October 23, 2025
International Hereford producers are visiting Oklahoma and Texas Oct. 26-29, touring prominent Hereford operations following the previous week’s World Hereford Conference in Kansas City, Mo. “We are incredibly excited to welcome international and domestic Hereford …
International Hereford producers are visiting Oklahoma and Texas Oct. 26-29, touring prominent Hereford operations following the previous week’s World Hereford Conference in Kansas City, Mo.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome international and domestic Hereford seedstock producers to the World Hereford Conference and to the post-conference tour in Oklahoma and Texas,” says Jack Ward, executive vice president of the American Hereford Association (AHA). “This tour is designed to showcase some of the leading Hereford genetics and operations in the nation, mixing iconic stops highlighting the region’s deep roots in the cattle industry and the breed’s historic role in U.S. beef cattle production.”
The Southbound to Cowtown tour offers a unique view of cattle country, American agriculture and Hereford, while rubbing elbows with stockmen and women who push the breed forward.
In addition to viewing leading Hereford genetics at each tour stop, tour participants will see the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, state-of-the-art sale and embryo facilities and elite rodeo stock breeding programs. They will also visit the Cattlemen’s Congress world-class stock show facilities, where they will hear from Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, Blayne Arthur.
The tour and World Hereford Conference come at a historic point in the breed’s U.S. history.
“More commercial cow-calf producers in the United States are embracing Hereford’s inherent genetic advantages of fertility, docility, longevity and documented feed efficiency on the range and in the feedlot,” Ward explains. “Many of these producers are also using Hereford genetics as an essential component in strategic crossbreeding, magnifying the breed’s genetic advantages through direct and maternal heterosis.”
World Hereford Conference tour stops and hosts include (in schedule order):
The AHA expects breeders from 12 countries to attend the tour. For broader perspective, the conference includes registrations from more than 700 U.S. and international breeders, representing 20 countries and 37 states.
“I think the opportunity for all Hereford enthusiasts to make connections and interact with one another during this tour is going to be priceless,” says Shane Bedwell, AHA chief operations officer and director of breed improvement. “I know of nowhere else you’re going to be able to spend time with a really great nucleus of Hereford breeders, while getting to see some great Hereford cattle in the process.”
Ward notes the successful preparation and execution of the Southbound to Cowtown Tour are due to the tireless efforts of the tour hosts. He also extends thanks to Merck Animal Health, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and the Texas Hereford Association.
About the World Hereford Conference
The 19th World Hereford Conference Oct. 22-26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo., features: a two-day educational forum, including a first glimpse at results from pioneering collaborative research conducted by the American Hereford Association (AHA); celebration of Hereford Hall of Fame and Hall of Merit indictees; recognition of Golden and Century Hereford Breeders, Certified Hereford Beef® award winners, the Hereford Commercial Producer of the Year presentation; Hereford Youth Foundation of America scholarship recipients and winners in the National Junior Hereford Association Fed Steer Shootout.
The week culminates with the Ladies of Royal International Edition Sale and National Hereford Show at the American Royal, where the new National Hereford Queen will be crowned. In fact, the first National Hereford Show in 1899 was the foundation of what later became the iconic American Royal livestock show.
A special feature of this year’s World Hereford Conference is the international Young Breeders Competition (YBC) that takes place concurrently, Oct. 19-25. Most of the contests are at Kansas State University, but will conclude at the American Royal. Eleven four-member teams from seven countries, including two from the United States, will compete.
For historical perspective, 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.
Sites for the World Hereford Conference revolve among World Hereford Council member countries. The first conference was held in 1951 at Herefordshire, England. The United States hosted the conference for the first time in 1960, in Kansas City, Mo. The U.S. also hosted the 12th annual conference in Fort Collins, Colo., in 1996.
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The American Hereford Association hosts the World Hereford Conference (WHC), presented by Merck Animal Health, in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 19-22 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.
