The Copper CowBelles are assisting at Alma Ranch Days. This annual event educates area 3-5th grade students about agriculture.

Members of the Grant County Copper CowBelles are attending the ANCW Region VI meeting in Las Cruces. Our member Michelle Greeman is the 2024 President for the New Mexico CowBelles. We are proud of her leadership.

Also pictured is our door prize donation filled with items donated by members.

The March 19 meeting was called to order by President Pat Hunt with the Pledge of Alliegance to our flag, followed by the reading of our CowBelle Creed. Carol Crosley led us in prayer.  There were 14 present, including visitors Carolyn Nelson and Martha Stewart of Frisco CowBelles. 

Pat was in receipt of personal thank you notes from youth involved in SHJRA.  Many included photos of them with their horses and we all had opportunity to enjoy them.

Dear to Our Hearts report included info on Joan Woodward’s memorial celebration on April 5^th at 1 p.m. at Terrazas.  A lunch at Grant Co. Convention Center will follow the services.  We will also keep former CCB President Deborah van Tellingen in our prayers as she battles breast cancer.

We are accepting donated items to fill our next Scholarship Raffle Basket.  It is already looking like fun and ticket sales will continue until after the Grant County Fair.

Registration is still open for ANCW Region VI meeting April 11-12.  Don’t miss this wonderful event.  Michelle is looking for donated door prizes and there is still a need for centerpiece items that highlight the many facets of Grant County NM.  Any overflow can be added to our Scholarship Raffle Basket.

NMCB is still accepting donations for the Panhandle Fire Relief fund, to aid those folks who have suffered huge losses. $7,200 has been raised, statewide, for this important need. 

The Mid-Year meeting will be on Monday June 10 and Beef Ambassadors interviews will be held on June 9.

Carolyn Nelson and Martha Stewart of Frisco CowBelles shared about the upcoming Gila Wilderness Centennial celebration in Gough Park on June 1^st @ 11am – 4pm.

They’re using this opportunity to show the public that Aldo Leopold was very much pro use of the land by ranchers and will demonstrate how ranchers currently protect the land in ways that reflect Leopold’s vision. They need volunteer help in the booth on that day.  They are also accepting donations toward a plaque that will be permanently installed at the Aldo Leopold Rest Area, overlooking the Mogollon mountains.

We discussed making a donation to local FFA Clubs.

Alma Ranch Days are quickly approaching on April 23-24^th.  Copper CowBelles will present 2 displays: Butter and Beef By-products.  A good number of us will be there to assist with this successful outreach to the youth from several counties.

Thank you to our hostesses Cyndi Donovan and Kathy Davis, who created a spring theme.  Our next meeting will be Tuesday May 21, 2024.

By Carol Crosley

Next CCB Meeting – May 21, 2024

The meeting was called to order at noon on February 20th by President Pat Hunt. We recited the Pledge of
Allegiance, creed and prayer. There were 16 people present, including guests Amanda Owens and five students representing the Grant County 4-H Council.

Pat introduced our guest, Amanda Owens, who represents the “I CAN” program at the Extension Office. Her position is funded by USDA and SNAP, with the goal of reaching students and adults with ideas to promote healthy eating. She shared some of her experiences in the classroom, teaching kids about the five food groups and to be open minded about foods they haven’t met before. We appreciate her work in our community.

Pat received a thank you note from the Extension Office thanking those CowBelles who were present to greet the NMSU Prevost who visited recently. Kathy Davis, Pat Hunt and Cyndi Donovan were able to attend.

Regarding “Dear to our hearts,” we received news that Linda Davis of Cimarron had passed away recently. She was well loved and respected and we will keep her family in our prayers. Also we noted that Owaissa Heimann, of Union County, celebrated her 98th birthday. She served as the NM CowBelles Treasurer for many years.

Michelle Greeman reported on how things went at the State Legislative Session. Grim in some areas concerning 2nd Amendment rights but the State Meat Inspection Act did pass. She praised the Call to Action program that allows us all to see when our attention is needed and makes it simple for us to respond.

Pat Hunt reported that the CowBelle Yearbook is nearing completion and we need to make any necessary corrections as soon as possible.

The ANCW Region 6 Conference will be held April 11th and 12th in Las Cruces and registration forms are on line at http://www.newmexicocowbelles.org. NMCB has asked each CowBelle local to provide items. We are excited to know that the meeting will be attended by women from all over the western US and we will be giving them a glimpse of our wonderful state.

Ranch Days will be held in April at the McKeen Ranch in Alma. CCB will be preparing 2 stations at the event: Butter Making and Beef By-Products (or Brands.) Volunteers are definitely needed! Please contact Pat if you are willing to help either day (or both days.)

We are starting a new Scholarship Basket to be raffled off after the Fair. Please bring in items to fill it up. Last year our basket made enough to provide 1 scholarship!

Next meeting will be on March 19th. This meeting was hosted by Joan Dewbre and Carol Crosley with a Mardi Gras theme.

Respectfully submitted by Carol Crosley

The Copper CowBelles installed our 2024 officers at a dinner meeting last Friday! Thank you for your commitment to service to Cyndi Donovan as Treasurer, Carol Crosley as Secretary, Leslie Crumbly as Vice President and Pat Hunt as President.

The Copper CowBelles have honored Leslie Crumbly with the 2023 CowBelle of the Year award.

Leslie has been a member for many years and is the scholarship committee chair as well as the newly elected CCB Vice President.

Congratulations, Leslie.

Copper CowBelles had a great year. Our 2022 Christmas Party was postponed to January 6, 2023, and included the installation of our 2023 officers (Pat Hunt, President; Michelle Greeman, VP; Cyndi Donovan, Treasurer and Carol Crosley, Secretary), we had a wonderful potluck supper with 24 in attendance. Kim Clark, retiring President did the installation ceremony and announced Pat Hunt as CowBelle of the Year.

The February meeting included a decision to award a scholarship to Sabrina Thuerauf, a Silver High School graduate now in her final year of Veterinary School. Before the end of the year, we also awarded scholarships to two other applicants: Hattie Dobrinski who was awarded a Copper scholarship and also recommended to State for a Pat Nowlin Scholarship. Kolby Taylor, an Animal Science major at NMSU, was also given a scholarship.

Our March meeting was held on National Agriculture Day and 2 members, Lori Nell Reed and Mary Jo Hooker cooked a delicious lunch for attending members. Michelle Greeman caught us up on the Legislative Session and Bills important to agriculture were discussed.

April was busy as we again participated for 2 days at McKeen Ranch Days in Alma which is supported by Catron County’s Frisco CowBelles. We provided a demonstration on Beef By-products and making butter. Member Lauren Baker represented our club at the Silver City Museum’s “Community Conversations” which was held downtown.

For a change of pace the May meeting was held in Deming with 6 members attending. We toured the Deming/Luna County Museum and had lunch at the Customs House Kitchen.

In June, Kathy Davis and Cyndi Donovan reported on the Mid-Year Meeting in Ruidoso which they attended. We voted to sponsor an award buckle for the Southwest Horsemen’s Youth Rodeo Association. Several members donated cakes to the Silver City Museum’s July 4th celebration, in memory of Bobbie Neal.

September found us at the Grant County Fair and our booth again promoted Beef and sold license plates. We had a candy guess for kids and a drawing for Beef all three days. The Beef is worth $50 and is presented frozen to the winners in a thermal bag. It is a very popular event. In addition to manning our booth we participated in the new Ag Days on Friday, when the school kids are bussed out from town. There were booths from USDA and Farm Bureau and our booth was on the History of Brands. Kids were given choices on which brand they wanted stamped on their hands. This new event is the effort of our member Autumn Robertson and her Farm Bureau office. We are so proud of her for pushing this forward and getting the support of the Fair Board. Copper CowBelles also agreed to once again cover the processing expenses for the steer purchased by the Grant County Cattle Growers. The meat is divided 5 ways among the Home Ec and Culinary Class teachers in Grant County for use in their cooking programs.

The November meeting was postponed until early December due to the Thanksgiving holidays. The agenda includes election of officers for 2024. Installation will again be in January.

Submitted by Patricia Hunt, President