Bringing you everything western lifestyle, That Western Life is your go-to source of news and stories in rodeo, ranching, agriculture, agvocacy, and western lifestyle! A product of our parent company, Western Insights Media, we aim to bring you current and up to date information in regards to the western industry whether it be rodeo, farming, rodeo, agricultural policy, and more. The That Western Life podcast covers 50% rodeo and 50% everything, from ranching to farming to western lifestyle.

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Recent News

That Rodeo Life
Why Rodeo Queens & Western Representatives Should Understand Policy
Why Rodeo Queens & Western Representatives Should Understand Policy

Rodeo queens and Western representatives do more than celebrate a way of life—they help the public understand it. Learning the basics of agricultural policy, from public-land grazing and water rights to animal welfare and the Farm Bill, prepares emerging leaders to answer difficult questions, advocate responsibly and help shape the future of the Western industry.

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Beyond the Crown: How 25 Years of Rodeo Royalty Became a Leadership Pipeline
Beyond the Crown: How 25 Years of Rodeo Royalty Became a Leadership Pipeline

As the Benton County Fair and Rodeo queen program prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2026, its legacy reaches far beyond crowns, sashes, and public appearances. The program has become a leadership pipeline for young women in rodeo, agriculture, and the Western industry, developing skills in public speaking, horsemanship, sponsor relations, advocacy, and community representation.

Alumnae including Nicole Schrock, Rylee Henderer, and Morgan Young show how rodeo royalty can evolve into real industry leadership, especially through their work building the Larry Bell Memorial All Girls Rodeo and expanding opportunities for women in rodeo. Guided for more than 20 years by Kristi Schrock, the program’s impact is measured not just by titles earned, but by the women who return to lead, build, and create opportunity for the next generation.

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California Rodeo Salinas Wraps With a Clear Message: Rodeo Week Drives Real Economic Impact
California Rodeo Salinas Wraps With a Clear Message: Rodeo Week Drives Real Economic Impact

The 116th California Rodeo Salinas wrapped with a clear reminder that major rodeo events are no longer just four days of competition — they are full-scale economic engines. Through Big Week Bull Riding, themed performances, concerts, carnival programming, community events, and agricultural recognition, Salinas created a weeklong event model that drove tourism, hotel stays, restaurant traffic, vendor sales, seasonal employment, and regional visibility. The rodeo’s continued connection to Salinas Valley agriculture also reinforces why western events matter beyond entertainment: they support local economies, preserve cultural identity, and showcase the industries that sustain their communities.

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Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Piper Rewrite the Calgary Stampede Record Book
Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Piper Rewrite the Calgary Stampede Record Book

At one of rodeo’s largest stages, Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Piper delivered a run that captured attention and re-wrote the history book of Canada’s most iconic rodeo. But it was Hailey Kinsel and her iconic mare Sister who left with the title - proving that in Calgary, the fastest run doesn’t always tell the whole story, but it does write a good one.

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That Agvocate Life
DOJ Egg Price Case Raises Bigger Questions About Food System Trust
DOJ Egg Price Case Raises Bigger Questions About Food System Trust

The DOJ says major egg producers coordinated to manipulate egg-price benchmarks that influence grocery and restaurant prices nationwide. The companies deny wrongdoing, but proposed settlements include $3.3 million in payments, 53 million eggs donated to food banks, and new antitrust compliance requirements. This is bigger than eggs. It is about food affordability, market concentration, and whether consumers can trust the pricing systems behind everyday groceries.

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Why USDA's SPUR Program Matters to Ranchers
Why USDA's SPUR Program Matters to Ranchers

USDA’s new SPUR program will provide up to $500 million to eligible beef processors. With the top 4 packers controlling over 80% of processing, this matters because capacity directly impacts cattle prices, beef prices, and what consumers pay at the store.

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Screwworm Is Becoming a LIvestock Story the Western World Cannot Ignore
Screwworm Is Becoming a LIvestock Story the Western World Cannot Ignore

The U.S. and Mexico just opened a $50 million sterile-fly plant to fight New World screwworm. This is not just a border story. It is a livestock-health, cattle-market, and food-security issue that ranchers should be watching closely.

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Aqueducts Final Races Are a Warning Sign for the Horse World
Aqueducts Final Races Are a Warning Sign for the Horse World

After more than 130 years, Aqueduct Racetrack is ending live racing. For the horse world, this is more than a New York story. It is a reminder that equine culture depends on physical places — and those places are getting harder to protect.

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Featured
Ep. 130 - Making Ag Policy Understandable with Tori Teegarden
Advocacy, Ranching, Farming, Food Systems
Ep. 130 - Making Ag Policy Understandable with Tori Teegarden
Advocacy, Ranching, Farming, Food Systems

Tori Teegarden joins That Western Life to make agriculture policy approachable for rodeo, ranching, and western lifestyle audiences. From the Farm Bill and public lands to food production, local advocacy, federal agencies, and why Washington, D.C., needs more rodeo, this episode explains why policy matters and how everyday people in agriculture can get involved.

Advocacy, Ranching, Farming, Food Systems
Ep. 129 - **THAT WESTERN PULSE** An Inside Scoop of our July Goals, Strategies, & Tips
That Western Pulse, Business, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer
Ep. 129 - **THAT WESTERN PULSE** An Inside Scoop of our July Goals, Strategies, & Tips
That Western Pulse, Business, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

That Western Life did not disappear because the podcast failed. It went quiet partly because it worked. Now, a three-woman team is rebuilding the platform in public, publishing its goals, testing its assumptions and examining whether a dormant Western media brand can become a sustainable business.

That Western Pulse, Business, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer
Ep. 128 - From Rodeo to Agriculture, The Future of the Western Industry with Alex Russell of Syngenta
FFA, Farming, Agriculture, Youth Development, Career Growth
Ep. 128 - From Rodeo to Agriculture, The Future of the Western Industry with Alex Russell of Syngenta
FFA, Farming, Agriculture, Youth Development, Career Growth

Alex Russell joins That Western Life to talk about growing up in rodeo, how FFA shaped her future, building a career in agriculture with Syngenta, the role of crop protection and soybean seed care, and why the western industry needs both tradition and innovation. This episode is a practical and personal look at agriculture careers, rodeo roots, mentorship, food production, and the future of the western way of life.

FFA, Farming, Agriculture, Youth Development, Career Growth
Ep. 127 - Jessie Jarvis of Of The West, Part II
Advocacy, Farming, COWGIRL 30 Under 30, Media, Fashion, Rodeo, Ranching, Western Lifestyle, Youth Development
Ep. 127 - Jessie Jarvis of Of The West, Part II
Advocacy, Farming, COWGIRL 30 Under 30, Media, Fashion, Rodeo, Ranching, Western Lifestyle, Youth Development

Jessie Jarvis of Of The West joins That Western Life to talk about western industry careers, ranching identity, agriculture, AI in marketing, professionalism, rodeo jobs, and what it takes to build a business rooted in trust. This conversation is a practical look at where the western industry is headed and how job seekers, employers, and rural businesses can prepare for what comes next.

Advocacy, Farming, COWGIRL 30 Under 30, Media, Fashion, Rodeo, Ranching, Western Lifestyle, Youth Development

That Western Life Podcast

The That Western Life podcast invites listeners to join in for a weekly conversation with Western industry professionals and rodeo athletes who share the inside scoop on all things rodeo. We tell the story of the Western lifestyle and welcome new fans, sponsors and brands to the sport that we love so much. Find the podcast anywhere you stream podcasts or listen directly to each new episode right here on our site.

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