Joe Rickabaugh, director of field management and seedstock marketing for the American Hereford Association, is the 2017 Iowa Hereford Hall of Fame inductee. The award, selected annually by the Iowa Hereford Breeders Association board of directors, honors people who have made a significant contribution to the Hereford breed in Iowa.

Rickabaugh has worked closely with the IHBA for many years. Since 2007 he has been solely responsible for screening all nominations for the association’s Iowa Select Hereford Sale at the Iowa Beef Expo. He has logged countless hours and put thousands of miles on his car visiting around 60 herds who nominate cattle for the sale. From those visits, he selects the 70- to 80-head offering that comprises one of the premier Hereford consignment sales in the country.

Since Rickabaugh began screening and selecting the consignments, averages for the Hereford sale at the Beef Expo have risen steadily, with the 2013 and 2014 events garnering the highest average of all breeds at the weeklong event. In addition, Herefords had the top-selling heifer of all breeds in 2008 and 201, and the top overall bull and female averages in 2011 and 2014.

Dedicated to advancing the breed
Rickabaugh’s involvement with Iowa Hereford breeders is far-reaching. As head of AHA’s Creative Services, he has overseen production of the biannual IHBA Directory since 2007, ensuring a high-quality, attractive, yet economically produced, publication distributed to 7,000 cattle operations.

For many years, he has taken pictures of all the winners at the Iowa Junior Preview Show and the Iowa State Fair and works the show ring at the state fair, lining up cattle. He supplies the association with promotional materials for booth exhibits at the expo, state fair and the Cornbelt Cow-Calf Conference in Ottumwa, and works with individual breeders to help market their cattle, regardless of size of operation.

Rickabaugh has a bachelor’s degree in ag education from Kansas State University, where he participated on the livestock judging team. After college, he worked as the western field representative for the Kansas Livestock Association, then served for 10 years as executive secretary for KLA’s purebred division. From there, he managed Genetics Plus Inc., a company supplying heifers bred with well-known genetics to commercial and seedstock producers. 

In 1999, he joined the American Hereford Association as director of communication and membership service. His position has evolved to include various responsibilities to promote the Hereford breed. He oversees both the field staff and Hereford World staff, and assists at Hereford sales and national shows. Joe and wife Tracey reside in Topeka, Kan.

Source: Iowa Herford Association