Posted September 18, 2025
DENVER – Gracie Rogers of Princeton, Missouri, was named the Red Angus Association of America’s 2025 Outstanding Junior Member earlier this summer during the Red Angus Youth Expo in Chickasha, Oklahoma. Rogers, a sophomore studying animal science at Iowa State University, currently serves as the Junior Red Angus Association president after two years as secretary. She was also recognized during the 72nd Annual National Red Angus Convention in Loveland, Colorado.
The Outstanding Junior Member Award recognizes young leaders who have contributed significantly to the success of JRA while embodying the character and vision of the Red Angus breed.
Rogers said the recognition came as a surprise.
“This award is a huge honor and I was not expecting it at all,” she said. “I’ve never done anything for attention or recognition. I like putting my head down, getting things done and enjoying time with the people around me. Receiving this award really showed me how much that approach has impacted others.”
Raised on her family’s Red Angus operation, Rogers said the breed has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. What began with showing cattle as a child grew into an appreciation for the breed’s progressive mindset and commitment to the future.
“We’re always looking toward the future and how we can improve the industry and the breed,” Rogers said.
Her involvement in JRA took off after attending the Young Stockman’s Program in Columbia, Missouri, which she credits to her father and long-time Red Angus supporter Kim Heller. From there, leadership roles and national events such as Round Up and Young Stockman’s shaped her development.
“Those events forced me to open up, become more outgoing and make new friends,” she said. “They also showed me how important it is to have that leader in your life, you never have to be afraid to go to for help.”
Rogers counts her father as her biggest cheerleader, alongside past junior board members who inspired her to lead. She said her experiences in JRA have broadened her horizons through travel, new connections and fresh management practices she has brought home to Missouri.
Looking ahead, Rogers hopes to pay that inspiration forward.
“I want to continue making a difference in the breed, starting with the juniors – they’re the future,” she said. “I hope younger members see how important it is to be involved, and that they can always come to me with questions or just as a friend.”
The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the measurable advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. RAAA provides commercial producers with objectively described cattle by implementing new technologies and using scientifically sound principles that quantify traits of economic importance to beef producers in all segments of the beef industry. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.
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High-resolution photos are available at the following links:
Suggested Cutline: Taylor Dorsey, RAAA Junior Programs Coordinator, alongside Gracie Rogers of Princeton, Missouri, who was recognized as the 2025 Red Angus Outstanding Junior Member at the Red Angus Youth Expo in Chickasha, Oklahoma, and honored again during the 72nd Annual National Red Angus Convention in Loveland, Colorado.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 18, 2025
For more information, contact:
Maclaine Shults-Mauney, RAAA editor & written content specialist
