by Terry Lidral
MATT SCHARPING TALKS ABOUT PROMOTING YOUR BUCKING BULL PROGRAM
When Matt Scharping decided he wanted to get into the bucking bull business, he researched everything he could find about the industry. After turning the family farm in Minnesota into a ranch for bucking stock, he started Phenom Genetics which has gone on to become one of the more successful bucking bull programs in the business.
“I fell in love with bucking bulls when I found a web site on the internet. I found out everything I could about them because when I do something, I want to do it right. I’m a highly competitive person and bucking bulls appealed to me,” said Scharping of his beginnings in the bucking stock industry.
It was a whim of bidding on a Reindeer Dippin’ heifer in an online auction that was the start for Scharping. Scharping’s dedication to learning about the business led him to the purchase of 4 more heifers with excellent bloodlines and his first calf crop produced the CBR World Champion and 4-time PBR Finals and NFR bull Hy Test. It was “crazy luck” as Scharping called his success on the first try. But it was Scharping’s experience as a nationally recognized tool salesman that gave him the ability to sell his bull and his program to the bucking bull world.
It was also his salesmanship that hooked Scharping up with NFL star Jared Allen for what eventually became the Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team.
“I decided to donate my winnings to a charity and I found Jared Allen’s ‘Homes for Wounded Warriors’ project,” Scharping told of the partnership that launched Phenom Genetics into the center of the sport of bull riding. “So, I called him up, talked to him and we started to work together and then we became friends. Eventually, Jared Allen got interested in owning bucking bulls and we became partners.”
That phone call to Jared Allen put Scharping on the road to success and led to the acquisitions of the PBR superstars Magic Train and Air Time. It’s Scharping’s philosophy that if you want something, you have to go after it.
“If you want your bull to get noticed, you have to promote him,” said Scharping of campaigning a good bull. “You have to talk to people and let them know about your program. You have to sell yourself.”
Scharping suggests making videos and sending them out over social media. He also suggests using social media posts about your bulls and breeding program to circulate through the industry to let people know what you have. The more promotion, the better.
One of the things Scharping warns against is over-rating an inexperienced bull. A bull is only as good as he bucks and many bulls do not do well outside their comfort zone.
“To know if you have a great one, they have to be tested,” said Scharping. “They can be great in your arena and not buck away from home. Bulls can be like kids growing up and coming up through football. They can be great in school, then college is a whole different level, and then there’s the NFL. Not many kids make it that far. It’s the same way with bulls.”
A big test for the bulls is how they handle all the things that go with competition events. There’s a lot of noise and commotion going on. There are a lot of people and bulls they’ve never seen before.
“It’s a different stress at events. They won’t experience this kind of stress anywhere else. Some of them won’t be able to handle it,” explained Scharping.
If your bull shows that he’s got the right stuff, don’t be afraid to make it known. Letting the right people know about your program is very important. Many in the industry use Facebook pages to promote their programs.
As far as selling good bulls, Scharping, who is the bull contractor for Sankey Rodeo, looks for quality and reputation when buying bulls for rodeo competitions.
“I buy from people I know. The price will depend on the bull, his outs, his mind, his size, his breeding. There are many variables.”
Author: Terry Lidral
Terry Lidral is a western writer/journalist who lives in Idaho. She is the publisher and editor of the online magazine Bucking Stock Talk and the online magazine Western Living Journal. Her publishing credits include Storyteller for Real American Cowboy Magazine, writing feature articles for Humps N Horns Magazine as well as a wide variety of national and international web sites, historical magazines and news publications. She is known for her "up close and personal" profiles of celebrities and industry moguls such as NPR's Tom Bodett; PBR's Wiley Petersen and D.H. Page, PRCA's Sammy Andrews, Cindy Rosser and Julio Moreno to name a few. She has been applauded for her way of making a personal connection between her readers and her subjects. She indulges in her love of rodeo by serving as an associate board member for the Caldwell Night Rodeo. She is also an accomplished trainer and handler in dog agility. Her shelties Amelie and Milo are titled in NADAC, USDAA and AKC.
