KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Madison Katzenberger, Monroe, Wis., was awarded the National Hereford Queen Scholarship during the 2023 American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Conference in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 20. In a special awards ceremony the Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) and its donors proudly awarded $163,000 in scholarships to 27 National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members to help support their higher-education goals.        

Katzenberger is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, where she received a degree in animal science and a minor in science. Currently working for Boviteq as a laboratory embryology technician, she has served the NJHA and AHA membership for the past year as a spokesperson and role model in the Hereford breed. 

As the 2023 National Hereford Queen, Katzenberger completed her reign during the National Hereford Show at the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22. The National Queen Scholarship is the result of the National Hereford Women (NHW) partnering with HYFA to elevate the queen program and to annually assist the queen with her education and tuition costs. 

The National Hereford Queen is elected to represent the breed at national shows, sales and events and serves as a historic symbol for the Hereford breed. At the recent Junior National Hereford Expo, in Katzenberger’s home state of Wisconsin, she coordinated a community service project raising money for mental health awareness. She orchestrated a penny war for TUGS: Talking, Understanding, Growing, Supporting, a nonprofit aimed at overcoming the mental health stigma in rural America. “We young leaders have so much to be thankful for,” she said. “By giving back to communities, we are allowing a spot for younger generations to take our place.”

The scholarship fund is the bedrock of HYFA and countless youth are benefactors of its mission. This last fiscal year, the foundation celebrated net assets reaching more than $6.3 million and in total $221,500 was given back to Hereford youth to assist with their college educations. 

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The Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) was established in 1986 and is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated exclusively to scholarship and educational support of youth in the business of raising Hereford cattle. The mission of the Hereford Youth Foundation of America is to encourage, recognize and reward the development of life skills and values in the next generation of leaders by providing education, scholarship and leadership opportunities for Hereford Youth.