Speechless is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the 2024 National Junior Hereford Exposition. From the Central Valley of California to the ‘Grand Daddy of ‘Em all,’ my family and I couldn’t have wished for a better week. Hi, I’m Kathryn Coleman, a third- generation rancher from Modesto, Ca. My father began our family’s cow operation with a commercial herd in his early 20s following in my grandfather’s footsteps. Sierra Ranches was established, and we quickly added purebred Angus and Hereford cattle to our operation. In 2013, we hit the road to attend our very first Angus and Hereford junior nationals, which were both held in Kansas City, Mo. By the second week, we were enjoying the atmosphere of the Hereford breed and instantly fell in love with the people. From my first Junior nationals
to my last, the breed and the people within it is like no other. Ironically, at our first junior nationals, my brother was crowned Grand Champion Polled Female and Reserve Grand Champion Horned Female. Surreal and unreal as it is, at my last junior nationals, I was then crowned with the Grand Champion Polled Female title. As full circle as it is, things like this don’t happen very often. We went from a family that knew very little of what it meant to be crowned such an honor, to deciding to spend the next 11 years chasing for another, with a new understanding that it is an honor and once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. I had often had success in the Angus breed and held my own in the Hereford breed, yet I never thought I’d be able to accomplish one of my biggest goals to have a chance at a champion title. I’ve been blessed through the Hereford breed to meet many wonderful people and friends, and
one I am most grateful for is the farmer family. Payton Farmer and I became friends very early on in my show career, as she’s been a great influence through her work ethic, dedication, and competitiveness. Payton had shown ‘BRIGHT MISS LILIAN 2126 ET’, the mother of my female, who was named Reserve Grand Champion Polled Female at the NJHE in 2022. My female, “FENTY,” was her first natural calf and to go on to be honored with the Grand Champion Polled Female title made it ever so sweet for both of our families, as we both were able to have a piece at a champion title with two extraordinary females both of our last years. I couldn’t be more speechless and astonished that a dream and long- time goal of mine was achieved at the ‘Grand Daddy of ‘Em All’ as I close this chapter of my junior show career. ●
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