The June 30 meeting was called to order at noon by President Pat Hunt. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Carol Crosley read the prayer and Leslie Crumbley read the CowBelle Creed. There were 7 members present, along with 3 guests: Sylvia Ramos McLaughlin, Mackey Irwin and Daniel Melendrez.
Due to time constraints on their part, Mackey Irwin introduced Daniel Melendrez, who is now County Executive Director of the Farm Service Agency for Grant, Luna and Hidalgo counties. Daniel gave a brief overview of his job and expressed his willingness to be of assistance to ag producers in this area.
Members were encouraged to get our $30 yearly membership dues in early. $20 of that will be forwarded on to NMCCB. Early payment will keep us from being tardy in our payment to the state organization.
CowBelles received a note of thanks from Hattie Dobrinski. Hattie is grateful for the (CowBelle Scholarship) that will help her reach her educational goals. A thank you note was also received from Sabrina Theurauf, who also received a scholarship toward her college loans. She will soon graduate vet school. Our other scholarship recipient is Kolby Taylor.
Kathy Davis and Cyndi Donovan attended the Mid-Year Meeting in Ruidoso. They reported that the USDA has approved a new processing plant at NMSU. This will help to clear the processing bottleneck that producers in our state have been experiencing. The combo luncheon had a very good speaker. They felt the meeting was educational and lots of fun.
New Mexico will host the NACW in 2024, showcasing NMSU and other highlights available in our state.
We discussed ideas for a fundraiser to support our scholarships and other needs. Lots of ideas were shared and members have been tasked with gathering relevant information to bring to the next meeting.
Pat Hunt reported that BLM is proposing opening public land up for “multiple use.” This could create quite a mess. Comment period for our response to this proposal has been extended to July 5th. Pat said that our response is extremely important.
Some of our members are investing much time and energy into promoting Heritage Waters, educating the public of the dangers hidden in the innocent appearing “Wild and Scenic” bill. Thanks to these ladies for their dedication on our behalf. We must all do our part in getting the word out.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05pm. Our next meeting will take place on August 15, 2023.
Respectfully submitted by Carol Crosley, Secretary
Dates to remember: Grant County Fair, September 20-23
Grant County Copper CowBelles 