Hesston Sponsored Cowboys Win Big at 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

Hesston by Massey Ferguson (http://www.hesston.com) marked the end of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) (www.prorodeo.com/series_home.aspx) watching its two sponsored cowboys, Luke Branquinho and Cody Teel, earn World Championship titles on December 15, 2012. In addition to sponsoring Branquinho and Teel, the 2012 WNFR marked Hesston’s second year back as a major sponsor of the event. Hesston staff and dealers hosted more than 400 customers from Dec. 6–15 in Las Vegas for rodeo’s biggest event.

The excitement was high as Hesston guests cheered on steer wrestler Branquinho and bull rider Teel during ten rounds of competition at the WNFR. Going into round ten, neither the steer wrestling nor the bull rider competition had a clear front-runner, making for an exciting evening.

Branquinho, a steer wrestler from Los Alamos, Calif., entered the 2012 WNFR as the reigning world champion. He put up strong runs throughout the ten-day competition, winning round four and placing second in rounds five and seven. Going into round ten Saturday night, there was no clear frontrunner among the steer wrestlers, allowing Branquinho to rise to the top and win a fourth world championship. Branquinho’s win marks the first back-to-back steer wrestling world championship since Ote Berry won in 1990–91. The only other steer wrestler to win more world championships than Branquinho is Homer Pettigrew, who won six world titles in the 1940s.

Twenty-year-old bull rider Teel, from Kountze, Texas, made his first trip the WFNR in 2012. The past high school and collegiate champion posted strong rides throughout the WNFR, including winning round four. After ten go-arounds, Teel was able to hold off his competition and win his first world championship Saturday night, an incredible achievement for such a young bull rider.

“We are very proud of Luke and Cody and their performances during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,” says Laura Lines, senior brand marketing specialist for Hesston. “Being a part of such a huge event, and seeing our competitors win, has been exciting for all of us. We’re looking forward to sponsoring them again in 2013.”

The WNFR, held in Las Vegas from Dec. 6–15, is sanctioned by the PRCA, the largest and oldest rodeo-sanctioning body in the world and the recognized leader in professional rodeo.