Kansas City, Mo.The 2023 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) is making the Mad Dash to Madison Wis., for a Hereford Bash, July 8-14. “Mad Dash to the Hereford Bash,” will be held at the Alliant Energy Center, and the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) is excited to announce 2,051 entries from 802 junior members are preparing to dash north for one of largest junior beef breed events of the year.

Excitement is at a high level as exhibitors from 38 states and Canada plan to participate in more than just another livestock show. NJHA members look forward to competing in educational and leadership programs throughout the week-long event, ranging from the future professionals contest, Hereford Bowl, speech and sales competitions to the Bridging the Gap College and Career Fair. Alongside these contests, the Hereford Youth Foundation of America awards $29,000 in scholarships to deserving junior members who applied and went through a rigorous interview process in May.

New to the Hereford Bash will be the selection of the top five females in the bred-and-owned show, made possible by the newly established GKB Cattle Youth Endowment. In addition to the top five selection, the grand champion bred-and-owned female will win a trailer courtesy of GKB Cattle and Gary and Kathy Buchholz, Desdemona, Texas.

“Thanks to our long-time industry partners like VitaFerm and the generosity of donors like GKB Cattle, the Junior National Hereford Expo gets more special with each passing year and memories from the event are treasured by Hereford families for a lifetime,” says Amy Cowan, American Hereford Association director of youth activities and foundation. “From the relationships to the leadership development and the champion handshakes, this year’s event is setting the stage to be remembered as the greatest Hereford Bash of all time.”

This event also hosts the NJHA Annual Meeting for its membership and the election of new directors to the NJHA board of directors. This year, nine applicants have applied to be a candidate for the NJHA board of directors, and will begin the process of interviewing and campaigning before arrival in Madison, with hopes of receiving a coveted maroon jacket from a retiring board member.

Gates open at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 8 and the public is invited to watch the shows underway in Veterans Memorial Coliseum, starting Tuesday, July 11 at 8 a.m. through Friday, July 14. For a complete schedule please visit Hereford.org/youth.

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The 2023 VitaFerm®Junior National Hereford Expo, Mad Dash to the Hereford Bash, was sponsored in part by BioZyme Inc., St. Joseph, Mo. The National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) is one of the most active junior programs in the country with more than 4,000 members. The NJHA’s mission is to create and promote enthusiasm for the breed while providing opportunities through leadership, education and teamwork. For more information about the NJHA, visit JrHereford.org.