In 1947, Erv Korkow produced his first rodeo in his hometown of Blunt, South Dakota. He continued to enlarge his operation, buying more land and establishing a breeding program for bucking horses and bulls. Erv joined the RCA in 1958 and had rodeo stock selected for the very first National Finals Rodeo in 1959 in Dallas, Texas. Korkow Rodeos has continued to have stock selected to buck at every single National Finals -- only two other stock contractors can say that!

Bucking horses and rodeos were Erv's passion but his first love was his family.  Wife, LaFola, and sons, Jim, Don and Ken were all involved in every aspect of their ranching and rodeoing lifestyle. Rodeo wasn't just a way to make a living, it was a way of life for the Korkow family.

Erv's many lifetime honors include induction into the South Dakota Hall of Fame, the Casy Tibb's Hall, the Fairman's Hall of Fame and he was a recipient of the Heartland Saddle Award.

Jim bought the ranch and rodeo company when his father, Erv, passed away in 1993. The Anchor K ranch is located 20 miles east of Pierre, South Dakota, where they farm and ranch over 5,000 acres and produce 5th and 6th generation bucking horses and bulls. In their spare time on weekdays, Korkows also run a trucking business, hauling mostly cattle or hay. Jim's wife, Carol, and their son, TJ, play important roles in keeping all of this running smoothly. Carol frequently is one of the rodeo timers and handles all the books and records for all operations at home. TJ is their head flank man and is quite knowledgeable about all the rodeo stock and their individual bucking styles.

The Korkow's rodeo year starts in January in the deep South in Louisiana and goes strong through December till Vegas and the Wrangler National Finals. Rodeos in between include the states of Alabama, California, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington.

Every spring at the Anchor K, Korkows host their Korkow Ranch Rodeo School, instructing young cowboys in the basics of riding bareback and saddle bronc horses and bulls. 2008 will mark the 23rd annual rodeo school. Many well-known regional cowboys have been through Korkow's school. Their motto--"Learn the Right Way--Learn from the Pros!" comes from the use of the many World Champion event instructors. Plus, it's a prime opportunity for Korkows to review their young up-and-coming rodeo animals.

In 1996, Jim was selected as the "Stock Contractor of the Year" for the Women's Professional Rodeo Association, and in 2000, he was one of five nominees selected for "Stock Contractor of the Year" for the PRCA.

Jim was inducted into the Fairman's Hall of Fame in November 2005.  He was a past-president of the association which is made up of fairboard members across the states of North Dakota and South Dakota.  His father, Erv, had been inducted into the same Hall of Fame twenty years earlier, in 1985.

In 2006, the Korkow family was honored by the Women's Professional Rodeo Association with their "Lifetime Family Heritage of the Year" award, especially in honor of LaFola Korkow, a former Member of the Year of this association.