,MSUDF,MDF,DBF}
P44205419 LOEWEN MISS 994W 6X 7C {DLF,HYF,IEF,DBP}
EFBEEF C609 RESOLUTE E158 ET {CHB}{DLF,HYF,IEF,MDF,DBF}
Show point awards presentation follows the selection of the champion female drive during the National Hereford Show held at the American Royal Complex on Sunday, Oct. 26.
SHAPING THE BREED’S FUTURE
HEREFORD YOUTH FOUNDATION OF AMERICA Scholarship Recipients
$2,500 Gary Bishop Memorial Scholarship
$2,500 Bob and Lucy Kube Scholarship
$2,500 Blin Family Scholarship
$2,500 Larson Polled Herefords Scholarship
Lydia Shaw, Caldwell, Idaho
Jordan Mitchem, Vale, N.C.
Jordan Lamb, Wilson, Wis.
Lauren Wingler, Christiana, Tenn.
$2,500 MGM Memorial Scholarship Addison Koontz, Thomas, Okla.
$2,500 Tennessee River Music Scholarship Weston Wolf, Alexandria, Ky.
Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) scholarships will be awarded during the Young Breeders Competition and HYFA Scholarship Awards Luncheon Friday, Oct. 24.
NJHA FED STEER SHOOTOUT
AWARD RECIPIENTS
JUSTIS CANT | Imbler, Ore.
JACKSON AND GRIFFIN CHASTAIN | Arlington, Texas
SUTER CLARK | Gretna, Va.
CLAIRE COLLINS | Frederick, Okla.
MATTHEW ELZEMEYER | Richmond, Ind.
TEEGAN AND TIERNAN FREDERICKSON | Spearfish, S.D.
TAVA GUSTAFSON | Junction City, Kan.
RYLIE LARSON | Lacrosse, Kan.
WYATT WICHMAN | Moore, Mont.
JUNIOR CONTESTANT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
RETT BLUME | Pierre, S.D.
JACKSON CHASTAIN | Arlington, Texas
CLAIRE COLLINS | Frederick, Okla.
SENIOR CONTESTANT OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
JORJA EBERT | Polo, Mo.
BEAU ANN GRAVES | Chillicothe, Mo.
JOSEPH SCHOHR | Oroville, Calif.
National Junior Hereford Association Fed Steer Shootout award winners will be awarded during the Young Breeders Competition and HYFA Scholarship Awards Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24.
LUNCHEON PROVIDED BY:
AWARD WINNERS
HONORING THE FUTURE OF THE BREED.
SNAPSHOTS FROM KANSAS CITY
Relive the highlights from the World Hereford Conference, pre- and post tours, and the Young Breeders Competition. All photos will be available free of charge at Herefordgallery.shootproof.com
Premium Australian Semen & Embryo packages available for international sale
YOUR GUIDE TO KANSAS CITY.
HOST HOTEL
KANSAS CITY MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN 200 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64105 (816) 421-6800
ASSOCIATION CONTACTS
All staff members assisting with the event will be wearing metal name badges featuring the World Hereford Conference logo. The individuals listed below can assist with specific questions related to events and activities throughout the week.
JACK WARD
Executive Vice President
SHANE BEDWELL
Chief Operating Officer and Director of Breed Improvement
AMY COWAN | EVENT ORGANIZER Director of Youth Activities and Foundation
TAYLOR BELLE MATHENY | EVENT ORGANIZER Director of Communications and Digital Content
BAILEY CLANTON | SHOW ORGANIZER
National Shows Coordinator and Youth Activities Assitant
CHLOÉ DURIAN | YOUNG BREEDERS COMPETITION ORGANIZER Associate Director of Youth Marketing and Education
LAURA KOUBA | REGISTRATION SERVICES Education and Information Services Coordinator and Records Supervisor
STACY SANDERS | HISTORIAN Director of Records
KANE AEGERTER | LADIES OF THE ROYAL SALE Director of Seedstock Marketing
DIANE JOHNSON | REGISTRATION SERVICES
Event Assistance
DENVER DRAKE | INTERN Events and Communications
CLAIRE NORRIS | INTERN
Young Breeders Competition and National Show
If you need to reach a member of the team after hours, please text 606-375-1618 or email whc2025@hereford.org. Our team will do their best to respond as quickly as possible. In case of an emergency, please dial 911 immediately.
Dress AND Attire
CONFERENCE
Attendees are encouraged to wear clothing such as nice jeans paired with boots and a sport coat or collared shirt for men, or a blouse for women.
GLOBAL CELEBRATORY BANQUET
The banquet is a dressy evening event with Western style. Attendees are encouraged to wear business or cocktail attire, sport coats, dress shirts and blouses, or dresses. Polished denim and boots are welcome for a classic Western look. Please note, a clear bag policy will be in place for this event.
AMERICAN ROYAL
Fall weather in this region can be cool and unpredictable, so we recommend dressing in layers and bringing a jacket. All events and shows will be indoors.
Language
English is the common language in the United States.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Dial 911 in an emergency. Local hospitals and urgent care clinics are available, and pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens often have extended hours.
Currency
The U.S. dollar (USD, $) is the official currency. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted. ATMs will be available.
ELECTRICITY
Standard U.S. voltage is 120V with a frequency of 60Hz. Power outlets use type A and B plugs (two flat prongs, sometimes with a round grounding pin). Travelers may need an adapter or converter.
TRANSPORTATION
All designated event transportation will be provided by chartered buses. Please board the bus at the designated times and locations listed in the schedule. When exploring on your own, rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft, as well as taxis, are available along with the KC Streetcar.
Wi-FI INFORMATION
Free wi-fi is avaliable in meeting spaces. Network name: WHC2025 | Password: Merck
SHOP HEREFORD
Stop by Shop Hereford in the 12th Street Meeting Room on the first floor during registration hours daily to browse exclusive World Hereford Conference apparel and gifts celebrating the breed.
T
OF KAnsAs CITY
CERTIFIED HEREFORD BEEF
PIERPONT’S AT UNION STATION
30 W Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 221-5111 | pierponts.com
19721 E Jackson Dr, Independence, MO 64057 (816) 795-9200 | herefordhouse.com
LOCAL FAVORITES
THE MAJESTIC
931 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64105 (816) 221-1888 | majestickc.com
BRISTOL SEAFOOD + STEAK
51 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 448-6007 | bristolseafoodgrill.com
801 Chophouse
71 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 994-8800 | 801chophouse.com
American Reserve Bar & Grille
1111 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 298-7700 | theamericanreserve.com
BRGR Kitchen + Bar
11 E 14th St, Kansas City, MO 64105 (816) 221-2747 | brgrkitchen.com
Yard House
1300 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64105 (816) 527-0952 | yardhouse.com
Garozzo’s Ristorante
526 Harrison St, Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 221-2455 | garozzos.com
Bar CENTRAL
Located in the Marriott Downtown Kansas City (816) 802-7015 | barcentralkansascity.com
These are just a few favorite spots, with plenty more to discover. Some restaurants take reservations, and in the U.S. it’s normal to add a tip (18–20%) plus sales tax to your bill.
