1881 travels to Madison, Wis., for the 2026 VitaFerm® Junior National Hereford Expo. In this three-part series, Shane Bedwell sits down with the judges of the Masters in Madison to discuss their careers, experiences and perspectives from one of the most prestigious events of the summer. The first guest is Montie Soules, CEO of the American Shorthorn Association (ASA), who judged the steers and bred-and-owned bulls. Shane and Montie recap the show, reflect on Montie's career in the beef industry and Hereford breed.Before joining ASA, Montie spent 34 years as general manager of Star Lake Cattle Ranch/ACE Polled Herefords, where the program exhibited 49 national and reserve national champions and 13 consecutive champion carloads of bulls at the National Western Stock Show. He has judged cattle across the United States and internationally and spent 18 years consulting in Argentina. Raised on his family's farm in Michigan, Montie graduated from Michigan State University.