Rodeo Houston $50,000 Shootout Results

RodeoHouston March 20, Reliant Stadium Unofficial shootout round results

Bareback riding – 1. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., (shootout round score) 90.5 points on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Fancy Free, (total money) $55,350; 2. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 87, $22,350; 3. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 84, $14,250; 4. Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore., $12,000. Steer wrestling – 1. Cody Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, (shootout round) 3.8 seconds, (total money) $52,650; 2. Justin Davis, Bartonville, Texas, 4.4, $18,550; 3. Wade Sumpter, Fowler, Colo., 4.5, $10,650; 4. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 14.2, $10,350. Team roping – 1. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas, and Cory Petska, Lexington, Okla., (shootout round) 4.1 seconds $56,250 each; 2. Chad Masters, Santo, Texas, and Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 4.8, $21,600; 3. Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 5.1, $12,500; 4. Justin Yost, Hico, Texas, and Kle Crick Lipan, Texas, NT $7,000. Saddle bronc riding – 1. Rod Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, (shootout round) 87.5 points on Burch Rodeo’s Lunitic Fringe, (total money) $54,250; 2. Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 86.5, $18,250; 3. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., 83.5, $10,000; 4. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M., 82.5, $6,300. Tie-down roping – 1. Stran Smith, Childress, Texas, (shootout round time) 8.5 seconds, (total money), $54,175; 2. Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, 11.2, $23,000; 3. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, $7,000. Barrel racing – 1. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., (shootout round), 14.63 seconds, (total money) $61,500; 2. Christina Richman Glendora, Calif., 14.76, $29,375; 3. Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D., 14.79, $11,000; 4. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 20.23, $15,000. Bull riding – 1. Shawn Hogg, Odessa, Texas, (shootout score) 86.5 points on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Sweetwater, (total money) $56,250; 2. Douglas Duncan, Alvin, Texas, 85, $21,250; 3. Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo., 83.5, $13,000; 4. Luke Haught, Weatherford, Texas, $6,000.

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo sets new attendance records

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo shattered record after record this year — from attendance to the number of funnel cakes consumed — with only a few hitches to detract from successes that surprised even its organizers. On Sunday, the last day of the three-week rodeo, general attendance climbed past 2 million visitors as swooning teens lined up to see Justin Bieber perform and rodeo fans filled Reliant Stadium to watch cowboys compete for the Xtreme Bulls title. The general attendance figures for the rodeo, one of North America's largest fairs, blew away last year's record of 1.89 million. “Food sales, carnival sales — it all went through the roof,” said the rodeo's chief financial officer, Jennifer Hazelton. About half of the livestock auctions, including goats and lambs, set new bidding records. A record-breaking crowd of 74,222 people filled the stands for Go Tejano Day this year, beating the prior record of 74,147 set last year. The attendance at rodeo performances also beat a record 1.22 million, set in 2003: the first year the rodeo was held at Reliant Stadium instead of the Astrodome...read more

Baxter Black: Adopt a farmer

As the percent of farmers continues to decrease in proportion to the population, it seems the harder the ANTIs (HSUS, PETA, Sierra Club, name one) try to increase America's dependence on foreign food just as they have done with manufacturing, energy, timber and steel. They have the foresight of a mayfly. If farmers were a race we'd be a minority smaller than the National Left-Handed-Americans for a Fair Shake! So, I'm thinkin' there must be more opportunities for farmers to elevate our reputation. The Hare Krishna and Farm Sanctuary drew attention with their Adopt a Heifer fundraiser. The BLM has Adopt a Mustang. Freeways have sold Adopt a Mile. How 'bout Adopt a Farmer? We could have a spin off of the Dating Game. Three farmers could sit behind a curtain while a Real American Consumer (RAC) could ask questions of a sheepherder, a corn farmer and a horse whisperer...read more

Song Of The Day #268

Ranch Radio will have a Western Swing Week. Today's selection is Hey Toots by Dick Reinhart & The Universal Cowboys.

This version is from his 20 track CD Hot Rod Baby on the Cattle label. What's available on disk you can see here, or better yet download his 78s for free at Western Swing On 78.

Frank DuBois Bronc Riding & Calf Roping

Friday March 26th 6:00 PM
Southern NM Fairgrounds
Las Cruces, NM

**Free Admission**







Broncs - Entry Fees $150
$1000 ADDED

Elimination Roping
Entry Fees $150
$1000 ADDED

Go 1: All ropers/eliminate to leave 10
Go 2: 10 ropers/eliminate 2 slowest
Go 3: 8 ropers/eliminate 2 slowest
Go 4: 6 ropers/eliminate 2 slowest
Go 5: 4 ropers/eliminate 2 slowest
Go 6: The Showdown!
Guaranteed Payout:
Go's 1-5 pay $150 to fast time!
GO 6 PAYS $1500 TO FAST TIME!


Entries Open March 16 @ 9am
Entries Close March 24 @ 5pm
Enter by calling 575-646-3659

Ecological Science as a Creation Story

Since at least the late 1980s, environmental writers have made growing use of the explicit Christian language of “the Creation.” Two 1990s books by environmental authors, for example, are Caring for Creation (Oelschlaeger 1994)and Covenant for a New Creation ( Robb and Casebolt 1991). The magazine of the Natural Resources Defense Council describes the need for a greater “spiritual bond between ourselves and the natural world similar to God’s covenant with creation” (Borelli 1988). Natural environments isolated historically from European contact are commonly described as having once been an “Eden” or a “paradise” on the earth—similar to the Creation before the fall (McCormick 1989; “Inside the World’s Last Eden” 1992). Such creationist language has also invaded mainstream environmental politics. During his tenure as vice president, Al Gore said that we must cease “heaping contempt on God’s creation” (qtd. in Niebuhr 1993). In a 1995 speech remarkable for its religious candor, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt said that “our covenant” requires that we “protect the whole of Creation.” Invoking messages reminiscent of John Muir, Babbitt argued that wild areas are a source of our core “values” because they are “a manifestation of the presence of our Creator.” It is necessary to protect every animal and plant species, Babbitt said, because “the earth is a sacred precinct, designed by and for the purposes of the Creator,” and thus we can learn about God by encountering and experiencing his creation. The American environmental movement has deep roots in and still depends heavily on the conviction that a person finds a mirror of God’s thinking in the encounter with wild nature—or, in traditional Christian terms, that a person is in the presence of “the Creation.” Absent this conviction, many of the American environmental movement’s basic beliefs and important parts of its policy agenda would be difficult to explain and defend.1 The use of creation language also reflects an increased role that the institutional churches of Christianity are now playing in the environmental movement. This involvement has worked to narrow the previously large linguistic gap between traditional Christian creationism and what might be called a secular “environmental creationism”—the use of creationist language without the explicit Christian context...read more

Corned grief: biofuels may increase CO2

In the March 2010 issue of BioScience, researchers present a sophisticated new analysis of the effects of boosting use of maize-derived ethanol on greenhouse gas emissions. The study, conducted by Thomas W. Hertel of Purdue University and five co-authors, focuses on how mandated increases in production of the biofuel in the United States will trigger land-use changes domestically and elsewhere. In response to the increased demand for maize, farmers convert additional land to crops, and this conversion can boost carbon dioxide emissions. The analysis combines ecological data with a global economic commodity and trade model to project the effects of US maize ethanol production on carbon dioxide emissions resulting from land-use changes in 18 regions across the globe. The researchers’ main conclusion is stark: These indirect, market-mediated effects on greenhouse gas emissions “are enough to cancel out the benefits the corn ethanol has on global warming.” The indirect effects of increasing production of maize ethanol were first addressed in 2008 by Timothy Searchinger and his coauthors, who presented a simpler calculation in Science. Searchinger concluded that burning maize ethanol...read more

Wolf protest draws 200 to downtown Jackson

Roughly 200 outfitters, ranchers and sportsmen crowded Center Street on Saturday to rally against wolves, a predator they say is ruining the state’s elk population and threatening livestock. “We’re here to support our heritage,” said Brian Taylor, one of the event’s organizers and owner of Gros Ventre Wilderness Outfitters. “The wolf has no place on the endangered species list. They back us into a corner and, by God, we’re ready to fight.” Taylor and other speakers told stories about watching wolves chasing and killing elk, household pets and livestock. “We have no ability to keep the wolf from our door,” he said. Much of the talk from the protesters was aimed at environmental groups, who they say have used lawsuits to dominate the wolf debate and keep the species under Endangered Species Act protection. “I’m really tired of meaningless statistics,” said Mike Trumbower, an outfitter and Hoback Junction resident. “It’s just a big smokescreen. Wolves are, no doubt, the most effective predator in North America. People who say they don’t make an impact are totally ignoring the facts.” Bob Wharff, Wyoming executive director of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, called the wolf debate “a battle we cannot afford to lose.”...read more

Lawmen of the lonesome range

Four Twin Falls County lawmen patrol the outskirts of a county the size of Rhode Island, where wild animals are sometimes the bad guys. The small team of deputies from the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office works to protect people and property from thieves and predators on high desert terrain lush with valuable livestock and wildlife. For ranchers grazing cattle worth upwards of $800 to $1,700per head, this law enforcement presence is welcomed, especially in the spring as small calves vulnerable to predators appear and grow. On the range, Vaughn is sometimes entirely out of radio service. As he drives on, the radio crackles beside the heavy moan of the pickup’s engine. Cell phone service dwindles as the roads become rougher. Vaughn said he believes he has seen a wolf while on rural patrol at least once during the past three years. His beat includes both on-road and off-road areas that include private ranches, federal Bureau of Land Management areas and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service lands. He says the area amounts to about 1 million acres of mostly public land. The sheriff’s office receives payment for patrolling federal land inside the county, which has a $234,000 annual budget for rural patrol, according to Stewart...read more

The federal agencies are doing it right in this area of Idaho. As I previously posted, the BLM & FS should contract with local law enforcement rather than building a costly, bureaucratic and unfriendly police force with drones in the sky and hidden cameras on the ground.

Ranchers eligible for assistance with wolf-related livestock losses

Ranchers who have suffered livestock losses resulting from wolf depredation are eligible for federal assistance through an emergency assistance program administered by the New Mexico Farm Service Agency. Salomon Ramirez, the agency's executive director, announced availability through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) as authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. Wolf depredation has been determined to be an eligible loss condition under ELAP for livestock death losses occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2008, and before Oct. 1, 2011. Under the provisions, FSA may spend up to $50 million per year nationwide to provide emergency relief for losses due to feed or water shortages, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires and, now, wolf depredation, losses that are not adequately addressed by other disaster programs. To date, wolf depredation is the only loss condition approved on a national level as an eligible loss condition for livestock death losses under ELAP provisions. "In 2008 and 2009, livestock producers in several counties in the New Mexico wolf range, had U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service verified incidents of depredation by Mexican gray wolves," Ramirez said. "This is important to note because ELAP benefits are available to only those producers who can provide verifiable evidence of livestock losses."...read more

Drilling waste feud

A feud has developed between Doug "Hump" Humphreys and some of his neighbors after he put in a soil farm, known as Maverick Energy Services, two years ago. The land is adjacent to the Olivo cattle farm, which has been operating for decades about four miles east of Holdenville. Soil farms feature pits where drilling fluid waste is stored and then later applied to the land. The waste had historically been disposed of in commercial pits. Humphreys said he's given the Oklahoma Corporation Commission the key to his gate to inspect his operation any time. The possible chemical build-up is what worries cattle ranchers. "We don't know the long-term affect on livestock," said John Stirman, a cattle rancher who lives nearby. Neighbors are also concerned about water contamination and land spoilage over time. "There's nothing farm' about it," said cattle rancher Donald Hardwick. "It's just one big slush pit." The Corporation Commission regulates eight soil farms, and two pending applications in Haskell and Love counties have received protests. The farms have become popular in the last 10 years with the introduction of horizontal wells to increase drilling activity, and hydraulic fracturing to generate drilling mud, said Tim Baker, manager of pollution abatement for the Corporation Commission's oil and gas conservation division. Landowners are compensated by oil and gas companies to allow the spreading of drilling fluids on their farm land. Baker said the Corporation Commission has processed 15,507 permits during the past 15 years. "They make it worth the landowners while to do that. If it were harmful, they wouldn't do it," Baker said...read more

Montana leads 16-state effort to save small farms and ranches

Montana is leading a 16-state effort to save small farmers and ranchers by urging the federal government to use antitrust weapons and enlist the states' help to fight increasing consolidation in agriculture. The feds are listening. Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack say a series of workshops on competition in the industry an unprecedented act of cooperation between their agencies. But they also say it's not clear what actions will come from the hearings, which are examining competition in U.S. dairy, seed, meatpacking and crop production. Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock, who is spearheading the agricultural states' effort, said too much consolidation has resulted in unfair trade practices that tip the balance against farmers and ranchers. With Justice Department and USDA cooperation, he said, "This will be a watershed moment to have actual enforcement capabilities." Bullock and the other attorneys general are calling for a halt of any further consolidation or integration in the agricultural sector without a critical review coordinated with the states. They submitted recommendations to federal officials on what needs to be done. Among them...read more

Unfortunately, none of the recommendations address the federal statutes and regulatory regimes which have contributed to the consolidation.

USDA lax in watching organics market

The Agriculture Department has failed to enforce penalties against some who falsely marketed foods as organic, according to an internal department investigation. A report by the agency's inspector general says the agency needs to step up enforcement of those who sell products under the "USDA Organic" label but do not meet government standards to do so. The report says the department has made improvements in maintaining the integrity of the organic program in recent years, but needs to better handle complaints about potential violators. Oversight of the organic program has become more important and more scrutinized as the industry has exploded in popularity over the last decade, growing 14 to 21 percent annually with sales of $24.6 billion in 2008. As more companies have vied to be part of the business, critics have charged that the government has not been restrictive enough in what it allows to be labeled as organic. The internal report says the department has failed to monitor some companies it had already identified as improperly marketing their products as organic. In one case, the department never issued enforcement action against an operation that had marketed non-organic mint under the department's label for two years...read more

Fiction review: 'Bone Fire' by Mark Spragg

And according to "Bone Fire," Mark Spragg's latest novel, Wyoming is a place where serious people are scrabbling to find happiness in a barren emotional landscape. In "Bone Fire," Spragg brings together characters he introduced in his previous books, "The Fruits of Stone" and "An Unfinished Life." Rancher Einar Gilkyson is 80 and fading. His granddaughter Griff has dropped out of the Rhode Island School of Design to take care of him. She putters around the ranch, working on bone sculptures and mooning after her boyfriend Paul -- seems neither of them can actually commit. On a nearby ranch, Paul and his young nephew Kenneth live with McEban, one of countless slow-talking cowboys who inhabit Spragg's Wyoming. Meanwhile, back in town, Griff's stepfather, Sheriff Crane Carlson, learns he has a debilitating disease, but his wife, Griff's mom, is an alcoholic housewife who has no idea he's sick. They're all miserable, but no one wants to talk about it. The story moseys along as the characters muck through their trials and unhappiness. It seems Wyoming has the same mundane problems that occur anywhere in the world. But these somber Wyomingites have each other, and that stubborn loyalty is what makes it all bearable. Even more meaningful is their unbreakable tie with the land...read more

Comfortable fit: Boot Roundup & Shoe Repair

On Broadway in Chula Vista, Boot Roundup & Shoe Repair looks like a hole in the wall, stuffed with shoes, cobbling material and equipment. Its sister shop — Chito’s Shoe Repair — has a similar appearance in the heart of trendy North Park. Despite first impressions, both shops are landmarks that do high-volume business for their owner, Chito Martinez, who has been in the shoe world for almost 50 years. The Chula Vista shop is closest to the old shoemaker’s heart, because it is where he and dozens of his friends, many with decades of history together, gather daily for laughter and fellowship...read more

It's All Trew: Buffalo horses and outlaw cattle

In another interview, an old cowboy told of working on a big ranch that had a wide brushy river bottom running through the middle of the ranch. The owners were trying to upgrade the quality of their cattle but were having trouble with several outlaw bulls running wild in the bottom. They ordered their cowboys to gather the wild bulls or shoot them. Hard, dangerous riding finally found and ran down several of the wild bulls missed during years of previous roundups. They were so large and stout, even when roped they could not be pulled to where they were to be loaded on trailers. The men tied the beasts by their horns to trees hoping they would be more docile after going without feed and water for a few days. Before they returned, a bad thunderstorm came up and caused a flood several feet deep down the brushy river bottom. The outlaw bulls all drowned while tied to the trees. For years afterward, ranch cowboys would occasionally ride upon a huge, bleached bull skull still tied to a tree by a rope. Though this story may sound cruel at first, probably to these "born free" wild animals, drowning was better than being confined in pens and eventually butchered for beef...read more

Song Of The Day #267

Ranch Radio will get your heart started and your foot tappin' this Monday morning with Buddy Emmons' rendition of Boot Heel Drag.

The tune is available on his 12 track CD Buddy Emmons sings Bob Wills.

Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Meanwhile back at the arena

by Julie Carter

Roping and rodeo season is gearing up to the usual spring frenzy and those ropers that find themselves afoot are horse shopping.

The used-horse business flourishes but unless you get a far piece beyond your territory, everybody knows you, your business and the horse you might be looking at.

Heard at the arena, "He don't know it, but that horse will make your eyes pop," said one cowboy.

"No way. I know that horse and he's one of the uglier ones to be found," said the other cowboy.

"I'm not talking about his looks," retorted the first cowboy. "I'm talking about he stops so hard on his front feet that when your crotch hits the saddle horn, your eyes will pop."

This is important criteria to know.

Then there is Joe and Pete, whose names have been changed since it was established one of them can read, and didn't so much enjoy his newfound notoriety when their antics previously hit print.

As a precaution, their undercover names will be kept to a simple, one syllable.

Joe and Pete, when we last spoke of them, were going to win the world without bothering with any roping practice. Not needed, they were sure of that. That spree lasted about six weeks and came to an unremarkable close.

Spring fever has again beset the pair and the difference this year is that they both decided they needed new horses.

Joe's horse, Hack Rein, is 20-plus years old and Pete's trusty steed, Stix, has seen 21 years and counting.

Besides being naturally tightfisted, neither of them are flush with funds. Rick is the friend designated to alleviate the current cash flow issue with a little horse trading in the mix.

Joe is going to sell Hack Rein to Rick. That gets Rick mounted. Joe has neglected to tell him that Hack Rein has a slight bob to his head and at times, a serious limp.
Hack Rein is a heading horse, so Rick will be a header.

Joe is then going to buy Pete's horse, Stix, who also has a slight bob to his head and on bad days, will limp slightly.

That gets Joe mounted. Stix is also a heading horse, so Joe will be a header.
Pete is the only one left afoot. He is looking at a black horse said to be priced extremely reasonable.

That's a serious consideration with this bunch.

The black horse has been known to occasionally limp and to stop on his front feet pretty hard. Recall the earlier "eye popper" conversation.

He, too, is a heading horse, but an extremely good bargain.

All three ropers are now mounted and will shortly begin practice to win the world when the weather warms up and arenas dry up.

It has not yet occurred to them that that all three of them will have to be headers. The excitement over their "new" horses has, at least temporarily, clouded that detail of reality.

The upside of this is, counting on heelers to show up is just as iffy. The most recent best excuse by a heeler to not to show up to a roping was he'd decided to enter a coyote calling contest instead. Hey, it happens.

For those watching this scenario unfold, there is a suggestion of confidence that the trio may not figure out that all of them are headers until they go to enter a roping.

Like last year's unnecessary practice, planning ahead is rarely the selected option.
The mental image of them riding their head-bobbing, gimping horses around the arena while they try to figure out how to make a team out of three headers, lends itself to a "three stooges in cowboy hats" moment.

One can almost already hear the "N'yuk, n'yuk, n'yuk."

The first roping they go to may take more than the usual supply of aiming fluid.

Julie can be reached for comment at jcarter@tularosa.net. Here website is www.julie-carter.com .

NMSU Rodeo team competes and wins at season openers

The New Mexico State University Rodeo team blew away the competition during National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) rodeos at Cochise College, in Fort Huachuca, Ariz., March 5-6 and the University of Arizona, in Tucson, Ariz., March 7.

The men’s and the women’s teams placed first at both rodeos, each time leading the competition by more than 60 points.

“The team did great this weekend at our spring season openers; both the men’s and the women’s teams stepped up and were very competitive. NMSU Rodeo is definitely going to have a solid team for the College National Finals Rodeo in June,” said Jim Dewey Brown, NMSU Rodeo coach.

In the saddlebronc riding event, Steve Hacker, of Battle Mountain, Nev., and Garrison DeWitt, of Rio Rico, Ariz., placed first and second, respectively.

Westin Fowler, of Las Cruces, N.M., won first in the bull riding.

Grants, N.M., native JoDan Mirabal won first in the tie-down roping, with Bo Simpson, of Las Cruces, N.M., placing second.

In the team roping, Mirabal, header, and Parker Reed, heeler, of Apollo College, received first. The team of Bryce Runyan, header, of Silver City, N.M., and Tel Trammell, heeler, of Tularosa, N.M., placed second.

For the women’s team, Jessica Silva, of Tularosa, N.M., won first in the breakaway roping, with teammate Katie Waybourn, of Aztec, N.M., placing second in the goat tying.

Mirabal was named the men’s all-around cowboy and Jordan Bassett, of Dewey, Ariz., was named the women’s all-around cowgirl for the rodeo.

During the second rodeo of the weekend, DeWitt won first in the saddlebronc riding. Thor Dusenberry, of Desert Hills, Ariz., placed second, and Hacker received third.

In the tie-down roping, Johnny Salvo, of Horse Springs, N.M., won first. Simpson received second.

Tyler Dietering, header, of Central Arizona College, and Corban Livingston, heeler, of El Paso, Texas, won first in the team roping. The team of Daniel Scalva, of Durango, Colo., and Aaron Shelley, of Gila, N.M., received second.

Shiann Irwin, of Bosque Farms, N.M., and Waybourn placed second and third, respectively, in the breakaway roping.

Bassett placed second in the barrel racing and third in the goat tying. She also was named the women’s all-around for the rodeo.

The next NIRA rodeo will be at Central Arizona College in Florence, Ariz., March 20-21.

Song Of The Day #266

Ranch Radio's Gospel tune this morning is Lift Your Voice In Prayer by the bluegrass group Special Consensus.

The tune is on their 12 track CD The Trail Of Aching Hearts on the Pinecastle label.