The Russian Rodeo has really become Miratorg's hallmark – a true all-Russian festival of the meat-rearing industry.

This was the third year in succession in which we organised a professional contest for Russian cowboys. It's a contest which has truly become a dazzling show which brings together farmhands from farms in the Bryansk, Kaliningrad, Orlovsk, Smolensk, Kaluga and Tula Regions, but staff from other divisions of the corporation too, who are involved in the painstaking process of rearing, producing and delivering top-quality beef across the entire nation. Thanks to the commitment and teamwork of all of these staff members, we've achieved some truly astonishing results in just six years. The overall head of herd of has risen to four hundred and thirty thousand cattle – and over the next three years is scheduled to hit one million. The project employs around five thousand staff, of whom one-fifth are our animal-handler/operators – or, as we at Miratorg like to call them, "Russian cowboys".

On 10th September, all of the participants in the grandiose event known as The Russian Rodeo gathered at the new Ledenovo Cattle Farm in the Zhukovsky District of Bryansk Region. (It was this Rognedino Farm's cowboys who won the rodeo last year). Tour guides told visitors about the farm's facilities, and the special requirements for raising Aberdeen Anguses – about the way the pastures are organised, the feedlots, the feed for the animals, and how sick animals are treated. Everyone who went into the Russian Rodeo arena was greeted by American cowboys, to set the atmosphere of a real western. It was these Texas cow-pokes who had passed on their traditions to their Russian colleagues, and had passed their skills down hand-to-hand on the endless 'black soil' grasslands. A traditional rodeo usually includes a series of stages of display teamwork, that reflect the everyday work the cowboys do on the cattle farm – including lassoing a bull, loading a trailer, and providing medical care to sick animals.

Russian cowboys have to be able not only to do everything in the minimum amount of time, but also to do everything to make the life of the animals as safe as possible. Even though some of the animals may occasionally show a flare of temper, real cowboys always find the way to deal with them. Seven teams took part in the rodeo, representing their different cattle farms – Trubchevsk, Rognedino, Klimovo, Mglinoye, Brasovo, and Kaliningrad – and the feedlots located in Bryansk and Orel Regions. The feedlots aren't farms, or endless fields, but a place where the cowboys have to deal with thousands of animals – take them from the farms, look after them, and care for any sick animals. These are all things which require just as much professional skill and experience, and this is the reason why the guys from the feedlots were admitted to the rodeo as fully-fledged participants who could show their full abilities and mastery.

Our Russian cowboys showed off their mastery and skill for several hours – while the spectators at the event gave their support to their favourite teams. And as well as watching the cowboy events, there was a lot more to entertain the crowd too – food and drink stands, souvenir stalls, fairground rides, a hay-bale maze – as well as taking some great pictures and using the opportunities in the photo-zone, taking part in master-classes, and in culinary cook-offs. For the children there was a complete Kiddies Village, and it was difficult to tear them away from it. The most daring of the children had a chance to put a saddle on an electronic bull, and go horseriding on a quarter-horse.

The grand finale of the vent was, of course, the announcement of the winners. A professional jury gave their stern assessments of the way the competitors had coped with the different events and categories. And thus came the moment of truth. First Prize was taken by the animal-handlers from the Brasovsky Team, while the Kaliningrad Team came in second place – while third prize went to the Mglin team. Everyone who came to the rodeo went away with happy memories which will not fade for a long time. The unforgettable atmosphere created by the show organisers, the excitement, the gripping emotions, the corporate spirit, the friendly collaboration, the fascinating events, the company feeling, the stylish presentation, and enjoyable program with its special surprises created the feeling of a really large-scale festival – an event which was a complete success. The closing item in this beautiful and magnificent show was a descent by skydivers – among whom there were staff members from Miratorg – and a superb flashmob event, in which spectators were joined by the legendary group Chizh & Co, who performed their famous hits for the Miratorg staff.

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For one day only, the surroundings of the Kotlyakovo Cattle Farm in Bryansk Region were transformed into a real American ranch.

The Wild West atmosphere was evoked by the single-storey “country-style” huts, with a themed photo-zone and of course, a huge arena where the amazing events of Russian Rodeo 2015 would be held.

The staff and management of the Miratorg Group, with the families, local residents, journalists from leading publications, and representatives of the company's partners, numbering nearly 1500 people, all gathered to watch this contest between Miratorg's animal-handling teams. The result would decide who would become the company's leading cowboys this year. There were four disciplines, and seven competing teams. In addition to the teams who competed last year (from Pochenskoye, Trubchevskoye, Mglinskoye, Rognedinskoye and Klimovskoye) two new teams appeared – one from the company's feedlots, and another from the Miratorg farm in Kalinigrad Region. And so, the teams were ready, and the Russian Rodeo could begin! So why was the Kotyakovo Farm chosen as the venue? The reason is that the winners of last year's event were the Kotyakovo home team of Trubchevskoye – and part of their prize was the right to hold the next year's event at their home base.

Our rodeo gave the cowboys a great chance to show off their riding skills, their teamwork when lassoing a bull, caring for sick animals, and finally loading the animals up into a trailer. But this is simply the first impression that observers get. If they were to just try going into the arena for themselves, they'd soon see that that a wrangler's work is something only for seasoned professionals, who have to be tough, resilient, and highly trained. “What's really good is that our guys are continually training to be better, and year on year we see the results of this – especially in the skills which they demonstrated at the rodeo this year. When they hone their skills at working with the animals, there's a lot of their work which they simply do automatically” said Valery Samoilov, the CEO of Bryansk Meat Company.

The pulsating action, amazing teamwork, and the seething energy of the fans turns our Russian Rodeo into a real show along the lines of a real American western! Round after competitive round came by for the teams, going nose-to-nose – and so much, if not everything, depended on the final round, on getting the bulls into the trailer. Of course, this kind of trailer is still something quite new in Russia, but it helped to create the overall picture of a Texas ranch in the heartlands of Russia. Tradition demands that the bull has to be carried off to another farm, so the teams are working against the clock to get the bull into the trailer.... and well, of course, he doesn't really want to cooperate! But when you consider that an Angus bull is nearly half a ton of angry animal, the wranglers had to resort not only to agility and strength, but a little animal psychology too. The results of experience and training paid off – all of the teams managed to achieve the task within the time available! Then the time came to tally up the points scored – the work of a competent jury, led by the CEO of Bryansk Meat Company, Mr Valery Samoilov. The results decided who would win the cup – and the winners received a money certificate, and some real cowboy ammunition. And the winners were – the Rognedinsk team!

“We didn't expect to win, of course. Of course, we were trying all-out for victory – but even so, you can never expect to win. We trained for all the tasks in advance, we weren't figuring on any particular event. But the main thing is having the right attitude. We went out into the arena with a fighting spirit – and well, we got the result we hoped for” said the Rognedinsk team's captain, Pavel Kochin, sharing his emotions after the team's victory. As well as their certificates, the Rognedinsk team also won a Super-Prize – a vacation to the western region of Russia, to Kaliningrad Region. While they are there, the Miratorg guys will be visiting the local Miratorg cattle farm, the Kurshskaya Kosa nature resort, and the legendary local fortress, which was established during the days of the Teutonic Order of Knights.

The Audience Appreciation Prize went to a team of first-timers – the team from the Kaliningrad Meat Company. “It was really great that the crowd decided to award the Kaliningrad team the prize. Bryansk is a very welcoming region, and everyone really appreciated the effort such a distantly-located team had made in coming to the rodeo. Thank you to them for that, and for all the efforts the Kaliningrad Meat Company team made in taking part in it – they were a star item in the program” said Alexei Laukhin, the Head of Training at the Bryansk division of Miratorg, and also one of the rodeo's official hosts. There was a special prize – a real cowboy belt – which the jury awarded to Irina Sharoburina, an animal-handler from the winning team. Her incredible performance in the tournament had everyone in the crowd rooting for her, and the special category nomination was created especially for her as a result.

The organisers of Russian Rodeo 2015 succeeded in creating a really festive atmosphere. For the youngest visitors there was a special kiddies area, which hosted some lovely contests. During the pauses in the program, there were song and dance contributions from local musicians and dancers. But the biggest surprise for visitors was... an Air-Show! It's impossible to describe the amazement of spectators when sky-divers parachuted out of the sky, one after another, carrying huge flags representing the Russian Federation, the Bryansk Region, the Miratorg Group, and the Russian Rodeo! Our huge thanks go to the organisers – who are now left with the difficult job of trying to outdo themselves again next year with such an astounding show!

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The whole thing began when the company's management had the idea to organise a skills-mastery contest for the animal-handlers

– to pick out the best, to show what makes them the best, and how being involved in service could be put into practical application. The company's American cowboys suggested that the event could be turned into a traditional-style rodeo. And so the first rodeo was organised in 2014, with a lead-in time of just one month.

And so, on 13th September, at Berezovka Farm in Bryansk Region, the first Russian Rodeo took place – a professional contest between cattle-wranglers. Working with the Aberdeen Angus herds - who live outdoors in natural conditions, and differ considerably from the traditional livestock found on other Russian farms, and whose temper and behaviour in a natural environment is rather different – requires special skills and abilities. Professional cattle-wrangling can be considered a somewhat hazardous profession, and its a job that attracts only professionally-qualified and thoroughly-trained staff – they are the only ones who can safely carry out the job tasks without risk to life.

The Russian Rodeo gathered more than 400 of Miratorg's staff, their family members, friends, and local residents – and became an excellent opportunity for the farm-hands to demonstrate their superb abilities, skills, and coordinated teamwork. The event involved them in skills on horseback and with bulls, showing their abilities with the lasso, and other professional skills which are needed in their everyday work at the cattle station. The event proved to be a breathtaking show of skill for all the spectators. These cow-hands are courageous and confident wranglers, who show that being a cowboy is a real man's job – with intense physical effort allied to honed skills and ability.

The tough and demanding work in the arena was rewarded by the admiration and excitement of the rodeo crowd. Finally the first prize in the event was carried off by the team from the Trubchevsky Division – who received, among their prizes, the right to hold the rodeo next year. The bravest efforts of the Pochepskoye team won them the prize for Audience Appreciation.

This contest between the different teams proved that our staff have skills that are worth demonstrating in public. For our company, the Rodeo is an objective opportunity to display the kind of everyday work which our farm-hands do on our farms, as well as showing their abilities in these skills, and the overall achievements which the meat-raising industry has made.

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