Outbreak of vesicular stomatitis cancels rodeo portion of Feeders and Friends fundraiser

***Press Release***

Dinner, auction and dance still on to benefit Waitley familythis Saturday

NEW RAYMER, CO--With the recent, newly confirmed cases of vesicular stomatitis in northern Colorado, organizers of the annual Feeders and Friends annual benefit have made the decision to cancel just the rodeo portion of their 2014 event which is scheduled to take place this Saturday in New Raymer.  The dinner, auction and dance will all still be held, according to organizers.

“Many of the cowboys who come and compete in this feedlot rodeo make a living with the same horses that they would be bringing to this event. In order to protect the health of these horses, we’ve made a decision to cancel the ranch rodeo portion of this year’s event,” said Verlyn Mahan, president of the organization.

In a post on the organization’s Facebook page, the following was noted. “Due to the vesicular stomatitis outbreak, the rodeo portion of the benefit has been cancelled based on the advice from vets in this area. However, we will still be having the barbecue, auction and dance. Please come out and support the Waitley family. Our day may have been altered, but unfortunately, Cody Waitley’s medical bills have not.” The post makes reference to this year’s benefit being held to help offset some of the unsurmountable medical expenses the Waitley family has and will continue to incur.  Cody, 17, has been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that usually requires heart transplant for survival. He and his family is currently pursuing a transplant.

Feeders and Friends will begin serving food in the main building at the fairgrounds at 1 p.m. The auction will start at 4 p.m.and the dance will follow the auction, probably beginning around 7:30 p.m. The dance, which features live music, will be held at the community center in New Raymer.  This event has a wonderful following and has been a huge benefit for the families honored by this group in the past. The public is encouraged to get out and support this Waitley benefit, even in this modified state.

"Vesicular stomatitis (VS) can be painful for animals and costly to their owners," said State Veterinarian Dr. Keith Roehr, in a release issued by his office in late July. "The virus typically causes oral blisters and sores that can be painful causing difficulty in eating and drinking.” The disease is easily passed from one horse to another and it can affect other livestock as well. Livestock with clinical signs of VS are isolated until they are healed and determined to be of no further threat for disease spread. There are no USDA approved vaccines for VS.

This is the 12^th year for the Feeders and Friends annual benefit to take place. In past years the group has raised anywhere between $25,000 and $65,000 in a single day to benefit the family and memory of a young person who has passed away or who is in a difficult situation due to significant life-changing health issues. The barbecue, prepared by local cooks, is always excellent and the auction is sure to feature a good line up of quality donations, sold to the highest bidder, will all the proceeds going to the Waitley family.

Feeders and Friends Benefit August 16 in New Raymer

The Feeders and Friends Cody Waitley Benefit will be held August 16 in New Raymer. Barbecue will be available from 11:30am-8pm, the Calcutta starts at 12:30pm, Ranch Rodeo at 2pm, plus there is a live auction, and the dance starts at 9pm. In 2012 Cody was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and less efficient at pumping blood. All proceeds from the day will go to help Cody's family with medical expenses. For information call Gene at 970-895-3352 or Verlyn at 970-373-7100.

5th Annual New Raymer Fall Bazaar November 24

The 5th Annual New Raymer Fall Bazaar will be held Sunday, November 24 from 11am-5pm at the New Raymer Community Center, 23 Shirley Avenue in New Raymer.  There will be vendors, door prizes, and food and beverages.  For more information, or to become a vendor, call Cara at 970-380-2272 or Carol at 970-370-0364.

Flying T Ranch team wins Feeders and Friends fundraiser

***Press Release***

Benefit for Loveland’s Jaycie Love expected to exceed $30,000

Story by Barbara Baker

NEW RAYMER, CO—The fact that some good summer rains had generated a good supply of green grass on the was more than apparent during the 11^th Annual Feeders and Friends event held at New Raymer in mid-August. The cowboys had their hands full during the ranch rodeo, trying to manipulate steers and cows in the arena that clearly were carrying several hundred more pounds of body weight than they have in past, drought-ridden years.

Twenty three teams of five cowboys and a few cowgirls took their turn in the arena trying to complete five events against the clock. They had to do team doctoring, team sorting, trailer loading, double mugging and wild cow milking. To say the least, the feisty cattle did as much as they could to not cooperate. A number of the teams got hung up on the double mugging event when the steers just wouldn’t go down without a fight—in a number of cases, this is when the clock ran out on them  The contestants hung in there as they knew they were battling the heat and the dust and the cattle for a wonderful cause.  All of the activities during the day were part of a fundraiser to benefit Jaycie Love, an 8-year-old cowgirl from Loveland, Colorado who is courageously battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. While organizers are still collecting donations, they estimate that the proceeds from the day, which included the rodeo, concessions, an auction and a dance, will exceed $30,000.

Jaycie and her family were introduced and honored at the event, Jaycie herself riding high in the saddle on her own horse during the grand entry.

This annual event is the work of more than 100 volunteers who come together each year to raise funds for a family of a young person who has been unexpectedly hit with circumstances of illness or death. Ranches and feedlots in the area come forth every year, paying fees to compete in the event. They rally support from their various vendors, including feed and pharmaceutical companies that provide to their operations. Families from Fort Collins, New Raymer, Stoneham, Fort Morgan, Iliff,  Peetz, Englewood,  Briggsdale, Flagler and Loveland. Proceeds may be given directly to the family to help cover rehabilitation expenses, or it may be placed into managed foundations to be used for scholarship awards in the honoree’s name.

It was a team from nearby Grover, The Flying T Ranch, who captured first place in the ranch rodeo with a time of 3:51.99 in the arena. The team was made up of Steve Anderson, Kadyn Hicks, Steve Hicks, Mark Foreman and Shane Hilzer.

Second place team, hailing from Wellington, CO came to the event from Horton Feedlots and consisted of Brittney Macdonald, Jordan Mildenberger, Josh Love (Jaycie’s dad), Eric Schneider and William Huston. Their  time was 4:19.

Third place team, traveling all the way form Colorado’s Western Slope was the Western Slope Cattleman’s Livestock Auction Team out of Loma, CO. The team was made up of Bill Martin, Ty Tingy, Josh Nicklas, Lothan Snyder and Conway Farrel.

Fourth  place went to Pinneo Feedlot of Brush, Colorado. The team was made up of Leo Hubbard, T. J. Hubbard, Cody Frazier, Esquiel Granados and Ramirro Castillo. They were also the fourth place team last year.

Fifth place team was Porter Creek Livestock out of Carpenter, WY. Team members were Kyle Breeden, Ty Thompson, Josh Buttle, Gerrado Garcia and Justin Smith. This team has consistently placed in the top six, capturing third place last year.

Sixth place team was Eagles Nest Ranch out of Orchard, CO  with a time of 5:18. That team was made up of Mike Geige, Rod Judson, Brandy Geiger, AR Hubert and JR Bailey.

Ironically, the first three teams to compete, Pinneo Feedlot, Horton Feedlots and Flying T Ranch, set the pace for the day, with all three of them placing in the top six. A number of the teams this year ended up taking no time scores. Much to the home town crowd’s dismay, for the first time in a long time, a team was disqualified during the contest. It was the New Raymer favorites, from the Mile High Ranch, made up of Monty Younglund, Jamie Shoemaker, Kim Banning, Justin Huber and Jamie Clay Shoemaker. They were disqualified by the judges when the steer they put in the trailer during the trailer loading event had two ropes on its head. A cowboy had caught and released it in the arena, leaving one rope on, so when it was re-roped and drug to the trailer, it had two ropes attached, apparently a very clear violation of the rules. 

Other teams competing in the 2013 event included Miller Cattle Feeders (Pierce, CO), Guenzi Farms (Sterling, CO), Ehmke Ranch (Grover, CO), Spear T. Horses (Greeley/Kersey, CO), Mile High Ranch (Grover, CO), Schramm Feedlot (Yuma, CO), Livewire Livestock (Last Chance, CO), Elliott Land & Cattle (Greeley, CO), Rocking Anchor Ranch (Akron, CO), Dinklage Feedyard  Proctor #1 (Proctor, CO), Wahlert Ranch (Grover, CO), BeefCo (Akron, CO); Konig Feedlot (Grover, CO), Rock Barn Land and Cattle (Idalia, CO), Stauffer Cattle CO (Harrisburg, NE), Dinklage Feedyard (Sidney, NE) and Overland Trail Ranch (Crook, CO).

The Feeders and Friends organization will continue to round up all the pledged donations and gifts to this year’s event and will do a formal presentation to the family in a month or so. The event is always held the third Saturday of the month in New Raymer.

Feeders and Friends Kylan Nienhuser Benefit August 18

Kylan Nienhuser Poster (1)

Sterling Recreation Center to hold swim lesson registrations for NE Colorado Rural Schools

Sterling Recreation Center staff will conduct American Red Cross swimming lesson registration as follows for students of these rural schools:

April 27 - Registration for New Raymer, Stoneham, Merino, and Atwood will be held from 10:30-11:30am at Merino Elementary School

May 11 - Registration for Iliff, Padroni, Crook, and Proctor will be held from 8-9am at Caliche Elementary School

May 11 - Registration for Peetz will be held from 10-11am at Peetz Elementary School

Cost is $30 for 10 half-hour lessons.

For more information call 522-7882.