Farm & Ranch
Rejuvenating a county’s tradition: Wichita County Mounted Patrol Arena
By staff writer Jessica Bartel
The smell of dirt and livestock, the bright lights of an arena and sound of a large crowd on a Saturday night resonates with so many rodeo competitors and rodeo fans. The Wichita County Mounted Patrol Arena was the stage for many large performances such as the Red River PRCA rodeo and the Ranch Round-Up. Present Wichita County Mounted Patrol President Mike Kephart said, “I remember the day when this place was it! It was a big deal! Cars would be everywhere. People would park all the way to the Wichita River bridge.”
The arena was organized and built by a committee in 1957. Its top contributors were Cletus Shank and Dr. Ted Alexander. Alexander and a group of 15 horse lovers met in the Wichita County Courthouse and organized a riding club named the Wichita County Sheriff’s Patrol. Later, in 1967, the Sheriff’s Patrol changed their name to Wichita County Mounted Patrol.
On March 23, 1958, the first charter was written and the Patrol was incorporated as a non-profit and charitable organization. The committee combined to preserve the western heritage and bring top competitors and rodeo athletes to Wichita County. To read more pick up the April 2014 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Spring has sprung and hopefully the rains will continue where our country will heal from the previous droughts and our grasses will thrive. We are especially hopeful for the Panhandle of Texas where our neighbors and friends have been dealt a deadly blow to homes, ranges, livestock, and people. Keep them in your prayers as they will not be able to return to normal for many years if at all. Having lost their ability to benefit from this great cattle market is a double whammy for all of them.
Now is the time of year when we need to take care of business as it relates to our new calves that have been hitting the ground this spring. First and foremost is vaccinating for Blackleg followed by deworming with a white wormer and the IBR complex. Blackleg is a soil-born disease and with pastures extremely short this spring our calves have been grazing the green grass as soon as it shows itself, making them even more vulnerable to picking contaminates from the soil.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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