Country Lifestyles
Amber Crawford, Breakaway Roper
By Dani Blackburn
A 5’1” cowgirl backs her horse into the box and gives the nod for the calf in the chute next to her to be released. Her name is Amber Crawford, the event is the American, and just one year ago, she and her fellow competitors were watching from the sidelines.
The American in Arlington, Texas, is one of numerous rodeos to have added this fast paced, action-packed event to their lineup. Opportunities are on the rise for those in breakaway roping, including the Daddy of ‘Em All in Cheyenne, Wyo., the Pendleton Round-up in Oregon and the Days of 47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not only are the events making room for female competitors, but the payouts also are on the rise.
“It has grown so much. Just five years ago I would flat out say I worked full time hours so I could rope. Now it is crazy because it is becoming where I can almost do the opposite; that is how much it has grown and the opportunities, if we promote them and do right by what people and rodeo committees are offering us, are going to keep growing,” Amber said.
The Springtown, Texas, cowgirl got her start in roping at an early age. Amber was born and raised in Combine, Texas, in Kaufman County, the daughter of Dickie and Fran Singleton. Dickie was a bulldogger and later on competed in team roping, while Fran competed in western pleasure, cutting and barrel racing.
“I have been on a horse all my life. I can remember those home videos of my parents throwing me on a horse with no shoes, no shirt, a diaper on and just taking off across the pasture. We have always been around horses. I
grew up riding barrel horses and going to the Josey Ranch. We lived out there, so any weekend they had a clinic or barrel race, we were there,” Amber recalled. “My sister started roping at a later age when she started competing in high school rodeo, and here I am at five or six wanting to do whatever she does, so I pick up a rope.”
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2020 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Nicholas Waters
As winter plods along – come Spring and gopher mounds – homeowners and farmers find themselves playing a familiar song – fiddling while Rome is burning.
Let’s make a mountain out of a molehill. Those mounds on your lawn and pasture could be moles, but they’re more than likely gophers; Plains Pocket Gophers to be pragmatic – Geomys bursarius to be scientific.
These rodents dig and chew, and the damage they can do goes beyond the mounds we mow over. Iowa State University cited a study in Nebraska showing a 35 percent loss in irrigated alfalfa fields due to the presence of pocket gophers; the number jumped to 46 percent in decreased production of non-irrigated alfalfa fields.
The internet is replete with academic research from coast-to-coast on how to curtail gopher populations, or at least control them. Kansas State University – then called Kansas State Agricultural College – also published a book [Bulletin 152] in February 1908 focused exclusively on the pocket gopher.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Annette Bridges
Everyone needs a room with a view that makes their heart happy. My honest favorite panorama would be either the mountains or the ocean. I have yet to convince my hubby to make permanent moves to either, although he does enjoy the visits as much as I do.
The location of our house on our ranch does not provide the expansive field of vision of our land that I would enjoy. So, I have created a room decorated and furnished in a way that gives me smiles, giggles, and a wonderful peace-filled feeling when I am hanging out in it. I am in that place right now writing this column. I am in a lounging position with my computer in my lap on the chaise that was once my sweet mama’s. I had it reupholstered this year to give it a fresh look.
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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