With an increased focus on education, National Junior Hereford Association members sharpened their Certified Hereford Beef® knowledge and got cooking at the Certified Hereford Beef Cook-off contest hosted at the 2019 Junior National Hereford Expo July 8 in Denver.

Formerly known as the Great American CHB Grill-off, the Certified Hereford Beef Cook-off contest saw 10 teams compete for the championship titles. Kansas Team 3, comprised of Kinsley Gillig, Dakota Gillig, Callie Schmidt, Dustin Denton and William Meinhardt, took home the first place honors.

Second place honors went to Texas Team 2. Team members included Jarrett Worrell, Kayce Lopez, Layna Ottmers, Keyser Ottmers and Fisher Bradley. Indiana took third place with team members Zach Strueh, Maddox Gunn, Dylan Kottkamp, Colin Deatsman and Kylie McFatridge.

“It is important to instill knowledge of the beef industry into our Hereford juniors who will become industry leaders,” says Kaylen Alexander, Certified Hereford Beef director of marketing and communications. “With an increased focus on education at the 2019 Certified Hereford Beef Cook-Off contest, we worked to create well-rounded individuals who are prepared to take the beef industry to new heights in the future. We will continue to build off this momentum in the future.”