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National Junior Hereford Association

About NJHA

The National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) is one of the largest, strongest and most active junior cattle programs in the country with 4,100 active junior members. Over the years, members of this association have gone on to earn international and domestic respect as models for youth organizational success.

The NJHA continues to lay the foundation for the beef industry’s future leaders through its extensive educational programs, such as the Junior National Hereford Expo, Faces of Leadership Conference and the Fed Steer Shootout. The traditions of the past coupled with the energy of today’s 12-member board of directors have created a progressive approach to further develop a meaningful and educational association focus.

The NJHA partners with the Hereford Youth Foundation of America to provide scholarship, leadership and educational opportunities to junior members across the country. These opportunities encourage, recognize and reward the development of life skills and values in the next generation of leaders.

The NJHA creates and promotes enthusiasm for the Hereford breed while providing opportunities to learn, lead and achieve, ensuring a brighter future for youth and the cattle industry.

The NHHA logo on a gray background.

Join the NJHA

Come join the 4,100 active NJHA members and grow your leadership and educational skills.

Board of Directors

A 12-member board of directors governs the NJHA. As directors, they motivate their peers and promote the Hereford breed.

State Associations

The state associations make the NJHA the greatest junior breed association in the industry.

Advantage Newsletter

A biannual piece produced by the NJHA board with all the latest news and updates.

NJHA FAQs

Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the NJHA.

Internships and Ambassadors

Prepare yourself for the real world with an internship or ambassador position.

Recent News

November 26, 2024

DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

‘Tis the season, and the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) is continuing to celebrate the festivities as the cold weather hits. With the holiday season fast approaching, make sure to purchase your NJHA and Hereford …

November 25, 2024

Herefords on the Green Chips

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  Grand champion Hereford cattle were selected on the green chips in Louisville, Ky., at the 2024 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) on Nov. 19. Judge Will Coor, Greenfield, Ohio, sorted …

November 25, 2024

NAILE Junior Hereford Champions Crowned

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  Hadley, Wyatt and Blayne Dunklau, Wayne, Neb., showed the grand champion female on Nov. 16 in Louisville, Ky., at the 2024 North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). Judge Jon Sweeney, Cedarville, …

November 21, 2024

Champions Selected at 125th American Royal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  The American Royal was born from a National Hereford Show held underneath a Kansas City Stockyards tent. One-hundred-twenty-five years after that inaugural event in 1899, Maddie Jenkins, Athens, Texas, and McGuffee …

November 21, 2024

Paulsen, Blankenship Take Home Junior Hereford Show Titles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – National Junior Hereford Association members exhibited females at the 125th annual American Royal on Oct. 26 in Kansas City, Mo. When the dust settled in Hale Arena, Kinnick Paulsen, Preston, Iowa, …

November 5, 2024

NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

Feeding off of the momentum from an amazing week spent in Kansas City, Mo., with the Hereford family during the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting and Educational Forum, the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) …