Why I Love To Blog -- Reason #1 -- Feedback From Readers -- August 11, 2019

It's hard to believe but I had a great post on PBR almost ten years ago, July 20, 2010:

In addition to being number four in production of oil in the continental United States, number one in dry edible beans, and number one in honey production, North Dakota can now add another first: first in broncing bulls.

Up until this year the number one contractor for rodeo bulls came from Oklahoma or Texas. The best bulls in the world now come from North Dakota.

This year (2010_ PBR Professional Bull Riders Stock was named Contractor of the Year. PBR is located seven miles south of Mandan, ND. Look for the dust raised by stomping bulls. 

Chad Berger:

Chad Berger's ride to the top was meteoric and took only a bit longer than a ride on one of his bulls.

In 2003, Berger, a longtime professional cattle buyer, started building his own string of bulls that now numbers about 200 head, including Professional Bull Riders association stars Big Tex and Code Blue.

So, now, fast forward to earlier this summer, from The Bismarck Tribune:

The Mandan-based, eight-time PBR Stock Contractor of the Year – including the last five in a row – is primed for No. 9 with another loaded pen of behemoths in 2019.

With three of the top six ranked bulls in the world – Smooth Operator (No. 2), Smooth Wreck (No. 3) and Legit (No. 6) -- and six of the top 16, it’s been another banner year even by Berger’s lofty standards.

More from the article:

Berger will have many of his top-ranked bulls inside the Bismarck Event Center for the 19th Annual Dakota Community Bank & Trust PBR Bull Riding Challenge this weekend. The action begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

The stars are turning out.

Among the A-list of riders coming to town are current world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 3 Chase Outlaw, No. 4 Jess Lockwood, No. 5 Cody Teel, No. 6 Cooper Davis, No. 7 Luciano De Castro, No. 8 Derek Kolbaba and No. 9 Ryan Dirteater.

“All the guys you see on TV, the top bull riders, the best bull fighters, the top funny man (Flint Rasmussen), they’re all going to be there,” Berger said.

For the team challenge, Berger set up a draft with five captains. Held in April in Sioux Falls, S.D., each captain drafted three bull riders to create teams of four.

The team captains are Lockwood, Davis, Vitor Leme, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney, and six-time PBR World Finals qualifier Stetson Lawrence from Williston.

Lawrence’s team is made up of all Native Americans, including Dirteater – replacing the injured Colton Jesse – plus Cody Jesus and Cannon Cravens.