Monthly Archives: February 2024

GUYMON, Okla. – World championships are the most coveted honors in all sports, and rodeo is no different. Men and women battle all year to claim those cherished Montana Silversmiths gold buckles. There is no greater reward, especially in a sport that features so many challenges: all-night drives, competing on little to no sleep, not drawing the right animal to win on and just bad luck. It can be ruthless, which makes any success that much sweeter. Josh Frost is an Oklahoma Panhandle State University alumnus who, over the last three years, has been closer than anyone who has not yet claimed rodeo’s gold. He’s a three-time reserve world champ in bull riding, just whiskers away from the top prize. Over that stretch, he has pocketed just shy of $1.2 million riding bulls. He’s more than a bull rider, though; he’s a true hand. While Stetson Wright is laying claim to the greatest all-around cowboy of this generation because he has excelled in both bull riding and saddle bronc riding, Frost takes to the all-around a little differently. He also competes in team roping, tie-down roping and steer wrestling when his schedule allows, which is why he’s a four-time winner of the Linderman Award, the honor given to the top cowboy that competes in roughstock and timed events. It goes back to his college days in Goodwell, when he entered most of the men’s events at every rodeo he could in the Central Plains Region. He’ll get a chance to relive his time in the Oklahoma Panhandle during this year’s Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. Frost is one of several cowboys from the area who played on rodeo’s biggest stage this past December. He finished the year with $400,766 in bull riding and is one of five Panhandle State cowboys to compete at either the National Finals Rodeo or the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. The most decorated is steer roper Rocky Patterson, a four-time world champion who won his third NFSR average championship last November. He finished the year fifth in the world standings with $101,329. Fellow steer roper Mike Chase competed at his ninth finale and placed in two rounds. Saddle bronc rider Dawson Hay, a four-time NFR qualifier, placed in four rounds, won more than $45,000 and finished 11th in the world standings. Bareback rider Orin Larsen, who was at the championship for the ninth straight year, placed in one round and finished 14th on the money list. Cody Devers, a steer wrestler from Perryton, Texas, competing in Las Vegas for the second time in three years, won the ninth round and left Sin City with nearly $41,000. Wyatt Casper, a bronc buster who grew up in Balko, Oklahoma, placed in five rounds at his fourth straight NFR to collect $63,241; he finished 10th in the world standings with $205,662. “Between OPSU and this region, we’ve got a lot of great talent,” said Ken Stonecipher, chairman of Pioneer Days Rodeo. “It’s awesome that we get to see them on TV when they are in Vegas, but it’s better that they’re going to be in Guymon this spring.”

Northwest Missouri producers learn how to better manage their soils, crops As profit from commodity markets continue to dwindle, some farmers are fighting back to maintain a financial advantage and create more bushels A handful of farmers from northwest Missouri took a big step in that direction by attending the Maximum Farming System seminar conducted by Ag Spectrum. Local producers met with other farmers and professionals from across the Midwest during the Feb. 20-21 meeting in Des Moines, Iowa. “We spent these days with clients refining our skills and knowledge with MFS, which takes a systems approach to nutrient management for any crop,” said Erin Marlow, agronomist at Milne Dinsdale Seed LLC.  “Of course, we are clearly focused on corn and soybeans, and it allows us a chance to better understand what we’re working with and how we can best serve producers.” The system focuses on air and water management, pH, soil-crop balance and the “Five R’s” of nutrient management: right source, right rate, right time, right place and right form, said Travis Milne, Marlow’s partner. “It was good for us to be in the middle of this and to have other farmers with us there, too,” Milne said. One of those was Andy Hull of A&S Hull Farms near Burlington Junction. “It can be information overload, but I learned a lot about crop removal rates,” Hull said. “I understand better what a 200-bushel corn crop actually removes compared to what my fertilizer (recommendations) are. I’m interested in what the crop actually uses and removes.” Even with the abundance of information available and the value of supportive business partners in the Des Moines meetings, he recognized the importance of the messages available. “I’ve been moving in this direction since 2019,” Hull said. “Adding nitrogen on the planter is the final step to jumping completely overboard. “What excites me most is the bigger yields and better soil health.” Hull had another producer with him in Des Moines to help provide the information necessary about what Hull has been doing and why he has joined the operation on some of the ground farmed. Hull wants to make sure those on his team are on the same page. “I attended this year because I wanted to bring my landlord to the meeting,” Hull said. “It is always a great learning opportunity, and I can always use the refresher. I always pick up something new.” Continuing education is vital in many facets of life. For men and women who devoted their lives to agriculture and running a family farm, it’s another big step in the growth and profitability of their operations. “The system also gives the power of nutrient management and crop growth back to the farmer by digging into the details of soil tests, using on-planter nutrition and foliar applications,” Milne said. “These are things farmers can use year in and year out and see a difference in what they produce.”

Cinch cowboy Doescher becomes first Oklahoman to win title In December 1984, the Lazy E Arena opened near Guthrie, Oklahoma, in time to host the National Finals Steer Roping in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo, which was just a few miles away in downtown Oklahoma City. Still, organizers wanted a showcase to define the now-historic complex. Three months later, the inaugural Cinch Timed Event Championship featured the greatest all-around timed-event cowboys of that era in a battle for big bucks and the bragging rights of being the best ever. This happened five years before Cody Doescher was born, yet he still holds one of the most distinct honors in the event, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary during the three days of competition set for Thursday, Feb. 29-Saturday, March 2. A year ago, the Oklahoma City-born cowboy became the first Sooner State competitor to win the Timed Event. In days, he will try to defend that title against 24 other extremely talented cowboys, including world champions like Clay Smith, Haven Meged, Erich Rogers, Tyler Pearson and Cole Patterson. He’ll also test his talents against other Timed Event titlist, including Rogers, two-time titlist Paul David Tierney, Jess Tierney, Justin Thigpen, Taylor Santos, Marcus Theriot and K.C. Jones, a five-time winner. “Winning the Timed Event means a lot to me, because that’s about as close to my hometown as I’ll get rodeo-wise,” said Doescher, 33, a Cinch-endorsed cowboy now living in the eastern Oklahoma hamlet of Webbers Falls. “The Lazy E is a special place to me; I won my first saddle ever there when I was a kid. There are so many great cowboys from Oklahoma, and I’m able to represent Oklahoma on that kind of stage.” The unique championship features 25 contestants competing in all five timed-event disciplines: heading, heeling, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and steer roping. One time through the order constitutes a round, and there are five spread out over three days. It’s a rugged test of ability, adaptability and resilience. It’s especially grueling in a day and age when more cowboys are focused less on their all-around talents and more on individual-event success. Leo Camarillo was already an all-around champion who was part of the first class inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame when he won the first Timed Event in 1985. Trevor Brazile is the winningest cowboy, not only in ProRodeo but also in the Lazy E’s history. He owns seven Timed Event titles to go along with his 26 PRCA gold buckles, a dozen of which came in the all-around; the others spread over heading, tie-down roping and steer roping. Most of this year’s field includes cowboys who focus on one event and dabble in others. Doescher is a true all-around cowboy and made a living over several years competing in multiple events. Much of the time, those were team roping as a heeler and steer wrestling, but he’s never been afraid to rope calves or trip steers. He proved it last March when he left the Lazy E Arena with $107,000 in earnings. “It’s being able to compete at that level in more than one event,” said Doescher, a 2008 Moore (Oklahoma) High School graduate. “There are so many great team ropers and great steer wrestlers and great calf ropers and so many great rodeo guys, but there are not that many that can really compete at a high level at multiple events. Most guys growing up do several events, but when it gets time to start doing it for a living, they focus on one event and try to succeed at that one event the best they can. “I’ve done several events for so long, I like having more than one opportunity at making money. I’ve always worked at multiple events just like I was in one event. Seeing guys outside their comfort zones makes it fun, because you’re going to see guys bulldog that haven’t bulldogged since high school or college trying to do it again.” That’s the intrigue of the Timed Event, that something special that draws out the true cowboy deep within all competitors in the mix. Trying to overcome challenges is just half the battle. “They have to sharpen back up and back in the (timed-event) box for $100,000 and do something they don’t do every day,” he said. “That’s what makes that event stand out. To do the challenge and be able to compete on that kind of stage is something you don’t see or hear about every day.” Doescher received his first offer to be in this invitation-only field in 2014. For nine years, he was bruised and bloodied, all while scraping together some solid performances. He earned just $12,500 in that time. His 10th Timed Event became his finest rodeo moment and provided him and his family with life-changing money. Now, he enters the coveted championship with a chance to defend its title, something hasn’t been done since 2007, when Brazile accomplished it for the second time. “Everybody there is capable of winning,” he said. Five years ago, Doescher was a full-time rodeo cowboy, primarily living on the earnings he made through success in the arena. Circumstances changed at the 2020 Timed Event. He suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery and kept him on the sidelines. Some of the big, winter rodeos in Texas didn’t allow for medical exemptions, so the opportunities to cash in became fewer. With a growing family – he has a wife, Courtney; two step-children, Paizley Rock, 13, and Rance Rock, 8; and a 3-year-old son, Holten – Doescher found more consistent income as a ringman for auctions. He travels across the country with his auction career and is building a business with it. “Without those exemptions at San Antonio and Houston and stuff like that, I wasn’t going to chase it,” he said. “Before I ever got married, I made a promise to myself that I would never go off rodeoing and chase money if I  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Savannah Greenfield is a freshman at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, competing in her first year in the Central Plains Region. There’s a lot of new in her life right now: New friends, new campus, new level of competition. What isn’t new is Greenfield finding success. So far this year, she’s earned points in the three women’s events, barrel racing, goat-tying and breakaway roping. Her greatest success so far came this past weekend at the Kansas State University rodeo in Manhattan. “It was just a cool atmosphere,” said Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon. “Weber Arena is really cool, and the atmosphere really gets the adrenaline pumping; I’m glad I got to compete there before it gets torn down. The cold weather was not for me, but I made it work. I was just a few out of making the short round in goats, so making it in breakaway, I knew I just had to catch.” This was the final year of Weber Arena before the K-State rodeo moves into a newer complex on the north side of the Central Plains’ largest campus. That’s where Greenfield stopped the clock in 3.2 seconds to secure her spot in the championship round. She was 3.4 seconds in the final performance to finish fourth in the short round and also in the two-run aggregate. “I just wanted to be a faster 3(-second run), and that’s what I did in the short round,” she said. Fellow Ranger Lauren Hopkins of Lincoln, California, also made the championship round in breakaway roping. While they led the way for the Northwestern women, Trisyn Kalawaia of Waiakea, Hawaii, continued his dominance in steer wrestling, proving again why Alva is considered the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo. Kalawaia led the way for three Rangers steer wrestlers in the short round, joined by Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota, and Cam Fox of Tulsa. The Hawaiian knocked his steer down in 4.4 seconds to share the first-round win, then was 6.5 seconds to finish fourth in the final round. His two-run cumulative time of 10.9 seconds held up for third place overall. Kalawaia added 125 points to his season total to extend his lead in the Central Plains Region standings. He has 610 points, twice as many as his teammate, Fox, who is second. There are five events remaining in the spring semester. Greenfield is following in the footsteps of her older brother, Kaden, who finished his intercollegiate career at Northwestern. Both are showing off the genes they acquired from their parents, mom Mesa and dad Shawn, the latter of whom was a seven-time steer wrestling qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo. Both Kaden and Savannah are all-around talents, and she’s putting hers on display in college rodeo. “I definitely want to try to make the college finals this year, and I know that I need to make every short round,” she said. “I need to place in the long rounds, and I need to place in the short rounds, and that’s what I plan on doing the rest of these rodeos. I would love to make it in all three events and get the all-around (title) as well.” It’s almost 1,600 miles from Alva to the southern Oregan community of Lakeview, which is not far from the California and Nevada state lines. That’s a long way from the comforts of home, but it’s just what she wanted when she set out to further her education. “I wanted to get out of Oregon and experience something new,” Greenfield said. “I started looking at schools in Oklahoma, and once I toured Northwestern, I knew this was the place for me. It was a big decision, but I’m glad I did it.” There’s a home-like feel to the Alva campus, and there are many opportunities for rodeo athletes to grow. Stockton Graves, an eight-time NFR bulldogger, is in his 13th year coaching his alma mater, and that’s also a drawing card for young cowboys and cowgirls. Greenfield had the perfect teacher in her dad while growing up, and now she’s transitioning a bit to another top cowboy in Graves to provide those lessons. “My dad’s been there, so he knows what it takes, and he’s definitely helped me and my brother a lot,” she said. “I’m just very thankful to have him because he knows what to do. Stockton knows what he’s doing, and he’s been there and done that just like my dad. You want to listen to what he says. He knows what he’s talking about, and he knows what to do to set us up for success and what we need to do to win.” That’s a key factor in why student athletes make their way to Northwestern. They want to be pushed toward success and strive toward championships. “The biggest thing is I definitely just need to practice every day and push myself to become better,” Greenfield said. “You just want to get better.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Dusty Myers was born to do this. A second-generation rodeo clown from Jumpertown, Mississippi, Myers has had a lifelong passion for the sport. His years of experience will be on display as he works the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. “For as long as I can remember, this is what I’ve done,” he said. “From a small child, I have loved being in the trailer and on the road. I love going to new places. It’s exciting for me to go to new rodeos, so when I book some new places each year, it is very exciting.” That’s certainly the case for him this year. He will embark on an adventure to be part of one of the greatest rodeos in the PRCA. Guymon’s marquee event has been named the PRCA’s rodeo of the year and is coming off another nomination for the award in 2023. Nine years ago, Pioneer Days Rodeo was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Why? Because the biggest names in the sport make their way to the Oklahoma Panhandle each spring. The slogan “Where the Champions Come to Play the First Weekend in May” is true in all aspects of the business. Inside Hitch Arena, Myers will work with announcers Andy Stewart and Ken Stonecipher. Stewart has been nominated multiple times for announcer of the year and has worked the National Finals Rodeo. Myers will also be part of the production team headed by Frontier Rodeo Co., the reigning nine-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. “I’ve always heard great things about Guymon, because all the top contestants come there,” said Myers, who has been nominated for Clown of the Year and Comedy Act of the Year and also has been a finalist to be the NFR’s barrelman. “It’s also a big treat for me because I get to work alongside Andy Stewart. Andy and I have worked together a lot, and we’re really good friends.” That comradery will come in handy during the four performances of rodeo in the region once known as “No Man’s Land.” The folks in that part of the country understand the sport and live among the rugged terrain that defines the Panhandle. Myers brings a rustic approach to his style of entertaining. “I call myself a traditionalist,” he said. “I’m really an old-school rodeo clown. I still wear the makeup and the baggy clothes. I still do big-prop acts, and I want to mix it with the dancing, getting up in the crowd and bringing out the laughter. I’m kind of a mixture between what we call an old-school clown and what they call an entertainer.” He’s been doing it a long time and has quite the pedigree. Though he’s in just his sixth year in ProRodeo, Myers is accomplished. He was the NFR alternate in 2020 and is a nine-time IPRA Clown of the Year. He’s been selected to work the International Finals Rodeo 10 times and hosts a great body of honors in regional associations. He also has had some incredible role models, like Mississippi men Lecile Harris and Rudy Burns. “I grew up watching those two gentlemen, and that’s all I ever wanted to do,” Myers said. “Lecile Harris is the reason I’m a rodeo clown.” For many years, Harris was the epitome of a rodeo entertainer. He was so good, he was cast in TV shows and, in 2007, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. With that as a guiding light, Myers had a path to follow. He also was influenced by his own father, Cary, who served as a bull rider, a bullfighter and a rodeo clown. “Back in the ’60s and ’70s when he was doing it, all clowns were bullfighters,” Myers said of his dad. “He was more of a regional cowboy and stayed in the Southeast. He didn’t get out as much as I do, but, yeah, I grew up around rodeo. He said he retired when I was born, but we always stayed in touch with the rodeos.” He’s in tune with it more now than ever. He will make sure to have several acts with him when he arrives in Guymon for the first weekend in May. Most importantly, though, he’s excited to engage with the big crowds that pack into the storied stadium. “I tell a lot of jokes, and I like to do a lot of stuff with the crowd,” Myers said. “I try to do a lot of my own material so that it’s new and not something they see all the time. I’ve studied the guys that did that really well, so I enjoy bringing that into my own work.” Clowning greats like Harris, Barnes, Keith Isley, Quail Dobbs and Leon Coffee have all made an impact on what Myers does and says in the arena, but much of what happens comes with the keen understanding that he’s just part of a family-friendly show that includes big-time athletes and fierce competition. “I’m excited to be there and help bring smiles to everybody’s faces,” Myers said. That’s what’s enticing for the event’s organizers. The volunteer committee that produces the annual showcase works hard to provide the best rodeo action and entertainment possible. “When you bring in someone like Dusty to be your clown and your barrelman, you’re bringing in someone who is professional and understands what works in rodeo,” said Stonecipher, who also is the organization’s chairman. “Dusty is funny, and he has a lifetime of experiences in rodeo that I think people in Guymon are really going to enjoy. Add that to his relationship with Andy, and we have a winning combination.”