KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 850 youth and their families from 41 states gathered at the 22nd annual VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) in Kansas City, July 3-9, to compete in educational and leadership events in and out of the showring.
Juniors competed in virtual skills-based contests including illustrated speaking, extemporaneous speaking, sales and the Hereford Bowl trivia contest. These contests allow the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) to carry out their joint mission of leadership and education. This year’s contests had a mixture of both virtual and in person presentations to be judged in their respective contests.
Illustrated Speech
The National Hereford Women (NHW) sponsored the contest.
Peewee participants:
- Grant Waters – Norborne, Mo.
- Collins Porter – Grand Island, Neb.
- Mason Mullinix – Manhattan, Kan.
- Clayton Musser – Otterbein, Ind.
- Lexi Schmidt – Blue Rapids, Kan.
- Spencer Schmidt – Blue Rapids, Kan.
- Carson Beckman – Jersyville, Ill.
- Corbin Perry – Tower Hill, Ill.
- Quinn Breiner – Pratt, Kan.
- Sedona Sifford – Goldvein, Va.
- Reed Powell – Blue Grass, Iowa
- Kaytlyn Harfst – Battle Creek, Mich.
- Josie Beltz – Canton, Kan.
- Allie Perry – Onaga, Kan.
- Ronnie Lee Secratt – Tahlequah, Okla.
- Emma Helsinger – West, Ohio
- Ava Doig – Saint Paul, Ind.
Junior
- 1. Blake Brancel, Portag, Wis.
- 2. Cierra Collins, Frederick, Okla.
- 3. Jarrett Worrell, Mason, Texas
Intermediate
- 1. Kade Boatman, Rockford, Ill.
- 2. Dustin Denton, Blue Rapids, Kan.
- 3. Kathryn Johnson, Ruth Miss.
Senior
- 1. Taylor Dieball, Little River, Kan.
- 2. Malina Lindstrom, Kearney, Neb.
- 3. Lauren McMillan, Tiskilwa, Ill.
Extemporaneous Speech
The Extemporaneous Speaking Contest is designed to encourage interest in promoting the beef industry and projecting Herefords in a positive image through public speaking. The National Hereford Women (NHW) sponsor the contest.
Intermediate
- 1. Haley Mouser, Tenstrike, Min.
- 2. Sedona Sifford, Warrenton, Virg.
- 3. Savay Sexton, Gonzales, Texas
Senior
- 1. Madison Sifford, Warrenton, Virg.
- 2. Taylor Dieball, Little River, Kan.
- 3. Hannah Pearson, Oconto, Neb.
Individual Sales
Sponsored by the NJHA, individual sales allows an individual to sell a product to a panel using visual aids and salesmanship skills. This contest gives juniors experience with selling an animal, semen, embryo package or any agricultural related product. Held virtually this year, contestants submitted a video of them illustrating their sales abilities and judged by professionals in the agriculture industry.
Peewee>
- 1. Lillian Schut, Belding, Mich.
- 2. Makenna Smith, Hubertus, Wis.
- 3. Emma Helsinger, West Manchester, Ohio
Junior>
- 1. Tessa Smith, Hubertus, Wis.
- 2. Joseph Schohr, Oroville, Calif.
- 3. Jarrett Worrell, Mason, Texas
Intermediate
- 1. Grant Helsinger, Germantown, Ohio
- 2. Harlee Watson, Flemingsburg, Ky.
Senior
- 1. Madison Sifford, Goldvein, Va.
Hereford Bowl
The primary objective of the Hereford Bowl is to provide opportunity for NJHA members to demonstrate their knowledge of Hereford beef cattle. The Hereford Bowl competition allowed contestants to demonstrate good sportsmanship and it is hoped that this contest will provide an educational experience for both participants and spectators.
Junior Winning Team: Texas
- Team members include Addison Duis, Channing, Texas, Jarrett Worrell, Mason, Texas, Trevor Lockhart, Brian, Texas, and Caly Blacksher, Garrison, Texas.
Junior Second Place Team: Missouri
- Team members include Maggie Reed, Green Ridge, Mo., Kristin Waters, Norborne, Mo., Jensen Decker, Centralia, Mo., and Jaden Decker, Centralia, Mo.
Junior High Individual Written Test: Addison Duis, Channing, Texas
Senior Winning Team: Indiana
- Team members include Carlee Musser, Otterbein, Ind., Logan McFatridge, Otterbein, Ind., Jayden Simpson, Crawfordsville, Ind., and Bailey Landrum, Huntington, Ind.
Senior Second Place Team: Illinois
- Team members include Molly Biggs, Dixon, Ill., Kendall Boatman, Rockford, Ill., Nick Torrance, Media,Ill., and Morgan Richardson, Capron, Ill.
Senior High Individual Written Test: Molly Biggs, Dixon, Ill.
The National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) is one of the largest, strongest and most active junior cattle programs in the country. Over the years, members of this association have gone on to earn international and domestic respect as models for youth organizational success. The NJHA, through its extensive educational programs, continues to lay the foundation for the beef industry’s future leaders. The traditions of the past coupled with the energy of today’s board of directors have created a progressive approach to further develop a meaningful and educational association focus.
–National Hereford Association
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