Success in the sport of rodeo doesn’t fall on just the cowboys and cowgirls. Their horses play just as big of factor when they step foot in the arena.
The Nutrena Horse of the Year Awards presented by the American Quarter Horse Association provide recognition to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) top horses.
The top three horses in each category are listed below.
Team Roping Header
Mr Joes Shadow Bar, “Joe,” ridden by Clint Summers, owned by Clint Summers; (Tie for second and third) Espuela Bro, “Spur,” ridden by Tyler Wade, owned by Tyler and Jessi Wade; and LR Gatlin, “Colt,” ridden by Nelson Wyatt, owned by Nelson Wyatt.
Team Roping Heeler
Kadabra King, “Turbo,” ridden by Patrick Smith, owned by Patrick and Christi Smith; (Tie for second and third); Two Socks Chic Cody, “Garfield,” ridden by Hunter Koch, owned by Hunter Koch; and Apolo Oak, “Apollo,” ridden by Paul Eaves, owned by Paul Eaves; and fourth TRR Freckles Holidoc, “Cantina,” ridden by Logan Medlin, owned by Logan Medlin.
Steer Roping
Son of a Glow, “Junior,” ridden by Slade Wood, owned by Slade Wood; second, JS Frosty Badge Badger, “Goose,” ridden by Scott Snedecor, owned by Scott Snedecor; and third, Mesquitewood, “San Antone,” ridden by Cody Lee, owned by Cody Lee.
Steer Wrestling
EDS Famous Bar, “Eddie,” ridden by Dalton Massey, Tanner Milan, Stephen Culling, Ryan Shuckburgh, Curtis Cassidy, Mike McGinn, J.D. Struxness, owned by Tanner Milan; second, Dashin Haze, “Tyson,” ridden by Jesse Brown, Dakota Eldridge, Kyle Irwin, Curtis Cassidy, owned by Curtis Cassidy; and third, Be Dun By Three, “Benz,” ridden by Clayton Hass, Ty Erickson, Will Lummus, owned by Clayton Hass.
Tie-Down Roping
Stylish Bugsy, “Bugsy,” ridden by Shane Hanchey, Caleb Smidt, and Hunter Herrin, owned by Shane Hanchey; second, Chuchara Sal, “Sally,” ridden by Ty Harris, Joel Braden Harris, owned by Ty Harris; and third, Seven S Tomahawk, “Smoke,” ridden by Haven Meged, owned by Haven Meged.
Barrel Racing
Fame Fire Rocks, “Poprocks,” ridden by Taycie Matthews, owned by Mission Ranch LLC; second, Jets Top Gun, “Benny,” ridden by Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, owned by Busby Quarter Horses; and third, Fiery Miss West, “Missy,” ridden by Jessica Routier, owned by Gary A. Westergren.
Breakaway Roping
No Wimpy Turns, “Onna,” ridden by Shelby Boisjoli, owned by Shelby Boisjoli; second, Kits Tiana Play, “Little Man,” ridden by Kelsie Domer, owned by Kelsie Domer; and third, Baybe Bullet, “Baybe,” ridden by Joey Williams, owned by Taylor and Joey Williams.
Pickup Horse
Baby Hes Hot, “Baby,” ridden by Tyler Kraft, owned by Tyler Kraft; second, Buckle Set, “Wiggles,” ridden by Josh Edwards, owned by Josh Edwards; and third, Drifters Docs Clay, “Bay,” ridden by Tommy Pettit, owned by Tommy Pettit.
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Professional Horses Of The Year Announced
Mixed-up times
These are mixed-up times for me. I’m writing this column in advance of our anticipated move to our new home. So, that means, if all goes according to plan, that I’m writing this column before we move, but you will read it after our move.
This week we got most of our packing up ready for the move. The walls in our home are bare, as are most of the cupboards.
A lot of the furniture of the new owners is already sitting in our basement, and a pet aquarium snail belonging to the teenage daughter of the new owners is also living in our basement.
My latest encounter with wildlife at Damphewmore Acres is another hungry prairie falcon — most likely a fall migrator. Yesterday, it killed and ate a large portion of one of the hens that was going to the new owner. Between the foxes and the falcons, the new owner will be lucky to have any chickens left. So, for the next week, I guess I’ll have to keep “their” hens in the henhouse for protection.
***
I’ve been involved on the periphery of farming and ranching for decades — long enuf to have sorted through a bunch of agricultural truisms. The list of truisms, as it stands today, follows:
• It never wise to make square bales of hay heavier than your wife can lift.
• Just for orneriness, it’s fun to always keep enough open cows in your herd to aggravate your veterinarian.
• It’s never wise to ever insist that your wife back up a gooseneck trailer to anything.
• It’s presumptuous to ever assume your dog will learn more than you can teach it.
• The smart move is to always let your wife drive the rig that is being pulled.
• Experience proves its never wise to expect much help from a cattle truck driver wearing new coveralls and ostrich boots.
• It’s a mistake to ever put anything you need on the north side of the shed in the winter.
• Be prepared: Always insist, if your check bounces, it’s your bank’s error.
• It’s wise to never build a wire gate tighter than your wife can open and close.
• Experience proves it’s never wise to expect a borrowed tool to return to its proper place promptly and in the same condition.
• It’s wise to always expect a machinery breakdown of some sort if a storm is approaching.
• It’s a given for your best bull to come down with trich or anaplasmosis.
• If it’s never rained for months, always expect a toad-strangling, water-gap-breaking rain when you’re on your long-put-off out-of-state vacation.
• It’s unwise to expect a cheery welcome home when you’re late for supper and the food is cold.
• The Law of Livestock dictates that the smallest heifer in the herd will have the largest calf and need expensive vet assistance.
• It’s unwise to expect to re-find the profit-assuring article in your favorite farm or ranch publication that you stashed away for future reading.
• You can be assured you will rip a hole in your new insulated denim jacket the first time you wear it.
• It’s the Law of Succession at work: Rest assured your teenage son will “know” more about farm management than his archaic dad and be plenty ready to explain it.
• When a windshield gets cracked on the gravel road, be assured it will always be on the family SUV, not on your ancient and battered beater of a feed truck.
• If you have two cats, one a house cat, the other a feral refugee, it’s a certainty that they both will efficiently kill song birds at your wife’s bird feeder.
I’m certain there are other aggie “truisms,” but those are the ones I could conjure up this week.
***
Two ranchers were confabbing in the middle of the road about happenings in their community. One rancher said, “Did you hear about old Billy. He got remarried at the age of 90. And his new wife is only 30 years old.”
The second ranchers replied, “We have a name for that kind of thing in my family. We call it a football wedding.”
The first rancher queries, “Just what is a football wedding?”
The second rancher replied, “She’s just waiting for him to kick off.”
***
My words of wisdom for the week relate to the above story: “Anyone who marries for money eventually earns every cent of it.”
Enjoy the fall weather. Hope your harvest is better than you expected.
And, last but not least, “Have a good ‘un.”
Lettuce Eat Local: What a soup-er idea
Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
“Soup.” “Um, soup!” “Mac and cheese with hot dogs.” “…prob’ly soup.”
It was a Wednesday evening at our weekly kids’ program, and we were going around the circle with our little group of kindergarteners and first-graders, naming favorite things in a few categories. I had noticed in the “favorite candy” round that Sour Patch Kids got very popular after Brian mentioned them, yet I was willing to give the kids the benefit of the doubt.
When I started “favorite food” off, however, by saying that I like basically any kind of soup best, it seemed a bit too much of a coincidence that all these six- and seven-year-olds would also vote for soup. I think we often underestimate children and our own expectations can put them in a culinary box, but also, there’s no way their parents would corroborate this particular spoken preference.
The uncomfortable looks on the kids’ faces when I suggested I could just bring soup for our next Bonus Snack confirmed my suspicions.
Even though I know their stated stance on favorite foods won’t go with them when they leave our classroom, I think it’s adorable — or should I say, soup-er — that they wanted to match me. And I really do love essentially everything that fits in the category of soup, so I’m more than happy to be a role model for a few minutes.
I can, and do, eat all kinds of soup in all kinds of meteorological conditions, but these days of chill and clouds truly are Soup Weather. Just as the plunging temperatures and turning leaves awaken an almost desperate desire for baked goods like I talked about last week, so does the changing of seasons usher in a particular deep-seated eagerness for pulling out the big kettles and ladling up cozy bowls of steaming liquid. I consider stews, chowder, chilis, et cetera, all within the extremely broad classification of “soup,” and I consider them all appropriate. It can be brothy or creamy, chunky or smooth, light or hearty, even hot or cold: if it’s a soup, I’ll probably like it.
I’m not sure what it is that appeals to me so much about eating runny food with a spoon…and when I say it like that, I really don’t know what it is, but it’s there. And it’s not just because I’m pregnant. This is a lifelong dedication to the finer things in life; i.e., soup.
Brian does not share my affinity, and while there are certain soups he definitely enjoys, many of my favorites he categorizes as “not a meal,” meaning it fundamentally needs more girth or substance or something. So when his being gone this weekend coincided with me wearing a sweatshirt for the first time this season, I knew it was a sign for soup. I went all for it and made a big pot of broccoli cheese soup, which even I will readily admit always smells bad and usually looks bad. To make matters worse, I incorporated some vegan ideas (again, he was gone, so it was the time), so my broccoli-cheese is awkwardly light on the cheese.
Tell you what, though, a giant bowl of this, piping hot and luxuriously smooth, was a superb addition to a windy and dreary day. And I know I’ll get to enjoy the leftovers all by myself!
Unless, of course, I bring it along to share with my kindergartners.
Not-As-Cheesy Broccoli Soup
As I mentioned, the recipe I jumpstarted from was vegan, but hello I live on a dairy farm, so I couldn’t make it without ANY cheese. And I clearly don’t have anything against cheese, but I just like trying something different, and often feel that regular broccoli cheese soup is missing something — something the smoked paprika and nutritional yeast bring here. Unfortunately, the color does not improve with those additions, especially when blended; but fortunately, the flavor is worth it.
Prep tips: the hard part at the end of a block of Parmesan (the rind) imparts such a lovely richness, and should blend up just fine if you have a good blender. Any strong/funky cheese will do, though, and of course it doesn’t have to be a rind part; this is just a good place to use it. Nutritional yeast sounds like a niche ingredient but it’s actually easy to find at most groceries.
a glug of any oil/butter
a large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2-4 gold potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup cashews
4 cups good chicken broth
1 parmesan rind/a couple ounces sharp cheese
4-6 cups broccoli pieces (stems included)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
Heat oil in a soup-y pot. Add onion and saute until golden; toss in carrots and potatoes and cook a couple minutes, then stir in paprika, cashews, and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer until veg are just tender, then add in cheese and broccoli. Cover and cook until broccoli is tender but not mushy. Transfer (carefully) to a high-powered blender along with the nutritional yeast, and blend to utter creaminess (you could reserve some broccoli florets to pulse in afterwards for some texture). Season to taste, and serve with a good handful of shredded cheese to get all melty on top.
2024 Medicare Open Enrollment Begins October 15th
More than 572,000 Kansas residents receive health coverage through Medicare, and the time to review benefits is only days away. The program’s Fall Open Enrollment period, when you can make changes that take effect January 1 of the following year, occurs each year from October 15 through December 7.
“It’s important that Medicare beneficiaries make sure their current providers are still participating in their plan for 2024 and that the cost of any medications they need hasn’t increased,” KDADS Director of Medicare Programs Emily Blanch said. “Medicare beneficiaries can make changes to several aspects of their coverage, so it’s important to look at all the options again before you lock yourself in for another year. We encourage people to always take advantage of open enrollment because all of us have health care needs that change over time and Medicare plans change as well.”
By shopping available plans and comparing costs, beneficiaries may be able to find a Medicare health or drug plan with better coverage or a lower premium in 2024. Help is out there:
- The Medicare Plan Finder, an online tool that helps people compare pricing between Original Medicare, Medicare prescription drug plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policies, will be updated with 2024 information by October 1, 2023.
- 1-800-MEDICARE is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide help in English and Spanish as well as more than 200 additional languages.
- Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas is a free program that offers Kansans unbiased assistance with questions about Medicare and other insurance issues. SHICK has counselors throughout the state to educate and assist the public in making informed decisions for each individual situation. This counseling services is free at l-800-860-5260.
During open enrollment, those currently enrolled may:
- Switch from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan, or vice versa
- Switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, or from one Medicare Part D prescription drug plan to another
- If you didn’t enroll in a Medicare Part D plan when you were first eligible, you can do so during open enrollment, although a late enrollment penalty may apply
If you want to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you must meet some basic criteria:
- You must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B
- You must live in the plan’s service area
If you’re already enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan and you don’t want to make changes to your coverage for 2024, you don’t need to do anything during open enrollment, assuming your current plan will still be available in 2024. If your plan is being discontinued and isn’t eligible for renewal, you will receive a non-renewal notice from your carrier prior to open enrollment.
Each year, there’s a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 through March 31. During this time, if you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan and want to change your health plan, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage Plan with or without drug coverage or go back to original Medicare and, if needed, also join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
Changes to be aware of for 2024 include:
- 21 Medicare prescription drug plans will be available with premiums varying from $0.50 to $106.70
- 77.81 percent of people with a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan have access to a plan with a lower premium than what they paid in 2023
- 92 Medicare Advantage plans are available in 2024, compared to 90 plans in 2023
- 100 percent of people with Medicare have access to a Medicare Advantage plan
- The average monthly Medicare Advantage plan premium changed from $7.42 in 2023 to $9.90 in 2024, representing a $2.48 change in average premium
- Through the Inflation Reduction Act, people with Medicare prescription drug coverage who fall into the catastrophic phase of the prescription drug benefit won’t have to pay anything out of pocket during that phase for covered Medicare prescription drugs
- There will be expanded eligibility for full benefits under the Extra Help program, meaning all Extra Help enrollees will pay no deductible, no premium, and benefit from fixed lower copayments for certain medications. Learn more about the Extra Help program, including eligibility criteria and how to apply
To help with Medicare costs, low-income seniors and adults with disabilities may qualify to receive financial assistance from a Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). MSPs help millions of Americans access high-quality health care at a reduced cost, yet only about half of eligible people are enrolled. MSPs cover Medicare premiums and may also cover Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments if individuals meet the eligibility requirements in their state. Enrolling in an MSP offers relief from these Medicare costs, allowing people to spend money on other necessities like food, housing, or transportation.
The Low-Income Subsidy Program, also called Extra Help, is a Medicare program that helps qualifying individuals pay Part D premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other costs. Enrollees can save nearly $300 per year on average according to estimates. Up to three million seniors and people with disabilities could benefit from the Extra Help program but aren’t currently enrolled. Individuals who enroll in MSPs automatically qualify for help affording prescription drugs through the Extra Help program.
State-by-State Fact Sheets are available at https://www.cms.gov/files/
