Marlena Ballinger, owner of The Dough Hook Meat Market, 117 N Main St, Bluffton, was recently nominated to sit on the board of the National Hereford Women (NHW).

The National Hereford Women is an organization within the American Hereford Association (AHA). On Friday, October 22 Ballinger travelled to Kansas City to the annual AHA conference to accept her nomination and begin serving her four-year term as a director on its board. 

The National Hereford Women organization is a non-profit organization that supports Hereford Beef and youth that are involved in the Hereford Beef programs including National cattle shows. The National Hereford Youth of America is an organization that works closely with NHW who both spread the word about this great breed of cattle and offer many scholarships throughout the year.

Ballinger was surprised and honored that her nomination was accepted. “While most of the women on the board have huge cattle ranches and large Hereford herds, I am beyond honored that they chose me because of my passion for selling Certified Hereford Beef,” Ballinger said. She has owned and operated the Dough Hook Meat Market for over eight years. The business has been in operation for over 13 years and was started by Ballinger’s parents. 

“We have believed in the Certified Hereford Beef since day one and continue to offer it today. We truly believe that it is the best beef in the industry,” Ballinger said. She went on to say that the 2021 convention assured her that the very cattle she sells are raised by good, hard-working ranchers right here in the United States. Ballinger explained that the beef she sells is put through a stricter inspection process because it goes through the Certified Hereford Beef program.

To learn more about Ballinger’s shop, visit www.doughhook.com. To learn more about the NHW,  visit www.herefordwomen.com.