Kansas City, Mo.The American Hereford Association (AHA) and National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) are excited to announce the 2023 VitaFerm Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) Ambassador Team who will be joining the staff to assist with the Mad Dash to the Hereford Bash, July 8-14. The four ambassadors will be interning the month of July, traveling to Madison, Wis., with a focus on all aspects of preparation, follow-through and post-production of event management for the 800 NJHA members and their families who will be competing at the JNHE. Kylie Peck, Stockport, Iowa, Emma Preston, Reynolds, Ill., Myka Blissard, Big Spring, Texas and Paiton Owensby, Folsom, N.M., arrived in Kansas City, on June 28, and will be assisting with JNHE festivities until July 19.

The ambassador team will be a huge asset to a successful event in Wisconsin. “The ambassador program is instrumental in helping to build a pipeline of industry leaders and we enjoy working with these young people each year as they work to grow their professional network and build their resumes and career paths,” said Amy Cowan, AHA’s Director of Youth Activities and Foundation. To learn more about the 2023 JNHE Ambassadors, please see their bios below:

Kylie Peck, Stockport, Iowa, grew up on her family farm in Southeast Iowa, where they raise row crops, have a commercial cow-calf operation and a hog finishing barn. Peck attends Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), majoring in agribusiness, with plans to further her education at Iowa State University. In her time at DMACC, Kylie has been involved in the DMACC Agribusiness Club where she served as president, and in Iowa Professional Agricultural Students (PAS), serving this year as state vice-president. She looks forward to growing connections with exhibitors and the NJHA team to make the 2023 JNHE a memorable event.

Emma Preston, Reynolds, Ill., is attending Iowa State University, majoring in agricultural business with a focus in marketing. She grew up on a cow-calf and row crop operation, where her family focused on breeding and raising show stock. From there she has shown many different breeds at local, state and national levels. Currently serving on the American Maine-Anjou Board of Directors, Emma is excited to join the Hereford family this summer and learn about this association while helping put on a national show from a different perspective than being on a board.

Myka Blissard, Big Spring, Texas, is a recent graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in animal science. Her family owns and operates Blissard Cattle Company, with 100 registered cows, selling show steers and heifers to the next generation competing across the state of Texas. Blissard has shown since she was seven years old at the local, state and national levels, falling in love with the Shorthorn and Chianina breeds. The Hereford breed has been one that she has always had interest in being involved in and she is very excited to have the opportunity to serve on the 2023 JNHE Ambassador Team as well as meet all members of the Hereford breed during the Mad Dash to the Hereford Bash.

Paiton Owensby, Folsom, N.M., grew up on a fifth-generation cattle ranch and has been exhibiting livestock, specifically market steers and breeding heifers, since she was young. Owensby is a member of the NJHA and has participated in the JNHE and Faces of Leadership Conferences in the past. Following high school, she attended Redlands Community College, El Reno, Okla., majoring in animal science and agriculture communications, and was a member of the livestock judging team. She is now in her final year at Oklahoma State University attaining her degree in production agriculture.

For more information about the JNHE Ambassador program as well as the full-time summer internships offered with the American Hereford Association and National Junior Hereford Association, visit hereford.org/youth/njha/internships-ambassador-program. Applications for all internships open in the fall and are due in the month of February.

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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.