Columnists - The Durango Herald

‘Taught to think with our wallets, not our brains’

After the first presidential debate, the whole nation is panicked because one candidate can’t stop lying and the other can’t stop stuttering . . . because all we have left is a choice betwee...

DATE: Jul 5, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Harm reduction: A response to substance use and overdoses

La Plata County Public Health Department’s Harm Reduction program is a response to the rise in opioid-related overdoses both nationally and within La Plata County. Overdose deaths have more ...

DATE: Jul 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Creating Community

Caitlin Cannon returns to Durango

Singer-songwriter Caitlin Cannon’s move to Music City has been a worthy venture. The one-time Durango resident starting splitting her time between Nashville, Tennessee, and the Southwest in ...

DATE: Jul 3, 2024 | CATEGORY: Downtown Lowdown

Woman targets man with disabilities

DEAR ABBY: My son “Ethan” is a visually impaired adult with disabilities. He’s articulate, down to earth and joyful to be around. He’s a homeowner in a nice area of town. A woman we met thro...

DATE: Jul 2, 2024 | CATEGORY: Dear Abby

Looking for relief – and a smiley face – at Santa Rita

Dear Action Line: This is a two-parter: 1. Why are there no public restrooms at Santa Rita Park? Am I missing something? Am I blind? For such a large and often-used community venue, you’...

DATE: Jul 1, 2024 | CATEGORY: Action Line

Politics ‘a world of personal attacks, most outrageous lies imaginable’

Here we are at the end of June. Another “high point” in the never-ending election cycle that defines politics in this country. When I was young, elections were fairly limited in their time f...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Disingenuous to place blame on energy producers versus consumers’

Vermont recently passed a law intended to “fine” oil and gas companies for damages caused by climate change. Vermont is joining more than two dozen cities and states, which are suing Exxon a...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Politics ‘a world of personal attacks, most outrageous lies imaginable’

Here we are at the end of June. Another “high point” in the never-ending election cycle that defines politics in this country. When I was young, elections were fairly limited in their time f...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

It will cost you: ‘Climate change slows economic growth’

Thirty-eight trillion dollars per year! Climate change – especially global warming – slows economic growth around the world. By mid-century, year-on-year economic impacts (compared to a non-...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Learned the hard way clinical depression needs medical care’

Maybe I’m destined for cycles of deep depression. I’ve just come out of another that left me drained of any hope. The new drug cocktail I’m taking now might be the magic bullet. I pray so. T...

DATE: Jun 30, 2024 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Look out for the signs of heat illness

Living in the dry heat of the Southwest is one of the many advantages of Durango and surrounding communities. If you are like me, you enjoy our 300+ days of sunny skies and use your open win...

DATE: Jun 28, 2024 | CATEGORY: La Plata Health Watch

Celebrate local independent business on Independence Day

As we celebrate the anniversary of our national independence, it’s also a good time to celebrate how local independent businesses contribute to the strength of our communities. In forming a ...

DATE: Jun 28, 2024 | CATEGORY: Local First

Photos: Cowboy Gathering Social and Parade

Photos: High County Cattle Auction

High Country Cattle Auction brings top-notch stock and country charm to Southwest ColoradoFamily run, generational business dates back to 1940s

BREEN – The family-owned and operated High Country Cattle Auction is “in the bones” of the Cugnini family, said third-generation owner Chris Cugnini. The business was founded by Chris’ grandfather, Pat Cugnini, in the 1940s. Pat then passed the business down to his son, Duane Cugnini, who then turned the business over to daughters, Becky Hawkins and Chris Cugnini, whose daughters plan to take over the family business one day. The auction, which takes place once or twice a month from April to January at 13062 La Plata Highway (Colorado Highway 140) near Breen, attracts ranchers, farmers and those in the cattle industry from far and wide.

Former Durango resident Steve Greenburg has been attending the High Country Cattle auction for more than 40 years, and continues to travel to Breen all the way from Arizona, where he now lives. He attended the September auction last week, where around 1,200 animals were up for sale. Greenburg said effective bidding takes concentration and a practiced hand. “You want to make sure you don’t pay too much,” he said. “And if you do, you want to buy the business.” Amber Belvin, employee of 15 years and Chris’ operations “sidekick,” said bidders are most often looking for signs of good health in an animal, like a plump, filled-out body. If bidding on a herd, a look of uniformity among the animals is key to a good purchase, she said.

Despite Greenburg already having a handful of filled out bidding cards marking the cattle he had won within an hour of the Sept. 23 auction, he said the day was young. One sale day last year culminated in Greenburg taking home 22 semi-trucks worth of cattle, he said. Chris said Greenburg is one of the auction’s longest-term and most generous supporters. “(Greenburg) pays top-dollar,” Chris said. “And (that) makes me feel good, because we’re giving back to (the sellers). I know these people around here, and they’re the hardest working people on the planet. If I can get them 10 or 20 cents more per pound, then that makes us happy.”

Cattle auction prices have gone up in recent years, both at High Country and nationally, Chris said. This year, animals are going for $2,500 to $3,000 a head – double and triple the average prices from last year. The increase, Chris said, is in part because of a screw worm making the rounds in cattle in Mexico, which has lowered the number of cattle coming in from the south, along with people subdividing and selling cattle branches, and local cattle herd numbers diminishing, which has increased demand.

Chris called the price increase “good and bad.” “It’s great if you’re a seller, because there’s prices that you’ve never seen before,” she said. “Older men come in, (and they) can’t believe the prices. Some of them do this for a living, and they count on that, so they’re so happy.” Belvin said some smaller farmers opt to buy less cattle during price surges like this, but echoed Chris’ sentiment about sellers being ecstatic about the unprecedented profit.

Local cattle farmer Lawrence Martinez entered 59 steers and 95 heifers in the auction Tuesday. Martinez has been involved in the High Country Cattle Auction “pretty much forever,” but recent years have been especially fruitful for sales, he said. “These last few years, we’ve been coming here to sell, because this is the place to go,” he said. “I wouldn’t sell anywhere else. (The market here has) been so good.”The auction’s community roots and generational touch doesn’t stop at the Cugnini family: Shane Hatch, the auctioneer, took over the job after his father’s death, Belvin said.

The auction serves as an opportunity for community members to get together and bond, Belvin said. “When we do have an auction, it’s a great place where local farmers and ranchers can get together and talk,” she said. “They come to the cafe, and they talk about the hay, and the drought situation, and I think it’s a good connecting point.” Chris and Belvin both expressed feeling glad the auction can supply so much generational value to the local farming and ranching community. “I mean, what other business can you think of around here that’s the same, right?” Belvin said. “We’re fair, and we’re very meticulous at our jobs. We take it very seriously, because this is (some peoples’) livelihood.”

For the Cugninis – and long-term employees like Belvin, who have become an honorary part of the close-knit High Country Cattle Auction family – the heart of the business aligns with the heart of the local farming and ranching community. “We’re just good, hard working people – Americans – that want to make a good living, and live off this great land,” Belvin said. epond@durangoherald.com

Family run, generational business dates back to 1940s

Photos: Ride with the Champions bike parade

Photos: Changing colors

Photos: Fort Lewis College Volleyball sweeps Black Hills StateSkyhawks off to best start since 2006

Skyhawks off to best start since 2006

Photos: Durango High School football takes on Piedra Vista High SchoolDemons’ defense dominates in 17-0 victory on Friday night

Demons’ defense dominates in 17-0 victory on Friday night

Skyhawks beat Lubbock Christian 2-1 in season opener on Thursday

Photos: Four Corners Motorcycle RallyLots of motorcycles and tattoos were on display on Saturday

Lots of motorcycles and tattoos were on display on Saturday

Photos: Four Corners Motorcycle Rally Rodeo