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

The October 17 meeting was called to order by President Pat Hunt. 10 members were present. The Pledge of Alliegance, Prayer, CowBelle Creed, minutes and treasurer’s report were taken care of.

Rose Ann Eby and her husband have retired and moved to Arizona. We wish them well. Neline Dominguez, Joyce Biebelle, Hazel Donaldson and Joan Woodward are unable to attend meetings due to health issues.

We had a spirited recap of the Grant County Fair and AG Days. The event was a success! Vivian Myers did a great job selling the NM Beef license plates and more had to be ordered! Raffle tickets on the scholarship basket sold well. Drawing will be held in November. Our booth at Friday’s Ag Day was a success and Pat thanked Cyndi and Alene for covering the brands display.  Pat Hunt attended the Fair Board meeting following the Fair and was impressed with how all of the committees came together for the good of the event. 

Michelle Greeman gave a report on upcoming NMCB events. The annual meeting will be held at the Hotel Albuquerque Dec 13^th – 16^th. The CowBelles Breakfast is on the morning of Dec 15^th.  Our own Michelle Greeman will be installed as incoming President! Monthly NMCB Zoom meetings are the 2^nd Thursday of each month at 7PM.  

The ANCW Region VI meeting will be held in Las Cruces April 11-13^th  and NM CowBelles are the hosts.

Kathy Davis agreed to chair the nominating committee and has already gathered help.  It is hoped that someone will agree to run for Vice President with the intention of being in training for the President position for the following year.

Our CowBelle highway signs were discussed and Kathy Davis volunteered to chair getting the Cliff sign rebuilt and improved.  She is hoping to get ranchers to pay to have their brands displayed, which will help fund the work.  Kim Clark is also working on the US 180 sign toward Faywood.

With the 30 day House Session approaching, we were encouraged to remain vigilant and educate ourselves on important matters.  Vote early!  Make note of districting changes, some of which effect Grant County directly.

Next meeting will be held November 21, 2023. Our hostess for this meeting was Pat Hunt, who put us in a Halloween mood: Treats without any Tricks. Thanks Pat.

By Carol Crosley              

The Grant County Copper CowBelles August 15, 2023 meeting started late at 12:15 as not many members were in attendance.  We skipped the pledge, creed and prayer to make up time.  Hostesses were Kim Clark and Pat Hunt.  Guest was Liz Gardner.

Caren Cowan has informed the State Officers that many copies of the NM Stockman are being returned because of incorrect addresses. Someone is manipulating the State Officer email addresses by sending out emails requesting money.  Do not respond in any way to these Phishing efforts, ignore and delete.  They are working on security issues to stop this problem.

It is still possible to volunteer to help at the Happy Hour promotion at the State Fair but you need to let them know immediately if you are interested.

Autumn gave us an update about the County Fair AG Day she is organizing.  She has several very good exhibitors coming including the cannulated cow and a drone demonstration.  Her office will have a booth on Beef By-Products.  Copper decided to give a demonstration on brands. Pat emphasized that we need to sign up for covering both our booth in the exhibit hall and the AG Day booth.  A motion was approved to help cover expense for the cut and wrap processing of the steer to be purchased by the Grant County Cattle Growers.  The Cattle Growers will be informed that this may be the last year we can help with this expense. A motion was approved to raise our local dues from $10 to $15 annually, the State dues remaining at $20 with the new total being $35.  The change goes into effect for the dues to be paid by October 1^st.

There was some discussion on whether to have our regularly scheduled meeting on the 19^th as it is just a day before the Fair.  No final decision was made.

Pat Hunt

The Flying A Ranch and Dusty Hunt are the subject of an article in the Summer 2023 issue of Range Magazine. Pat Hunt, 2023 President of Copper CowBelles, is married to Dusty.

If you are interested in reading a print copy of the magazine you can find it at the Silver City Public Library. Here is a digital copy of the article.

Congratulations Dusty and Pat!

The Copper CowBelles are once again selling raffle tickets for a “goodies bucket” to replenish funds in our annual scholarship account.

Reach out to a member today, or tickets will be sold at our booth during the Grant County Fair from September 20-23. The drawing will be held after the Fair.

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

The May 16 meeting was called to order at 11:30 by President Pat Hunt at the Customs House Kitchen in Deming, NM. Members present were Kathy Davis, Alena Johnson, Cyndi Donovan, Leslie Crumbley and Michelle Greeman.

Scholarship Chair, Leslie presented a scholarship request from Kolby Taylor. He will be a senior at NMSU in the Fall studying for a degree in Animal Science. He is considering going to Vet school. A scholarship was given to Kolby.

A short discussion was made concerning a fundraiser including the possibility of a cash party. There was some concern that we don’t have the funds on had to cover up front expenses for such an event. No decisions were made.

A project for June is Beef Month was tabled for lack of interest.

Respectfully submitted, Pat Hunt

Note: this short, abbreviated meeting was held at lunchtime after touring the Deming Luna Museum which the participants greatly enjoyed.

Next meeting June 20, 2023
Upcoming Events:

• 2nd Thursdays of every month State CowBelles Zoom meetings 7 pm (watch your mails for link)
• Mid-year Meeting June 5 th , Ruidoso
• Grant County Fair Sept 20 th – 23 rd

The April 18 meeting was called to order at noon by President Pat Hunt.  We recited the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, the CowBelle Creed and a prayer.  Hostesses Cyndi Donovan and Kathy Davis provided a beautiful spring atmosphere for our meeting and 12 members were present to enjoy it. 

A card of thanks to Tenisha Fell, who will be moving to Oklahoma soon, was passed around for members to express their appreciation of her commitment and hard work.

We received a note from Sabrina Thuerauf thanking us for our scholarship toward her veterinary school expenses.  She is nearing her graduation and is grateful for the help we were able to provide. A check is going out to Erica Garcia, to support her as she competes for the National Miss Agriculture title.          

Pat Hunt reported that Lauren Baker represented our club at the Silver City Museum’s “Community Conversations” held on April 15^th. 

 Michelle Greeman was not able to attend this meeting, but sent an NMCB update to membership via email.   She reminded us that the WALC early bird registration closes on 5/1. The event will be held at the Albuquerque Sheraton Uptown on May 23-25.  Registration is also open for the Mid-Year Meeting on June 4-6 in Ruidoso.   Rooms can be booked at the MCM Elegante Ruidoso with the Cattle Growers group rate.

Under New Business, Pat reminded us that our annual NM Ag in the Classroom donation of $250 is due and Cyndi will be sending that out. We are grateful for the work this group is accomplishing.

McKeen Ranch Days is quickly approaching and CCB will host 2 tables: butter making and beef by-products. 

We discussed the needed fundraiser.  Everyone liked the idea of a cash party/dinner/dance and more info will be available by our next meeting.  Pat is also putting together an exciting gift basket that we will raffle off after the County Fair, hopefully raising funds for at least one scholarship.  Members brought in items to fill the basket and we all received tickets to begin selling: $1 each or 6 for $5. 

Jessica Swapp-Massengill/Grant County Extension Office will be putting on a garden show and sale on May 13^th, in partnership with Autumn Robertson/NM Farm Bureau.  They’ve lined up some great presenters and related vendors for this event.  Jessica also shared that the Extension Office has loaned a number of egg incubators out to schools (Pre K through high school) around Grant County.   The conversation soon grew to include chicken-pluckers and egg rollers and we were all enthralled! 

Pat Hunt brought up that the current “food animal” veterinarian shortage represents a danger to agriculture in America. It highlights how important it is to support vet students with our scholarships, as we have with Sabrina Thuerauf.  We also learned that false rumors are being spread insinuating that livestock are being treated with drugs containing “MRNA”. This rumor is not true and we should be aware and quick to dispel these rumors. Another concern is that Fentanyl is being mixed with veterinary drugs. 

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 16^th.

Respectfully submitted, Carol Crosley

Upcoming Events:  McKeen Ranch Days      April 25th – 26^th

                                   WALC, Albuquerque     May 23rd – 25^th

                                   Mid-Year Meeting, Ruidoso   June 4th – 6^th

                                   Grant County Fair    Sept 20^th – 23^rd

The meeting was called to order at noon by President Pat Hunt following a delicious lunch served by our hostesses, Lori Nell Reed and Mary Jo Hooker.   Pat noted that this was National Agriculture Day!  We recited the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, read the CowBelles Creed and the prayer.  There were 14 present, including former long-time member Nancy Thomas.

Michelle Greeman caught us up on the Legislative Session. Cyndi Donovan read a list of outcomes listed by Bill #.  Some results were positive, but many were disappointing. Martin Heinrich is re-introducing his Wild & Scenic Bill. This is a threat to agriculture, the mining industry, and all of us in the Southwest.

The Scholarship Committee received a Pat Nowlin Scholarship application from Hattie Dobrinski, currently a senior at Calvary Christian Academy.  She is a new member of CCB and will be pursuing an Agri-Business degree at Ft. Hays State University, Hays KS. It was agreed that we forward our recommendation that Hattie Dobrinski be considered for the Pat Nowlin Scholarship up to NMCB.  A motion passed that we award Hattie Dobrinski a Copper CowBelles scholarship.

Copper CowBelles have been asked to make a presentation at the Silver City Museum’s “Community Conversations” on April 15^th at the Silco Theater.  Lauren Baker volunteered to handle this presentation and will give a short description of the history and current focus of CCB at this overview of clubs and organizations in Grant County.

McKeen Ranch Days in Alma is on April 25^th and 26^th.  This is an important outreach to educate youth in the southern area about the importance of agriculture in all of our lives.  Many volunteers are needed to present demonstrations or act as a guide for a class. Specifically, Margie requested that CCB do the Butter Demonstration again and a Beef By-products Presentation.

We discussed the needed work on our Copper CowBelles highway signs (the 180 west sign is completely gone). Further discussion was tabled until more information can be gathered.

The need for a fundraiser was discussed and lots of creative ideas were shared. We talked about doing an event on our own vs. joining with another organization. More information will be gathered and the discussion will be continued at our next meeting.  Time is of the essence, however.     

 

The meeting was called to order on February 21 by President Pat Hunt. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag. Pat Hunt read the CowBelle Creed and Carol Crosley read the prayer. There were 14 persons attending, including 2 guests.

Guests Autumn (Graham) Robertson and Rebekka Hansen were with us to share their vision for an Ag Day on Friday 9/22/23, during the Cliff/Gila Grant County Fair. They plan booths, games, a petting zoo, photo backdrop and demonstrations helping the public to understand the importance of agriculture in our community.

Pat Hunt shared notes from the youth involved in the SHA Gymkhana, thanking us for our support. CCB Members also signed a note of encouragement to our friend/member Joan Woodward.

NMCB memorializes members who have passed. Pat displayed a lovely memorial plaque in honor of Linda Pecotte and will try to get it to Linda’s family. Michelle Greeman also presented a memorial for Evelyn Yates that came from the December annual meeting.

Michelle Greeman caught us up on NMCB business. The Southern Region District Meeting and workshops will be in Alamogordo on Feb. 25. 2023. Mid-Year Meeting dates will be June 4th and 5th in Ruidoso.

Kathy Davis reported on the Heritage Waters Coalition status. They are doing a great job trying to protect us from the Dutch Salmon Greater Wild and Scenic River Bill. This bill would have a negative effect on most of us in Grant County. Please join this fight at: http://www.heritagewaters.org.

A scholarship application was presented from Sabrina Thuerauf, a Silver High graduate who is now in her last year of Veterinarian School. Sabrina hopes to begin practice in Grant County upon graduation. An award was made to Sabrina to be used toward paying off her school loans.

Discussion of the condition of both the CCB signs on US180, as they will need a makeover or total replacement. Ideas will be followed up on at our March meeting.

Silver City Museum will host Community Conversation (an overview of clubs and organizations in Grant County) at the Silco Theater on Saturday, April 15, 2023. They have requested we send a representative to give a brief history and focus of Copper CowBelles.

Women in Ag Leadership Conference (WALC) will be held in Albuquerque 5/23 through 5/25. Connie Rooks of Farm Bureau is committee chair and has asked us for a sponsorship of any amount.

Jessica Swapp-Massengill explained that her Ag Advisory Board helps her to ensure that she is meeting the needs in this county. Unfortunately budget cuts have made operation very difficult for Jessica and her co-workers. We have observed the results of some of these cuts. Jessica wanted us to be aware and open to serving on the advisory board if asked. The board members change every 6 months.

Our next meeting will be held on March 21st.