Bobbie Hammond has managed as many as 25,000 acres of Flint Hills grass and 8,000 head of cattle. At the same time, she was a professional rodeo barrel racer. She won in the Old Timers’ Rodeo National Finals when she was a grandmother – and that was 40 years ago. Hammond will share her unique life story in an upcoming Prairie Talk.

The Prairie Talk will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 8, at Pioneer Bluffs.

“I always thought cowboyin’ is women’s work,” said Hammond. “It never occurred to me there was anything I couldn’t do because I was a woman. I was working with my dad from the time I was big enough to ride.”

“I know it isn’t the kind of work every woman would want to do. Probably not every man can do it,” she continues. “It’s a lot of hard work. I do everything from breaking colts to fixing water gaps to treating sick steers. It’s knowing what an old steer will do before he even thinks of it himself.”

Hammond has been featured in “Larry Hatteberg’s KANSAS PEOPLE,” and Forbes Magazine.

Today at age 83, Hammond is still working. “I don’t let a lot of grass grow under my feet,” she says. “It is a lifestyle, I think.”

There is no cost to attend this Prairie Talk; donations are gratefully accepted. Reservations requested, but not required, and will help ensure ample seating is available. For reservations or additional information, contact Lynn Smith at lynn@pioneerbluffs.org or (620) 753-3484.