A heart for Hereford: Auburn DVM student earns chance to represent Team USA at world cattle event
By Troy Johnson
While third-year Auburn University Doctor of Veterinary Medicine student John Cox has laid eyes on Gulf Coast beachfront, it’s unlikely he will ever be found soaking up the sun on one.
“I’ve never been to the beach on vacation,” Cox said. “I go to cattle shows.”
Cox’s expertise in breeding, showing and selling cattle will take him to an international stage in October. He will represent Team USA in the Young Breeders Competition at the 2025 World Hereford Conference October 19-25 in Manhattan, Kansas. The competition, which also draws elite breeders from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, Denmark and the UK, evaluates participants’ skills in fitting and showmanship – preparing and presenting cattle for assessment – as well as comprehensive knowledge of Hereford genetics, breeding and production standards, cattle and beef industry issues and trends, and marketing.
“It’s an honor to represent the American Hereford Association and the United States,” said Cox, who grew up in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, about an hour northeast of Lexington. “It showcases what we can do as like-minded individuals within this breed. There’s more than meets the eye with show cattle. Everybody sees the picture of the animal from the ring, but there’s a lot more that goes into it.”
A businessman in boots
As a student in Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Cox is building on his practical livestock experience with advanced training in animal health. His long-term goals involve working in mixed animal practice with a focus on large animals and embryology, which involves practical application in prenatal care and animal reproduction, including in vitro fertilization.
Growing up on a farm with Limousin and Angus cattle, Cox wanted to follow in the footsteps of his veterinarian stepfather “but still write my own story.” He started showing feeder calves when he was 9, focusing on 4-H, FFA and county fairs. As a teenager, he applied for a Youth Loan through a USDA Farm Service Agency program. A $5,000 loan led Cox to purchase a herd of “about 100 goats” that, once sold out, were replaced by another herd along with a couple of cows. In addition to learning money management and record keeping, Cox leaned into his entrepreneurial spirit.
“I had a waiting list of people who wanted to come buy goats,” said Cox, a member of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Bartlett Scholars Program. “I sold out my goats a second time and started getting focused in on cattle. I was always business-minded on how I could make the next dollar and keep things rolling.”
A heart for Hereford
Cox found his calling with Hereford, the docile beef cattle breed that traces its origins back to 18th century England. Today, the global Hereford population stands at more than 7 million head in more than 62 countries. Cox attended his first Junior National Hereford Expo in 2017 and continued to expand his involvement, joining the National Junior Hereford Association (NJHA) Board of Directors in 2020, serving as Fundraising Chair in 2021 and was elected chairman in 2022.
All of that involvement has sharpened Cox’s skills in the art of clipping, fitting and showing cattle. For the uninitiated, “clipping” involves grooming cattle for the show ring by strategically trimming hair to achieve a smooth and even coat and define the animal’s musculature. “Fitting” involves the application of adhesives and finishing sprays to the animal’s topline, legs, belly and tail to hold hair in place or create the effect of a fluffy, full appearance. For the showmanship component, Cox and other competitors must present the fitted animal to judges in a way that highlights its best qualities and demonstrates control.
“Clipping and fitting is something you can learn and it’s a physical skill that is entirely depending on you,” he said.
However, leading a 1,500-pound heifer or 2,000-pound bull into the show ring results from a multi-year planning process. Calving season peaks each spring, with newborns receiving individual care, colostrum management and early socialization to build their resilience and immunity systems. Bloodline records, fertility evaluations and nutrition plans help determine structure and frame sizes across the herd.
“If it’s a bred and owned animal, you’re showing as a coming 2-year-old,” Cox said. “The planning process for that animal itself to the big final show probably started almost three years in advance because you’re making the mating decisions on what bull you are going to use on what cows to make the best possible offspring.”
Vet school and a vision
The process involves weaning them, introducing them to the show barn, halter breaking them and managing their nutrition.
“Growing up, I’d be in the barn before the sun came up,” he said. “You weren’t turning out in the summer until 10:30 or 11 o’clock. It’s a full-time job.”
As Cox pursues his DVM, decisions involving breeding, nutrition and other aspects of herd management remain the job on top of the full-time job of earning a professional degree. His talents for breeding and selling cattle enabled him to purchase land and launch his own operation, Locust Grove Livestock, in Flemingsburg as he pursued an undergraduate degree in animal science at Western Kentucky University.
Though separated from his farm by a nearly 8-hour drive, Cox still plays an active role in managing decisions on genetics and breeding, pasture rotations, culling and replacement animals. On weekends, it’s not uncommon for him to make the trip back to Kentucky to help his business partner photograph Hereford heifers and prepare them for auctions.
“I probably did bite off a little more than I could chew with having a fully functional farm,” Cox said with a smile.
From the early mornings in a Kentucky barn to the classrooms of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Cox has never strayed far away from the animals that have shaped his educational and professional journeys. While many of his peers may look forward to weekend getaways at the beach before autumn truly arrives in Alabama, Cox will be perfectly happy in the show ring, halter in hand, representing Team USA and Auburn VetMed.
“I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to do some of the things I have,” he said.
In some ways, he’s just getting started.