Beef Magazine

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ¬¬¬— Hereford youth, their families and supporters, will travel to Tulsa, Okla., for the 10th Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) sponsored by VitaFerm®, a product line of BioZyme® Inc., July 4-11, 2009.

National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) members look forward to the event all year, preparing not only their cattle, but also themselves, for a variety of fun-filled and educational activities and contests. Last year, the JNHE drew more than 2,000 people to Kansas City.

“There is no money better spent than going to a junior national,” judge Jirl Buck said at the 2008 JNHE. “Not just showing cattle, but the friends they make, and the opportunities they have while attending is so important.”

This year marks the 10th annual event since the National Junior Polled Hereford Council and American Junior Hereford Association combined forces to host a joint national junior show. In honor of the decade-long tradition, the event is hosted in Tulsa, the same location as the first-ever JNHE in 2000. This year’s event is therefore appropriately themed: “Take Me Back to Tulsa.”

At the 2009 JNHE, there will be 12 different contests youth can participate in: everything from quiz bowl to showmanship to the Great American Certified Hereford Beef Grill-off. Also at the event, more than $24,000 is typically awarded in scholarship monies to NJHA members. Not to be forgotten is the highly competitive cattle show. Last year 1,091 entries were organized into three solid days of showing including: cow-calf pairs, bred-and-owned bulls, junior AI bulls, bred-and-owned heifers, junior AI heifers and owned heifers.

The JNHE is more than a cattle show, but a highly anticipated Hereford event, which gives youth not only a chance to show off a year’s worth of hard work, but also gain valuable lifelong skills which will mold them into successful adults.

VitaFerm has helped make this event possible since it became involved in 2006 by sponsoring the JNHE awards banquet. Since 2007 the company has been the title sponsor of the JNHE, generously helping to offset the costs for such a tremendous event.

BioZyme Inc., St. Joseph, Mo., is an innovative company specializing in livestock nutrition and microbiology. Its VitaFerm Nutrition System is a complete line of vitamin, mineral, trace mineral and protein supplements for livestock, formulated with high-quality ingredients for specific production phases and feeding situations. All supplements contain Amaferm®, an all-natural, direct-fed microbial that optimizes digestive functions and feed utilization. For more information, visit www.biozymeinc.com.

The NJHA is one of the most active junior programs in the country with approximately 3,000 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 or JNHE, visit www.jrhereford.org or contact the American Hereford Association Youth Activities Director Amy Cowan at acowan@hereford.org or (816) 842-3757.