The American Hereford Association is an organization in the USA that promotes Hereford cattle. It was founded in 1883 and operated out of the home of Charles Gudgel in Independence, Missouri. In 1899, it hosted the Hereford Association Cattle Show in a tent in the Kansas City stockyards. The show evolved into the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, rodeo, and barbecue competition. In 1995, the Association merged with the American Polled Hereford Association.