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 is based on 50% rodeo and 50% other, with other being defined as ranching, farming and western lifestyle!

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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
The Akawa Butte Fire is Testing Rural Emergency Capacity in Central Oregon
The Akawa Butte Fire is Testing Rural Emergency Capacity in Central Oregon

The Akawa Butte Fire near Sisters is testing Central Oregon’s capacity to evacuate residents and livestock while protecting tourism, agriculture and rural commerce.

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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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Katie Schrock & Rachel Owens-Sarno have co-hosted the That western life podcast since February 2019.

The That Western Life podcast’s goal is to take someone’s naive interest in the western lifestyle and invite them in for a weekly conversation with industry professionals and rodeo athletes to share the inside scoop on all things rodeo. Our hope is to continue telling the story of the western lifestyle, inviting in new fans, sponsors and brands to the sport that we love so much: rodeo. You can find the podcast anywhere podcasts are listened too and can even listen to them directly on their respective blog pages.

Featured
Ep. 133 - **THAT WESTERN PULSE** We Came Back. Here’s What Actually Worked and How YOU Can Use It Today to See Change!
Business, That Western Pulse, Rodeo
Ep. 133 - **THAT WESTERN PULSE** We Came Back. Here’s What Actually Worked and How YOU Can Use It Today to See Change!
Business, That Western Pulse, Rodeo

That Western Life is officially back, but what actually worked?

Katie, Kaycie and Taylie unpack the first month of the Season 7 relaunch, including unexpected social growth, 17 new leads, the content that sparked conversation and the lessons western businesses can apply to their own marketing.

The biggest takeaway? Getting attention is only the beginning. The real challenge is turning it into an audience—and building a system capable of sustaining the growth.

From social growth and podcast downloads to content strategy, audience behavior and 17 new leads, the team shares what they learned about rebuilding a dormant brand, creating content that earns attention and building systems that can sustain growth. Plus, practical takeaways for rodeos, ranches, associations and western creators looking to strengthen their own digital presence.

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Business, That Western Pulse, Rodeo
Ep. 132 - Cattle Science, Ruminant Nutrition, and the Economics of Curiosity in Modern Agriculture with Dr. Emily Melchior of Zoetis
Ranching, Research, Education
Ep. 132 - Cattle Science, Ruminant Nutrition, and the Economics of Curiosity in Modern Agriculture with Dr. Emily Melchior of Zoetis
Ranching, Research, Education

Dr. Emily Melchior joins That Western Life to connect the dots between cattle science, ruminant nutrition, animal health, applied research, sustainability, and the future of agriculture. From growing up as a horse girl outside of agriculture to earning her PhD and supporting global cattle research, Emily brings a practical, grounded perspective on why healthy animals, curious producers, strong data, and open-minded leadership matter for the next generation of the Western industry.

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Ranching, Research, Education
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.

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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.

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That Western Pulse, Business, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

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