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THE GARDEN CITY TELEGRAM
TUESDAY, May 29, 2012
Beef Empire Days WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 - SUNDAY, JUNE 10
Telegram photo
ABOVE: Caidence Archuleta, 5, from Albuequerque, N.M. watches the action in the stands during the 2011 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo at the Finney County Fairgrounds.
Brad Nading/Telegram
LEFT: LaDonna Brown, Jetmore, drives a 1959 John Deere tractor along the parade route during the 2011 Black Hills Energy Beef Empire Days parade.
A celebration of beef
44th annual Beef Empire Days promises something for everyone. By ANGIE HAFLICH
ahaflich@gctelegram.com
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eef Empire Days is set to kick off on Wednesday, and the 44th annual event promises to be packed full of entertainment, education and excellent cuisine. “Make Mine Beef” is this year’s theme as area cattle ranchers, local feed yards and beef-related businesses come together to promote the beef industry. Two of the event’s main attractions every year are the Live and Carcass shows. “It is the grand thing of it all. That’s how Beef Empire Days started,” Beef Empire Days Executive Director Deann Gillen-Lehman said. The Merck Animal Health Live Show will kick off the 12-day celebration at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Finney County Fairgrounds. In this show, judges predict which of the live heifers and steers will produce the highest quality of beef. In the carcass, or post-slaughter show, judges determine the quality of beef, which also helps them determine if judges accurately predicted the quality of the live animals. The Carcass Show takes place at 2 p.m. Friday at the Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. complex. The Live and Carcass shows emphasize the economic impact of commercial cattle feeding and the beef industry to the area. Awards for the Live and Carcass shows will be presented at 5:30 p.m. Saturday during the Beef Empire Days awards dinner, which will take place at the Clarion Inn. Awards include the Earl C. Brookover Memorial Award, the Overall Grand Champion Carcass Award, the Grand Champion Heifer Carcass Award and Grand Champion cash awards. Beef Empire Days began in 1968 when John Dohogne developed the idea to celebrate the beef industry. Through the years, the goals that Dohogne and the original 13 feedyard operators who helped start the event had remain the same: to advance the production and quality of beef, and to provide communication, continued education and the promotion of beef. Since its beginning, Beef Empire Days has evolved into an entity in and of itself, involving hundreds of people and close to 100 local sponsors. “It’s a year process. We have the committees, and everybody does their job, and the board. So it’s not just one person, it is a group effort,” Gillen-Lehman said. While the goals have remained the same, the event itself has come to play host to a number of smaller events and competitions. Gillen-Lehman said that one of these attractions is the Black Hills Energy Beef Empire Days Parade, which will take place at 10:30 a.m. June 9. There are cash prizes and ribbons for parade participants: $75 for first place, $50 for second place, and a ribSee BED, Page C4
Passion: Pen riders love their work. Page C2
Brad Nading/Telegram
Bo Casper, Fort Scott, works on staying on Prety Enough during a ride in the 2011 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo’s bareback riding competition.
DIET: Lean beef fuels competitive runner. Page C7
RODEO: PRCA event a highlight for BED. Page C10