REGION IX

198 Pool Road • Richards, Texas 77873 936.661.4163 • rhanagriff@gmail.com

MIKE YARGO

PO Box 551 • New Waverly, Rexas 77358 936.581.0527mjyargo!@yahoo.com

STUDENT OFFICERS

PRESIDENT - RILEY JO CHEATHAM VICE PRESIDENT - BOYD HANAGRIFF SECRETARY - CHASE MCBEE

198 Pool Road • Richards, Texas 77873 936.661.4163 • rhanagriff@gmail.com

SECRETARY - LACEY AUBIHL

1326 PR 5011 • Ledbetter, Texas 78946

979.251.4131 • reionixsecretary@gmail.com

STATE DIRECTORS / REGION OFFICERS

BRAD DYER

149 Willow Creek • Huntsville, Texas 77340 832.928.1647 • braddyer@live.com

PERFORMANCE REPORT

By TYLIE MCDONALD – Performance Reporter

While the summer rodeos may be coming to an end, the good news is that THSRA Region 9’s rodeos are going to be here before you know it. Mark the dates, October 16-17 at the Burleson County Saddle Club arena is where we will kick off the ‘21-‘22 rodeo season.

Thrilled would be an understatement when describing the feeling of starting a new season, due to the fact that the competitors in this region are rich in talent. With that being said, let’s take a minute to brag on our Region 9 kiddos for how exceptional they did at one of the biggest summer rodeos, the National High School Finals Rodeo.

Seven of our very own athletes made the long haul to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete for a national title. Comically, we were originally only sending six; I got a call a week before the finals letting me know that since I had finished 5th in the breakaway and someone drew out, that I was getting to go to the finals in the number 4 spot. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to represent Team Texas as well as Region 9 at my 3rd National Finals.

I had an extremely blessed week and ended up 4th in the short go, but more importantly 4th in the world; not too bad considering I was not even supposed to be there. However, I was not the only one to bring home some hardware. In fact, all seven of us made the short go (top 20), tie-down ropers Koby Douch and Tyler Calhoun finished 13th and 3rd, goat tyer Brooklyn Balch (NHSFR second round champion) and bareback rider Bradlee Miller both finished 10th, and we had two of our members completely demolish the competition and bring home world championships.

Kiley Hargrave-Batten (THSRA State Champion) and Socks (the fastest pony in the world) lived up to their labels at the finals in the pole bending. This tiny but mighty duo won the first round, 4th in the second round, and came into the short go in the number two spot. The pressure was on during her final run; she stayed calm, cool and collected in order to accomplish her goal. On the contrary, after her final run, there was no hiding the excitement and relief on Hargrave-Batten’s face when she realized she had just won an NHSRA world title with an outstanding time of 60.718 on three runs.

Along with the pole bending championship, Jake Starns brought home the gold in the boy’s cutting. The senior team roper and cutter went out of his high school rodeo career with a bang. He and his equine partner marked a total of 436 points allowing him to finish four points ahead of second place. Along with the world title, Starns also won 5th in the first round and 1st in the second round.

Without a doubt, the athletes of Region 9 contributed a generous amount of the 14,538.33 points towards the All-Around team competition. With great honor, I am happy to say that the seven kids from Region 9 had a lot to do with Team Texas winning their 6th consecutive NHSFR All-Around Team world title. Not only is this accomplishment great in itself, but this win made history and broke the record for most consecutive All-Around world titles won. Along with the All-Around title, Texas won the Girls’ and Boys’ Team world titles as well. Can you say clean sweep? Best of luck to all ten regions across the state as they begin a new season. We can’t wait to catch y’all in Abilene for the THSRA State Finals where I am expecting Region 9 to dominate once again. Safe travels and God bless.

Summer Recap

JAKE STARNS

photo by Acentric Rodeo

KILEY HARGRAVE-BATTEN

photo by Acentric Rodeo

Farm & Ranch Family

The folks at McCoy’s Building Supply understand that it takes a lot of hard work and the whole family pitching in to get things done on a farm or ranch. That’s why we’d like to take some time out to salute Texas High School Rodeo Association families who are farmers and ranchers. In our monthly Farm & Ranch Family Spotlight, we’ll feature one family, sharing their story of how they work together as a family to make their farm or ranch successful. The spotlight will run for 10 months; each month will feature a different Region. Each Regional McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family will receive a $100 McCoy’s Gift Card. The McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family of the Year will receive a $500 McCoy’s Gift Card and will be announced at the 2022 THSRA State Finals.

The Richard Family of Region II

by Ava Anderson

Congratulations, to the Richard's Family, the McCoy's Farm and Ranch Family of the Month! Joe Richards and his wife Brandi and two daughters, Madalyn and Lucy are Region 2 members. The Richards have owned and operated the Diamond Cattle Feeders for twenty years in Hereford, Texas.

The family-owned enterprise is a 17,000 head custom feedyard located in the heart of cattle feeding country, specializing in the best customer service from “the buy”, risk management to “the sell”, said Joe, "We believe in putting our customers and their cattle first, and we also help our customers maximize their particular position."

Brandi is employed as an animal health sales representative for Boehringer Ingelheim, and she calls on feed yards and veterinarians in the panhandle. Her expertise is not only valuable in her outside employment; but is also utilized in the Richard's family-owned business as well.

Their eldest daughter, Madalyn is a nineteen year old freshman at Texas A&M University studying engineering. She was the 2020 NHSRA World Champion Goat Tyer and the 2019 Texas State Champion Goat Tyer. Her sister Lucy is fifteen years old, and is a sophomore at Vega High School. She was the 2021 THSRA Rookie of the Year and a 2021 National qualifier in goat tying.

Joe and Brandi shared that they love watching their girls compete in whatever sport they're involved in, whether it be playing basketball, roping, goat tying, breakaway, barrels or pole bending, or just playing a game of tiddly winks at home. The whole family cherishes their time in the truck hauling to rodeos, along with their time spent with family and friends on the rodeo trail.

This family works together to make their family business successful through various means, including utilizing a custom calendar and advanced planning, which is vital to their success as a family business. Brandi and her daughters try to take care of everything at home from the horses to cattle, and Joe takes care of the feedyard. Madalyn and Lucy are also depended upon as back-up help at the feedyard, doing anything they are told from riding pens to shipping and receiving cattle. But, speaking from a mother's heart, Brandi says, "The girls will do whatever we need, but it's not always willingly!"

However, Madalyn and Lucy have been trained do anything around the yard from weighing silage trucks to cleaning water tanks. They are also called upon to check on outside cattle as well as feeding and putting out mineral. The women in this family are definitely multi-taskers and also help out in the office answering phones or inputting daily work. Brandi's quips, "About the only thing the females in this family don't do, is carry off dead skunks, that is Joe's job regardless!"

Brandi further shared that the most important traits that Madalyn and Lucy have learned from their involvement at Diamond Cattle Feeders and at the ranch, is perseverance, communication and the value of our employees.

Brandi elaborated on the fact, that the feedyard never stops. Their statistics consists of 34,000 of feeder cattle in a one year feedyard turn. From day to day we are busy buying cattle, selling cattle, hedging, feeding and caring for the cattle, as well as mixing feed, buying feed ingredients, making rations, and doing yard maintenance, as well as placing and caring for outside cattle on grass, as well as raising wheat and sorghum silage. Plus the cattle must be fed three times a day every single day and it takes more than just our family to get the job done. "Many of our employees from the pen riders to the feedtruck drivers have worked with us every day since we started", said Brandi , "This type of loyalty is a testament to how much our employees are valued and respected, which is one of the most important traits our girls can learn and carry with them through out their lifetime."

The Richard's chose this lifestyle instead of the typical 8 to 5 job because Joe and Brandi were both raised on ranches. Brandi was raised in Northeastern New Mexico outside of Raton. Joe’s family has ranches outside of Fairfield, Texas, where his family had also owned Buffalo Livestock for many years. "Livestock and agriculture

is what we knew and where our network was so it only made since that we ended up here toghether," exclaimed Brandi. "Involvement in THSRA has further shaped our lives and has made the girls value their time and the power of setting goals and structuring a framework to achieve those goals," said Brandi, "Practice and getting ready for THSRA rodeos happens every day at our ranch, along with organizing our schedules and prioritizing our family time, in order to insure that the girls are able to get their horses exercised, calves roped, goats tied, homework completed, and basketball or track practice done, which to say the least is a constant juggle in our household."

The Richard's further shared some of their thoughts on the commercialization of the farm and ranch industry, by explaining that commercialization is the process of managing or running something principally for financial gain and added, "We love the cattle business and are grateful for the life lessons and opportunities it provides us. Afterall, what other industry allows you to take your kids with you to work everyday, and pass down generations of memories or experiences from the front seat of a pickup truck?"

However, to be able to continue to run their business efficiently and do all they possibly can to conserve their valuable resources, they elaborated on the fact that "Even though, we are a family business, that does not mean that we can use a big chief tablet and pencil to do our financials, because agriculture is big business weather you are a small farm or a large corporate entity." "The idea that this way of life may sound romantic to many, the truth is at the end of the day, we all have to pay our bills and entry fees. We are surrounded by other family owned feed yards, farms and ranches, as many of our friends in THSRA are as well. It is our business and goal to continue feeding a growing population and we can’t do that unless we embrace technology, along with the best practices, and utilize our resources efficiently and conservatively," said Joe.

The Richard family feels very honored to be selected as this month's McCoy’s Farm and Ranch Family. Although, there is no McCoy's in close proximity, they make it a point to shop there as much as possible for many of their needs such as feedyard maintenance, water tanks reconstruction, building of pens both at the feedyard and on the ranch, and other items which they need to help them run their ranch and feedyard more efficiently. "We have seen how committed McCoy’s is to THSRA and it is that kind of commitment and loyalty that we respect and hope that we reflect in our own lives, said Brandi, "We are also grateful to THSRA for providing an incredible opportunity to compete against the very best high school rodeo athletes in the world."

PROUD SPONSOR

Of THSRA & TJHRA