by Austin Matheny

The countdown is on because there are less than 100 days until the Junior National Hereford Expo (JNHE) in Grand Island, Neb. There are many things running through a juniors mind as they start to prepare for one of the most anticipated weeks of the year. As it warms up, the list of chores gets longer and one of the items at the top is completing entries for JNHE. In Madison, Wis., at the 2016 JNHE, a new and very exciting addition to the show was added to the fun filled week. The showcasing of group classes earlier in the week added an exciting way for juniors to present their summer projects.

State group class changes
As the JNHE continues to grow into one of the largest across all breeds, we as a junior board decided to move the group classes to opening ceremonies for a couple of reasons. First, with a week full of excitement we thought this would be an opportunity to spread out the show days. Secondly, we decided to use the state groups to represent each state during opening ceremonies.

With that being said, we are going to have a large state division as well as a small state division. The large state division is for states with 25 head or more entered and will be represented by a group of five in the showring during opening ceremonies. The small states division is classified with less than 25 head and will be represented by a group of three during opening ceremonies. We will pick a grand and reserve from each division and think it is an excellent way to get all states, big or small, involved in the opening ceremonies.

For states not wanting to participate or don’t have enough head to do so they can be represented by their states respective flag in the ring. Along with the state classes being moved to opening ceremonies, junior breeder group of three, adult breeder group of three are also on tap for opening ceremonies.

New produce-of-dam class offered
With a continuous growth in the size of our event, we decided to remove female get-of-sire from the group class show. In replacement of female get-of-sire we are introducing a produce-of-dam class in its place. This allows junior breeders to showcase a cow in their operation by representing her with two bred-and-owned progeny. This is something new and exciting that will allow juniors to become more involved in the group class show. We are exciting about seeing everyone in Grand Island this summer and hoping for a record turnout.

This article originally appeared in “The Advantage” – The National Junior Hereford Association Newsletter – Spring 2018. To download this newsletter, click below.

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