Andy Holloway, County Extension Agent ANR, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Hemphill County, has received the Achievement Award from the National Association of County Agriculture Agents. He accepted the award during the 2023 Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

Holloway was one of several honorees with less than 10 years of service, selected by their peers, who represent the top one percent of the membership. Holloway had spent a career prior to his Extension career in beef cattle production and marketing. In 2015, Holloway founded the annual Hemphill County Texas A&M AgriLife Beef Cattle Conference with about 85 beef cattle producers in attendance. Since that beginning, more than 2,800 beef cattle producers from 12 states and 52 Texas counties have attended.

The educational value based on AgriLife Extension’s anonymous surveys, and evaluated statistically at Texas A&M University, have shown over $50 million in economic impact to producers accumulative for eight years of the beef cattle conference. Additionally, an annual agribusiness beef cattle trade show has been incorporated with the beef cattle conference that has generated almost a half million dollars in sponsorships for this event.

Holloway has been cited, as well, for co-founding the Hemphill County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Grass Grazing & Animal Managements School with Dr. Tim Steffens. The in-depth study of grass grazing and animal management is a 10-month course where the producers meet for 4 hours each month.

The stakeholders and producers who pay $400 each to take this 40-hour course have accomplished huge changes in stocking rates, water systems, drought management planning and other strategic improvements to soil quality. More than 150 area stakeholders have taken this course over the last 6 years.

Holloway has seen significant changes in Hemphill County 4-H. He collaborates with his co-worker and wife of 34 years, FCH CEA Tanya Holloway. Together they have guided Hemphill County 4-H to double in size of project areas and membership. Their work has helped their students achieve positions as state 4-H Council officers and 4-H state ambassadors, as well as earning many other 4-H awards.

Additionally Holloway has been vital in his role regarding wildfire preparedness, sponsoring a livestock supply point following a major wildfire in Hemphill County on March 6, 2017, as well as programming for BQA, wildlife management, and an oil and natural gas conference in Canadian.

Holloway has previously received three Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Superior Service Awards and the Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence, in addition to numerous programing, communication, and leadership awards. The Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association named Holloway the 2017 Beef Cattle Extension Agent of the Year.

PHOTO: Andy Holloway receives the Achievement Award from NACAA President Phil Durst.