ENTERPRISE The Wallowa County Stockgrowers will converge at Cloverleaf Hall this Saturday, Aug. 17, for the organizations annual breakfast meeting and evening dinner with awards program.

Sandwiched in between the more formal events will be the Stockgrowers Ranch Rodeo, featuring the World Champion Rock Jack Building Contest, at Wallowa County Fairgrounds.

The Stockgrowers start the day with breakfast prepared by the North End Grange at 7 a.m. The public is invited to all activities. The cost of the breakfast is $8.50 per person. The business meeting begins about 7:30 a.m., with a welcome and sponsor recognitions by organization president Scott Shear, who will also give the Presidents Report.

The rest of the meeting will include an Oregon Cattlemens Association update by OCA president Curt Martin; a wolf update by Rod Childers; and a presentation about Universal Monitoring of Rangelands by Skye Krebs and Jamie McCormack.

Ron Rowan of Northwest Beef will give a report on cattle and grain prices.

The Stockgrowers Ranch Rodeo will start at noon at the fairgrounds arena.

Competition for the 5th annual Rock Jack Building Contest will kick off the rodeo, with other events going on while the rock jack contestants are constructing their rock jacks.

Other rodeo events include horse working, the 1/2 trot-1/2 run horse race, sorting and youth (18 and under) sorting, branding, kids ewe milking, kids stickhorse races, full-lap horse race and dog working.

Following the rodeo, the Stockgrowers and guests will re-convene at Cloverleaf Hall at 6 p.m. for social hour, followed by a barbecue beef dinner at 7 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $15 per person, or $6 for children 12 and under (under 5 are free).

The after-dinner program will include the presentation of the Cattleman of the Year and Honorary Stockgrower awards, ranch rodeo awards and the presentation of Stockgrowers Scholarships.

The winning rock jack from the rock jack contest earlier in the day will be auctioned off as part of the program. Last year the rock jack was sold for $1,340 and total money collected from that bid and accompanying donations came to $5,050. Last year the money raised was all donated to the fire relief fund for ranchers in southern Oregon who had lost rangeland to fire.

Last years rock jack winners were the team of Doug Peterson and Matt Proffit of Flying J Ranch; they completed their rock jack in 11 minutes and one second, third fastest time, winning on the quality of their finished product. Speediest (and second in quality) team was Todd Nash and BJ Warnock who finished in 6 minutes and 54 minutes.

The Stockgrowers annual gathering will end with a dance to live music by the band Last Call.