LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Five Prospect Award recipients were announced at the 2025 VitaFerm^® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), “Live from Louisville” Hereford Youth Foundation of America (HYFA) Scholarship, Awards and Maroon Jacket ceremony on July 17 in Louisville, Ky. The Prospect Award honors junior members engaged in the Hereford breed and agricultural industry, with active participation in their schools and communities. It is awarded to the most committed and involved students in third through eighth grade. 

Through this award program, young people demonstrate their dedication in the showring and beyond, while gaining professional skills they will call upon outside of their junior show career.

“The Prospect and Junior Golden Bull Award winners are the future of the agriculture industry,” said Amy Cowan, American Hereford Association director of youth activities and foundation. “It makes me proud to know they are growing up in the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) and are already building their resumes and destined to do big things throughout their journey in the Hereford breed and beyond.”

The 2025 award winners are as follows:

Prospect Award fourth and fifth grades 

Fourth grade – Cooper Acheson, Wichita, Kan. 

Fifth grade – Braxton Lockhart, Caldwell, Texas

Cooper Acheson, Wichita, Kan.

Acheson just completed fourth grade and is diving into his NJHA experience with enthusiasm and focus. Acheson is passionate about raising and showing Hereford cattle, the NJHA Fed Steer Shootout, Hereford bowl and learning about the beef industry. 

“One of the many reasons I joined the NJHA was to show my pride for Hereford cattle,” Acheson says. “They are an amazing breed of cattle, and I want to be involved in a breed that adds value to the beef industry.” 

Braxton Lockhart, Caldwell, Texas

Sixth-grader Lockhart says that, as a fifth-generation Hereford breeder, this industry is in his blood. He could not wait for his chance to start participating in as many NJHA contests and events as possible.

Lockhart enjoys competing in the Certified Hereford Beef^® Cook-Off, team fitting and public speaking contests, while also showing his Hereford cattle at the JNHE. In the future, he plans to be a member of a Hereford bowl team, run for leadership positions at both state and national levels and attend the NJHA’s Faces of Leadership and Building on Leadership Development (BOLD) conferences. 

“I have watched my two older siblings compete and make lifelong friends in the Hereford breed, and since I have joined, I have hit the ground running,” Lockhart says.

Prospect Award sixth-eighth grades 

Sixth grade – Jase Klink, Garden, Mich.

Seventh grade – Josie Beltz, Canton, Kan. 

Eighth grade – Jarrett Worrell, Mason, Texas

Jase Klink, Garden, Mich.

Though Klink just completed sixth grade, he is eagerly planning a bright future within the Hereford breed and beef industry. He notes that he and his family love Hereford cattle for their docility, mothering ability and hardiness, and he plans to continue raising and showing them throughout the state and nation. 

Klink aspires to be on the Michigan Junior Hereford Association board of directors, attend the NJHA’s Faces of Leadership and BOLD conferences and start a small feedlot to raise and sell freezer beef.

“I hope to keep raising Hereford cattle for the next generation on our family farm,” Klink says. 

Josie Beltz, Canton, Kan.   

Before stepping into the showring herself, eighth grader Beltz spent years admiring the NJHA board of directors and her older brother, Jase. Along with her passion for exhibiting Hereford cattle, she enjoys pushing herself by entering speaking contests that are honing her skillset for the future. 

“I love being involved in the cattle industry, whether I am showing at the local, state or national level or competing in speech and judging contests,” Beltz says. 

She aspires to one day be part of the NJHA board of directors and inspire fellow members, just as she has been inspired by the young leaders who have come before her. 

Jarret Worrell, Mason, Texas 

Worrell recently finished eighth grade and currently serves  as a Texas Junior Hereford Association director. He loves showing Hereford cattle, but more importantly, he loves watching them be born, grow and become mature cows in his herd. As a fifth-generation rancher, he says that raising Herefords is more than just a project — it is his family’s way of life and legacy. 

Worrell hopes to be a positive role model for younger members and share his experiences to encourage others to be involved in the association. He plans to be an impactful leader within the NJHA, while promoting Herefords, the beef industry and agriculture as a whole.

“I learn by being active in leadership roles, speaking contests and judging contests, and it will make me a better leader,” Worrell says. “Ultimately, I want to be a good person and make a difference.”

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The 2025 VitaFerm^® Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE), “Live from Louisville,” is sponsored in part by BioZyme^® Inc., St. Joseph, Mo., and their brands VitaFerm^® and Sure Champ^®. The VitaFerm® JNHE provides educational and leadership opportunities for junior members and their cattle projects, along with 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.