PRESIDENT
Travis Meteer
217-430-7030
VICE PRESIDENT
Tammy Boatman
770-354-4195
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Noah Benedict
217-372-8009
nojo1132@gmail.com
TREASURER
Buddy Edenburn 217-649-0108
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chad Crane - 815-712-5739
Yale Young - 815-867-7333
Lucas Stumpf - 618-830-0971
Mark Stephens - 217-825-7913
Matt McCaskill - 217-779-0775
Corey Perry - 217-294-2934
Robbie Duis - 815-858-4129
Gage Campbell - 217-259-1986
Kyle Yoder - 217-5856-3275
Iwas able to attend the Illinois Junior Hereford Association banquet at the preview show.
The room was packed full. The Illinois Hereford family is a strong, vibrant community. I enjoyed watching so many active youths be recognized for their efforts. Seeing a smiling face of a youngster that has been rewarded for their time, dedication, and hard work is a contagious feeling.
If you are looking for a breed to participate in and help raise your kids, look at Hereford. While a white face has traditionally been known for being a starter breed for many, a lot of kids are keeping Hereford cattle in the barn all the way through their junior career. Illinois has some elite cattle in all breeds, but the Hereford contingency continues to be second to none. I truly believe Land of Lincoln Hereford cattle are one of the deepest sets of cattle at the state fair every year. This fall, be sure to seek out Illinois breeders for good, competitive cattle that can win in the showring and build your herd.
The cattle market remains strong. While fundamentals are supportive, the demand side continues to surpass expectations. It is clear the consumer wants to eat beef. Now is a great time to reinvest in areas that can make your cattle operation more profitable, no matter the market. Good genetics, good facilities, and technologies that can bring value to your operation are all areas that I see producers investing.
If you are at a Hereford event, be sure to grab a copy of the 2026-2027 Illinois Hereford Directory. You can also find a link on the IHA Facebook page. I look forward to seeing many of you at the Illinois State Fair!
Greetings everyone! Summer is here! First cuttings of hay hopefully wrapped up, cows getting bred, and summer cattle shows all mean we are in the thick of what this time of year has to offer. Coming off the heels of an extremely successful IJHA Preview Show, your state’s junior Hereford members put on a clinic for competition, sportsmanship, and exhibition of high-quality cattle. Special thanks to the advisory team and your host families for facilitating a top-notch event. Congratulations to all the winners from the weekend’s festivities, you all will make Illinois very proud as you proceed to Madison, WI and compete at the Junior National Hereford Expo!
As you would expect, my drives around the country lend plenty of windshield time that is majority filled on the phone. Recently, the conversations have centered around demand for Hereford females. Purebred, influenced, pairs, breds, opens, it has not seemed to matter. People are seeking genetics to add to their program. Simply, the Hereford breed is in high demand. As we are seeing historic trends in decreasing national cow herd size, it feels as if we are going into arguably one of the most promising sale seasons we will ever see. Whether you are considering selling cattle through a live auction sale or by private treaty method, we at AHA are equipped to help you spread the word about your cattle and hit the target audience seeking to add more Hereford influence to their programs. Let us know how we can help get your message out there.
Corbin Cowles, American Hereford Association
Territory 5 Field Staff
If I can ever be of assistance, I am a phone call or email away. Please feel free to reach out – we are here to support you as the membership however we can.
All the best,
Illinois Hereford Association,
Once again, it is time to start prepping for the Illinois Hereford Association Winter Classic Sale!
The IHA Board has prioritized adding value for the Illinois Hereford Association membership. This now established, annual event is a way for all members to market the best of their herds and connect with breeders and commercial cattleman from all over the state.
The Illinois Hereford Association Winter Classic Sale will be held on December 12, 2026, in Carthage at Carthage Livestock Inc. Brent and Kris Lowderman are incredible hosts, are a huge part of this sales success. They have and will continue to do incredible work for the Hereford breed, making this the perfect spot to continue to build this sale. Once again, Cody Lowderman will be serving as the auctioneer for this event.
I will be handling the screening process again for the IHA this year. The IHA board and I want to ensure quality stays consistent to help everyone turn as much profit as possible. All the nomination forms for the sale will be due on August 1. Shortly after the first, I will begin planning to travel to farms with said nominations to screen the cattle.
When selecting cattle to nominate, I highly encourage you to select cattle that represent the best your program has to offer. The IHA Board sees the Winter Classic Sale as an annual event for breeders to purchase elite Hereford seedstock. To make this sale a household name, we must continue to improve. Cattle with phenotypic quality, popular pedigrees, and desirable genomic profiles will add value and make this sale a success. The board and I will be placing a big focus on selling quality bred heifers and fall cow-calf pairs. Any bred cows accepted to the sale will need to continue to be very high quality as well. New this year, all animals with a potential genetic defect will need to be tested prior to the sale.
In the rest of this document, you will find the calendar of events, the general rules and requirements for the sale, and the nomination form. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
The IHA Board and I are both looking forward to building this sale for year four. We would love to work with any members of the IHA on consigning to this sale.
Sincerely,
nojo1132@gmail.com
The Illinois Hereford Association Winter Classic Sale is a screened sale. All cattle must first be nominated by the August 1, 2026, deadline. All nominations must be accompanied by a non-refundable $50 per-lot nomination fee. If cattle are accepted after screening and consigned to the sale, this $50 fee will be credited to the consignor’s sale expenses. No cattle will be accepted that have not gone through the nomination and screening process. Any member of the Illinois Hereford Association that has paid their dues in 2026 and been accepted after nomination and screening is allowed to consign to this sale.
Other requirements:
1) Membership dues for the IHA Association for 2026 must be paid by the time of nomination.
2) No animal will be accepted without actual (individual) EPD’s available by the time of cataloging. If EPD’s are not available at cataloging time, the animal will be rejected, and no refund of fees will be made.
3) Any potential carrier of a genetic defect must be tested to confirm result prior to the sale.
4) There shall be no substitutions after cataloging and there will be no refund of nomination or entry fees if an animal is not brought to the Winter Classic Sale. Substitutions may be made only prior to cataloging with screener approval.
5) Age of cattle:
a. All bulls must be at least 12 months of age, and no older than 30 Months of age
b. All females in sale must be under 5 years of age with calf at side or confirmed bred
• A select number of bred cows will be allowed in the sale. Screener will be extra critical on age, quality, AI breeding, ultrasounding, and genomic EPD’s
c. Open females less than 14 months of age will be allowed in the sale, but in a limited amount
6) Bull Requirements
a. Must have passed a Breeding Sound Exam (BSE) within 30 days of the sale
b. Must have Genomically Enhanced EPD’s (GE-EPDS) and DNA on profile with the AHA
7) Female Requirements
a. Females being sold as bred to be confirmed on health papers within 30 days of sale
• Females due to calve between the sale and 2/15/25, have the option to provide a health paper within 60 days of sale to confirm pregnancy, alongside their standard health-paper within 30 days of sale
b. Females must be bred to have their first calf by 30 months of age
c. RECOMMENDED that females are ultrasounded to determine sex of the pregnancy
d. RECOMMENDED that females have GE-EPDS and a DNA on profile with the AHA
8) Health
a. All cattle are required to have separate, official interstate health papers at sale time. Do not place multiple animals on one form.
b. All cattle must have a RFID or metal tag per state regulations. Suggested tests are Bangs, Anaplasmosis, Tuberculosis, and BVD. If your animal(s) sell into a state requiring listed tests, breeders will take the subject animal to its origin, have it tested, and once cleared, arrange shipping to the buyer.
9) Substitutions can be made up until the catalog deadline. They must be approved by the screener before said deadline.
10) Withdrawals made after cataloguing are responsible for average sale expense of lot type.
11) All consignors will be responsible for transferring their animals to their new owners once payment has been received.
August 1
All nominations must be either post marked or emailed along with the $50 per lot nomination fee. Nomination fees are non-refundable but will be figured into sale expense if the animal is accepted.
August 1 - October 1
I will be making screening arrangements to be made.
October 15
All information for catalog is due. Footnotes, pictures, breeding information, etc. Substitutions cannot be made after this date.
December 11 – 3 p.m.
All cattle in place at Carthage Livestock Inc.
December 11 – 6 p.m.
Illinois Hereford Association Social
December 12 – 11:30 a.m.
Illinois Hereford Association Winter Classic Sale
When selecting your animals to nominate, please keep in mind the rules and recommendations listed above in the document. All cattle must be registered and have EPD’s by the time the catalogue is produced. Also, remember that your 2026 dues to the IHA must be up to date. Please Contact Buddy Edenburn or Noah Benedict if you have further questions.
Make checks payable to the Illinois Hereford Association. The fee is $50 per lot nominated. This is non-refundable but will be figured into sale expense if your nomination is accepted. Mail checks to Noah Benedict – 165 White Pines Cir Decatur, IL 62521.
The nomination form can also be filled out here: https://forms.gle/7Pt1VC468XQ23EAw9.
Farm Name:
Mailing Address:
Farm Address (where screening will happen) :
Phone Number:
Email:
Please email nomination form to nojo1132@gmail.com with subject line “IHA Winter Classic”
If you printed, please mail to Noah Benedict – 165 White Pines Cir Decatur, IL 62521
August 29th, 2026 - South Central IL
Eubank Farms 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Breakfast stop
Additional Hosts: Newbold Farms
Address: 13521 N 2175th St - Willow Hill, IL 62480
J. Lidy Herefords 11:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Lunch Stop
Address: 6750 E 2200th Ave - Jewett, IL 62436
Crutcher Livestock 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Additional Hosts: Dobbs Cattle Company and Warfel Family Farms
Address: 1523 E 2160th Ave - Montrose, IL 62445
Goldstein Farms 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Additional Hosts: Siemer Livestock
Address: 18092 N 1400th St - Effingham, IL 62401
Second Creek Cattle 4:30 pm
Dinner Stop
Update from the American Hereford Association
Address: 9595 N 650th St - Altamont, IL 62411
* Anyone who attends all 5 tour stops will be entered for the chance to win a $250 sale credit for the 2026 IHA Winter Classic Sale *
CHAMPION POLLED FEMALE
CHAMPION POLLED FEMALE
Pre PeeWee: Pre PeeWee: Alayna Goldstein, Colt Harms, Joanna Goldstein
Kate Melendrez, Tillie Young, Wade Alexander, Agnes Bane
CHAMPION COW/CALF PAIR CHAMPION COW/CALF PAIR
PREMIER BREEDER & EXHIBITOR:
PREMIER BREEDER & EXHIBITOR: Addison Young
RESERVE COW/CALF PAIR
RESERVE COW/CALF PAIR
Maggie Shepard ~ SCC 229G MAKERS MARK 24N
RESERSVE