WELCOME TO THE 2019 FARM-CITY PRO RODEO
Farm-City Pro Rodeo
adds special events
to each of the four
performances
Top cowgirls and cowboys slated Youth in Ag night is Aug. 8 56 bronc riders and 57 bull Round 10 of the National Fi-
nals Rodeo where he posted
and all of the 4-H and FFA riders.
for 32nd annual event
Farm-City Pro Rodeo is bring- fair exhibitors get in free. To Some of the best stock in an 87-point ride and earned
in g the best cowboys and kick things up a notch, each North America will be on his third consecutive gold
school in the county com-
petes that night in the Calf
Scramble where each team
races to put a T-shirt on a calf
The 32nd year of PRCA ro- in the arena.
deo in Hermiston starts with Ladies Night is Aug. 9 and
four local wineries will offer
Family Night.
“We want to make it more of each of the women in atten-
an experience instead of just dance free wine tasting. The
rodeo,” said David Bothum, fi nal night is Farm City Night
a member of the Farm City featuring regional micro-
board of directors. “For Fam- breweries offering free tast-
ily Night, we are going to ings to all rodeo fans over 21.
cowgirls in the business to
Hermiston Aug. 7-10 with
special events each of the
four performance nights.
have an area with a tent set
up for autographs and pho-
tos with the bullfi ghters and
clown before the rodeo and
all the kids will get a back
number like the contestants.”
Bothum said 18 of the top 20
performers in each event will
be on hand, including 65 steer
wrestlers, 64 calf ropers, 67
team roping teams, 107 bar-
rel racers, 40 bareback riders,
hand as well as the top-ranked
cowboys
and
cowgirls,
Bothum said, with horses,
bulls, steers and calves com-
ing from the Calgary Stam-
pede, Kesler Championship
Rodeo of Montana, Korkow
Rodeos of South Dakota, and
Corey and Lange Rodeo from
Washington.
Some of the big names ex-
pected to compete are the
bronc riding Wright Brothers
and four-time PRCA World
Champion Bareback Rider
Kaycee Field. Tim O’Connell
is scheduled to appear, just
six months after he suffered
a torn rotator cuff during
buckle.
John Harrison of Oklahoma,
last year’s PRCA Barrel Man
of the Year, will be in the cen-
ter of the arena to entertain
the crowds.
The idea to start the Farm-C-
ity Pro Rodeo was born dur-
ing a party celebrating Butch
Knowles winning the NFR
in saddle bronc in 1987.
Bothum, also a saddle bronc
rider, was Knowles’ rodeo
travel companion. During
the celebration, Bothum said
people started talking about
hosting their own rodeo in
Hermiston, from where many
of Oregon’s top cowgirls and
cowboys hail.
The Farm-City Pro Rodeo
brings a purse of $15,000 per
event plus entry fees for bare-
back riding, tie-down roping,
steer wrestling, saddle bronc
riding, barrel racing and bull
riding. Because there are two
contestants involved in the
team roping event the rodeo
adds $30,000 plus entry fees.
The rodeo is ranked among
the top 50 professional ro-
deos in North America based
on total prize money.
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
Farm-City Pro Rodeo 2019 | 3