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A July 25, 2013 Issue 264-17-15
In Team Roping, Rider Is Counting on Partner
Check out our Agstuff Classifieds Pages A14-19
Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 County Fairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-24 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Country Living House Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
The Lighter Side Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Markets Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Livestock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A13
Government Report Government Report . . . . . . . . . . . . A6
Ag Management UNL Public Policy Specialist: Rocky Road Ahead for Farm Bill, But Still Doable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4
Livestock News Chris Peters, The Grand Island Independent GRAND ISLAND — When staring down a steer, tasked with looping a rope around its legs, it’s nice to have some help. Dally team roping, the final event of the State 4-H Horse Expo at Fonner Park, is split into two classes — headers and heelers. Headers are judged on how quickly they rope a steer by the horns or head and by how well they position it for the heeler. Heelers try to rope the steer’s hind feet. If a heeler fails to rope the steer in two tries, the team gets zero points. If the header fails to rope the steer — a rare occurrence — or can’t get the steer in good position for the heeler to successfully rope its legs, the team gets zero points. It pays to have a familiar face atop the other horse. Someone to rely on. "It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation between the riders," arena superintendent Monte Stauffer said on Thursday. "It’s probably an advantage if you rope with someone you’re familiar with."
Judges don’t score the teammate — they only focus on the header or heeler, depending on the class. But it still takes the cooperative effort to rope the steer’s legs. Expert ropers and riders come at a premium. Although competitors can choose a teammate, the 4H’ers can only ride two times outside their own runs. Many of the best already have teammates. Any free agents are scooped up quickly. When a competitor jumps from one teammate to another, hearts can get broken. Some call the move "getting dumped." Clay Real, a heeler from Grafton, and Kelton Adair, a header from Kearney, have been teammates in some form or another for four years. The 17-year-olds back each other up as each tries his hand at both heading and heeling. Real and Adair agreed that their team functions well because each of them stays focused on his responsibility. "You kind of just stick to your own role out there," Real said. "You make it so easy that you can’t miss."
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Riding his horse Red Rock Hancock, Clay Real, 16, of Grafton catches the back leg of a steer with his lasso during the Dally Team Roping - Heeler portion of the State 4-H Horse Expo at Fonner Park in Grand Island. Real went on to win reserve champion honors for the event with help from his partner, Kelton Adair of Kearney. (Independent/Barrett Stinson) Like many teams at the State 4-H Horse Expo, Real and Adair don’t practice together. They rope steers, calves or dummies alone on their own ranches. But when it comes time to pull the trigger and launch a lasso, they rely on the chemistry and timing they’ve developed over the years. "A lot of people don’t think it’s very mental," Adair said. "But it’s totally mental." Real considers himself a heeler, even though his only 4-H state championship came as a header in 2011. He and Adair, who have been in 4-H nearly a decade, were both seeking their first state championships in their preferred roping events Thursday.
Heartland Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . A12
Production News Cover Crops for Irrigated Corn . . B10
Schedule of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A9
Immediately out of the gate in the heading finals, Adair roped the steer around the horns. He slowed it to about half-speed, and Real advanced to the animal’s rear. His first shot connected, and the pair pulled tight on their ropes, securing both hind legs, signifying the end of their run. As they left the arena, Adair turned to Real, looking at him through aviator sunglasses, and said, "Heck, yeah, buddy," connecting with a high-five. The pair’s two-round score of 100 won Adair his first state championship.
Continued on page 11
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 7/12/13
Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$114.57 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . .167.83 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143.81 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .187.33 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95.96 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . .* Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .89.39 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .120.75 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333.77
120.50
120.22
154.00 140.89 201.62 101.78 * 99.53 120.00 282.05
171.20 152.84 193.30 97.69 * 102.48 116.00 275.66
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.13 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.85 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.04 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .12.98 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . .3.92
6.83 7.05 15.12 12.05 4.24
6.89 6.96 15.19 11.48 3.85
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . .212.50 Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . . .175.00 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . .147.50 Dried Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .274.00 Wet Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100.00 * No market.
* 250.00 225.00 180.00 217.50 150.00 231.00 225.00 91.00 82.50