By Sarah Elmquist Squires
Managing Editor
CWC Board Chair Craig Tolman, Lorraine Bebout and former Wyoming Senator Eli Bebout, and CWC President Dr. Brad Tyndall cut the ribbon during the grand opening. Photos by Sarah Elmquist Squires and Ernie Over.
It was a match made in heaven – the grand opening of the CWC Rustler Ag and Equine facility and the Rendezvous City Beef Roundup were held in tandem on Saturday, bringing scores of area folks and producers from around the country to Riverton to celebrate.
First, area leaders shared insight with the crowd about what the facility will mean for the state and region. Located on 22 acres on the north side of the CWC campus, the $18-million facility contains two arenas, a main arena for rodeo practice and a dressage arena for equine training. It will also allow students to learn about everything from slaughtering to butchering to packaging, with the goal of keeping more money in producers’ pockets here at home.
“This facility is a huge asset for the rodeo team,” said range management major and rodeo team member Kall Mayfield. “There are many great champions who came out of the old barn, and there will be many more to come out of here.”
Beef Roundup organizer Tyler McCann said he was looking forward to sampling the beef that producers from across the country brought to the competition, and said the event is giving the industry a spotlight. “I love the camaraderie we’re building,” he shared. “[Producers] are really excited to have a national competition that they can hang their hat on … They can now go back to Utah or Colorado or Texas and they can say ‘We are nationally ranked – We were rated best beef.’”
The event included speakers from around the country and competition among Wyoming and U.S. beef producers, and all had an eye on how to ensure the industry thrives. “We really need to protect it, and we need to support it,” said speaker Mike Callicrate, owner of Ranch Foods Direct in Colorado.