MADISON, Wis. — Jase Beltz, Canton, Kan., topped the senior showmanship division July 7 during the 2026 VitaFerm^® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) in Madison, Wis. Beau Ann Graves, Chillicothe, Mo., claimed the reserve senior showman title. Sullivan Supply and Stock Show University, Dunlap, Iowa, sponsored the national showmanship contest. Grimmel Schaake Cattle Co., Manhattan, Kan., sponsored the traveling trophy for the senior champion showman. 

Father and son duo Kirk and Ky Stierwalt, sorted through 128 entries to find their top 10 senior showmen. The 2026 Hereford Herdsman of the Year, Breck Debnam, Madison, Ga., joined the pair to judge the top 10 finals, which featured a fitting contest. 

Rounding out the top 10 senior showmen were third-place, Kinnick Paulsen, Preston, Iowa.; fourth-place, Augustus Sexton, Cost, Texas; fifth-place, Atley Kleinman, Wentworth, Mo.; sixth-place, Evan Jackson, Holladay, Tenn.; seventh-place, Salem Sifford, Goldvein, Va.; eighth-place, Mason Wurzbach, Seguin, Texas; ninth-place, Savannah Grimes, Murchison, Texas; and 10th-place, Riley Bohrer, Damascus, Md.

“Incredible set of young people out here today, and we have seen incredible talent all day long,” said Kirk Stierwalt during the intermediate showmanship finals. 

In the intermediate division, Hollis Fawcett, Ree Heights, S.D., was named the champion showman, and Chyloh Billman, Rigby, Idaho, took home the reserve champion buckle. 

Harper Rose Starnes, Fort Payne, Ala., claimed the junior division champion title, followed by reserve champion Mason Mullinix, Manhattan, Kan.

Jaxen Birk, Gridley, Kan., was selected champion peewee showman, and Everly Foster, Niles, Mich., was named the reserve champion peewee showman. 

The Stierwalts also sorted the 203 intermediate showmanship entries. Matt and Taryn Johnson, a husband and wife duo of Johnson, Kewanee, Ill., evaluated the peewee and junior showmanship competitions. The peewee division had 96 contestants, and 202 junior division exhibitors competed for top honors. The Sullivan Supply and Stock Show University national showmanship contest boasted a total of 629 showmen.

Additional results
Intermediate
Third place – Ella Weldon, Piedmont, Okla.
Fourth place – Cruz Colyer, Bruneau, Idaho
Fifth place – Rhett Day, Telford. Tenn.
Sixth place – Kinleigh Jo Guidry, Brenham, Texas
Seventh place – Nolan Lee, Wellington, Ill.
Eighth place – Landry Allan, Nocona, Texas
Ninth place – Grady Creamer, Waxahachie, Texas
10th place – Claire Collins, Frederick, Okla.

Junior
Third place – Cache Billman, Rigby, Idaho
Fourth place – Josie Beltz, Canton, Kan.
Fifth place – Gage Creamer, Waxahachie, Texas
Sixth place – Abigail Koenig, De Leon, Texas
Seventh place – Libby Pérez, Nara Visa, N.M.
Eighth place -Wyatt Gunn, Greenfield, Ind.
Ninth place – Blair Buehler, Fairbury, Neb.
10th place – Cricket Collins, Frederick, Okla.

Peewee
Third place – Kinsley Mullinix, Manhattan, Kan.
Fourth place – Mattie Melendrez, Dixon, Ill.
Fifth place – Adalynn Grace Blankenship, West Burlington, N.Y.
Sixth place – Adelina Betes, Moses Lake, Wash.
Seventh place – Conner McQuaig, Danielsville, Ga.
Eight place – Nora Werk, Herman, Minn.
Ninth place – Mila Perez, Canyon, Texas
10th place – Keaton Goss, Vinton, Calif.

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The 2026 VitaFerm^®Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), “The Hereford Masters in Madison,” was sponsored in part by BioZyme^® Inc., St. Joseph, Mo., and their brands VitaFerm and Sure Champ^®. The JNHE provides educational and leadership opportunities for junior members and their cattle projects, along with plenty of events for the entire family. The National Junior Hereford Association is one of the most active junior programs in the country with more than 4,200 members. For more information about the JNHE, visit Hereford.org/youth.

Find the press release and photo here.