KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Hereford Women (NHW) named Jewell Deichmann, Central City, Neb., as the 2020 National Hereford Woman of the Year. According to her peers, Deichmann is an example of what the NHW represents. She is always promoting the breed, networking with others to make everyone feel welcomed and supporting Hereford as well as the youth.

Deichmann saw a need for an organization that was different from a state breed organization. This organization would also promote the breed at a grassroots level but offer networking for women and others and support youth already interested in Hereford cattle or wanting to be involved in the Hereford breed. As a result, she helped start the Nebraska Pollettes in the early 60s and was a founding member of this organization. She held every office and served on all the committees.

Her leadership skills helped the organization flourish and become one of the largest state pollette chapters. Deichmann was also involved in writing the Nebraska Pollette constitution and bylaws, which later were used as a template for several state pollette organizations.

Deichmann is the mother of five children: Debbi, David, Deanna, Denise and Darwin. All three of her daughters were state queens. Her oldest daughter, Debbi, was one of the first Nebraska Pollette queens in the Nebraska Polled Hereford organization. When the Deichmann children were showing cattle at fairs in Nebraska as well as participating in JNHE events, everyone knew that if they got hungry, they could always find their way to the Deichmann kids’ show box for healthy snacks and drinks. She often informally became host of showbox lunches. Deichmann was also a person who made sure other youth that were showing, were told they did a good job.

In the late 60s and early 70s, when the Nebraska Jr. Polled Hereford Association was being formed, Gordon and Jewel Deichmann, along with other breeders under the leadership of the first advisor, Calen Frenzen, were instrumental in helping get the organization started. Their children were all on the board and held offices in the organization.

Despite her children being grown and most of the grandchildren living out of town, she still attends many sales, shows and events like the Nebraska Hereford tour with her husband. She has maintained over 50 years of membership in the Nebraska Pollettes and Hereford Women of Nebraska. The board and membership of the Hereford Women of Nebraska feel that Jewell is deserving of being honored as the 2020 National Hereford Woman of the Year. She is a great example of the National Hereford community and membership.

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