KANSAS CITY. Mo. – Randy and Kelly Owen, Fort Payne, Ala.; and Joe Rickabaugh, Topeka, Kan., were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Merit Oct. 25 during the 2025 World Hereford Conference and American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, Mo.

The Hall of Merit commends individuals who have greatly influenced the cattle industry. These industry influencers and breed changers are annually recognized by the AHA.

“The Hereford breed is blessed by singular individuals who generously share their talents and resources in the name of serving Hereford breeders and creating breed opportunities,” Ward says. “Inductees to the AHA Hall of Merit emulate these ideals.” 

Randy and Kelly Owen

From an early age and throughout his musical career, Randy Owen knew he wanted a ranch and cattle operation. Randy and his wife, Kelly, purchased their first Hereford cattle in 1980, and Tennessee River Music Inc., (TRM), named for the first No. 1 single released by Randy’s chart-topping country music group, Alabama, was born. 

Randy has deep roots in agriculture. He grew up in Adamsburg, Ala, where he worked alongside his parents and sisters on the family’s small farm. Randy was an active member of both the Fort Payne, Ala., 4-H and FFA. As a child, he enjoyed trips with his father buying and selling cattle in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Scottsboro, Ala. The father-son duo often dreamt of owning a seedstock cattle operation, like TRM, during these trips. Randy’s grandfathers, Joseph Ernest Owen and Henry Baughton Teague Sr., inspired his interest in livestock. After graduating from high school, he attended and graduated from Jacksonville State University, where he now serves on the board of trustees. 

Just three years after Randy and Kelly purchased their first Hereford cattle, TRM held their first production sale in 1983. In 2023, TRM celebrated its 40th consecutive Hereford production sale and hosted its 10th annual bull sale. Today, the Owen family’s diversified cattle operation consists of a custom bull collection facility, Lookout Mountain Genetics; the seedstock operation, Tennessee River Music Inc.; and an on-farm local meat market, The Market at TRM. The Owens see all aspects of the beef industry from conception to consumption. 

TRM is no stranger to showring success; they’ve exhibited numerous national champions and Southeastern Show Bull and Show Females of the Year throughout the years, while also maintaining a sound, functional herd of Hereford cattle backed by years of genetic testing and breed-improving management practices. In 2022, the operation was recognized as the 2022 Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association Seedstock Producer of the Year and has been selected as a national finalist for the Beef Improvement Federation’s Seedstock Producer of the Year. 

Randy and Kelly have three children, Alison, Heath and Randa. Today, Randa and husband, John, run the day-to-day operations on the ranch. Their experiences as young people inspired the Owen family to become long-time advocates for youth in agriculture. Randy and Kelly have sponsored and supported numerous youth programs, from local FFA field days and judging and show clinics to national show sponsorships. One of the family’s fondest memories is hosting the 2008 Music on the Mountain Hereford fundraiser, which brought 560 attendees to their ranch to raise more than $200,000 for the Hereford Youth Foundation of America. 

The family’s philanthropy reaches far beyond the Hereford youth, though. Randy founded Country Cares for St. Jude’s, an annual country music radiothon benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Country Cares has raised more than $1 billion for children with childhood cancer and disease. 

Even with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a Country Music Hall of Fame, Musicians Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Alabama Business Hall of Fame inductee, Randy remains true to his agricultural roots. Randy and Kelly have established an incredible legacy of friendship, integrity and Hereford cattle at Tennessee River Music Inc., and their impact on the Hereford breed and its young people will be felt for generations to come. 

“Randy and Kelly’s life story is a remarkable testament to the values of heritage, perseverance and leadership that this award embodies,” penned Terri Barber, of Barber Ranch, in her nomination letter. “Their contributions to the Hereford breed and the broader cattle industry have left a lasting legacy that stretches far beyond the boundaries of their Alabama ranch.”

Joe Rickabaugh

Joe Rickabaugh, retired American Hereford Association (AHA) director of seedstock marketing, led the AHA field staff and Hereford Publications Inc. from alongside his team. For 25 years, he built a career rooted in integrity, hard work and an unwavering commitment to the Hereford breed and its breeders.

Originally a farm kid from Greeley, Kan., Joe enjoyed 4-H and FFA. He attended Fort Scott Community College and Kansas State University, where he sorted livestock on the collegiate team. After graduating with a degree in agricultural education, Joe entered the field rather than the classroom. He joined the Kansas Livestock Association in 1982, and for 13 years, Joe helped Kansas cattlemen and women market their stock, before joining Genetics Plus, a company specializing in marketing bred heifers. Joe married his wife, Tracey, in 1983, and the couple has three children: Drew, Chelsey and Cole. Drew is married to Julia, and Cole and his wife, Briana, have four children: Jantzen, J.J., Savannah and Sienna.  

When sitting executive vice president Craig Huffhines tapped Joe to join the AHA staff on Feb. 4, 1999, Joe brought not only his valuable industry experience but also a relentless drive to make things better. Joe worked tirelessly to improve the services the Association offered to help members market their cattle while building demand for the breed. He took notes and continuously refined and improved everything he touched.

The Hereford sales he managed highlighted Joe’s talents as a marketeer. The National Sale and Ladies of the Royal reached new heights under his watch, and his eye for quality cattle set a new standard for the breeder consignment sales he was involved with. In Iowa, his influence was particularly transformative, as he helped revive the Hereford offering at the Iowa Beef Expo and set new benchmarks for success. Joe made it his mission to ensure the quality of these sales. He would go out into the field and hand-pick sale offerings for breeders to highlight their best genetics and for buyers to grab breeding pieces.

Connecting buyers and sellers was always one of Joe’s favorite parts of his role with AHA. Joe always emphasized the people side of the Hereford business. Not only did he genuinely take an interest in the Association members he met along the way, but he felt honored the leadership entrusted him with serving as an ambassador for the breed. Joe was always there when he was needed, whether ringside, visiting breeders, mentoring young people, calling bids or even cooking Certified Hereford Beef^®. Even after long weekends on the road working sales, Joe would still be one of the first to arrive at the AHA office to start the week.

“In a nutshell, Joe was passionate, driven, humble and a hard worker that believed in the Hereford breed and loved the Hereford people,” penned Charlie Boyd II, of Boyd Beef Cattle, in his letter to the selection committee. “He has touched so many people in so many positive ways.”

Joe never asked someone to do what he wouldn’t do himself. It was one of his greatest strengths in his 25 years with the AHA. Under his tutelage, several breed- and industry-changing staff cut their teeth in the marketing business.

While he never sought the spotlight, Joe’s 25 years with the Association leaves a lasting legacy of leadership, trust, integrity, respect, market-savvy knowledge and friendship. Simply put, it serves as a testament of his often-used phrase: “The Hereford breed is great, but the breeders are greater.

The 19th annual World Hereford Conference, Oct. 22-26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo., features an educational forum, a celebration of high-achieving and influential Hereford breeders of all ages, an international sale and National Hereford Show. 

The World Hereford Conference takes place every four years when delegates of the World Hereford Council meet to conduct official business aimed at breed improvement and opportunity development. It is a time for Hereford breeders from around the world to network and learn from one another — the U.S. is hosting for the first time since 1996.

View the press release and photos here.

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The American Hereford Association hosts the World Hereford Conference (WHC), presented by Merck Animal Health, in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 22-26, and the Young Breeders Competition at Kansas State University and in Kansas City Oct. 19-25. The World Hereford Council convenes every four years at the WHC — in different council-member countries — where delegates conduct official business aimed at breed improvement and opportunity development.