Students from across the TCFA region made their way to West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas on Friday, July 25 for the 2025 Junior Fed Beef Challenge. Fifty-eight contestants, who are in third through twelfth grade, delivered phenomenal performances in categories such as the written exam, junior presentations, senior interviews, top carcass and others. 
 
The goal of the contest is to expose youth to the ins and outs of feeding cattle and build the next generation of cattle feeders. Youth who participate in the contest are tasked with feeding a pen of steers, taking a written exam and participating in interviews and oral presentations. The performance of their cattle is also factored into their overall score. 
 
The 2025 Junior Fed Beef Challenge prizes were sponsored by 2025 TCFA Sponsors.

In the Junior Division, the Overall Champion received a $350 prize and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Crockett Guenther.

In the Senior Division, the First Runner-Up received a $2,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. First Runner-Up went to Jenna Stevenson.
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The Reserve Champion received a $3,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. The Reserve Champion went to Caden Joy.
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The Senior Division Overall Champion received a $5,000 scholarship and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Logan Kainer. 

Our nation's cattle inventory has plummeted to a 73-year low, creating a serious challenge for the American beef industry and the consumers who depend on it. In the face of this, we need decisive, responsible leadership to ensure families can continue to afford high-quality American beef. That is precisely what we have in Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose recent announcement of a phased, science-based reopening of the border to Mexican feeder cattle is a critical and welcome step forward.
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This decision was not made lightly. It is the result of months of rigorous work and firm diplomacy. Secretary Rollins didn't just ask our partners in Mexico to improve their New World Screwworm (NWS) detection and treatment—she held them accountable, demanding and verifying results. When standards weren't met, she stood her ground.

The proof is in the data. Five USDA-APHIS teams across Mexico have been on the ground, ensuring the sterile fly distribution meets our stringent U.S. standards. Their surveillance confirms the NWS outbreak has not moved northward for more than eight weeks, and case numbers in Mexico have stabilized. This is not a matter of hope; it is a matter of science. If we believe in making decisions based on evidence, we can and should have confidence in this reopening.

That confidence is backed by an ironclad, multi-layered safety protocol. Thanks to stringent USDA oversight, the U.S. and Mexico have maintained a safe cattle trade for decades. Under Secretary Rollins's leadership, those protections are now even stronger. The reopening is not a return to the old standard but an advancement of it.

The process will be meticulous and phased, not a flood of new cattle. It begins with a single port in Douglas, Arizona—a location chosen specifically for its low geographic risk and its proven history of successful collaboration with USDA-APHIS. Every animal will be subject to thorough inspection and mandatory, preventative treatment protocols. Other ports will be considered only when this initial phase is proven safe and effective.

This careful approach allows us to address our domestic cattle shortage while upholding our highest duty: protecting the health of the U.S. herd.

The economic stakes are clear. For over 25 years, an average of 1.15 million head of Mexican cattle have crossed our border safely each year, playing a vital role in America's food security. This trade, strengthened under the USMCA, has provided U.S. consumers with a consistent supply of high-quality beef. Mexican producers, responding to American demand, have invested heavily in improved genetics, diversifying our supply chain and helping to meet consumer demand at a time when it has never been higher.

We in the cattle industry do not want NWS in the United States. Our livelihoods depend on the health of our herds. We are confident that the science-based protocols and decisive leadership demonstrated by Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration will protect our industry while ensuring a steady, high-quality beef supply for Americans. This is the right plan to secure our border, herds, and food supply.

Robby Kirkland is Chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association Board of Directors and is the Owner of Kirkland Feedyard.
 
CONTACT:
Lindsey Sawin, [email protected]