In 1950, Barnes PRCA Rodeo was founded with the guiding principles of integrity and hard work by Bob and Donita Barnes.  The late Bob Barnes, known as "the Colonel",  is still one of the most respected stockmen in professional rodeo.  He was selected as the 1984 PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year and inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame ten years later in 1994.  Donita Barnes was posthumously awarded the inaugural PRCA Lifetime Achievement Award for contract personnel at the PRCA award banquet in 2011.  The PRCA Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed in her honor in 2012.

Today the second and third generations of the Barnes family handle the day-to-day operations of the Rafter B Bar Ranch and provide for the health and welfare of their highly prized animals.  The ranch is located in the valley of the Little Sioux River between Peterson and Cherokee, Iowa.