Health - The Durango Herald

The surprising effects of stress on your gut

If you’ve ever listened to an older friend or family member speaking of the “good ole days,” they might have referred to them as being simpler times. I know when I look at the world my kids ...

DATE: Sep 5, 2018 | CATEGORY: Healing Nutrition

Durango man living full life after pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Combination of naturopathic and traditional medicine proves effective for Tom Riesing

DATE: Sep 3, 2018 | CATEGORY: Local News

Want to be healthier? Pick up the pace

Everyone knows that walking is one of the best exercises for health, which is why physicians regularly recommend 150 minutes a week. But that’s a measure of volume. What about walking speed?...

DATE: Sep 2, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Mom’s use of opioids in pregnancy may stunt kids’ learning

CHICAGO – Learning disabilities and other special education needs are common in children born with opioid-related symptoms from their mother’s drug use while pregnant, according to the first...

DATE: Sep 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Durango firefighter, paramedic dies after decades of service

Mike Jones known for compassion, light-hearted spirit

DATE: Aug 30, 2018 | CATEGORY: Local News

Could increased antidepressant use be contributing to global obesity problem?

The world has changed a lot in the past 30 years, leaving no shortage of possible causes for the global obesity problem: more calories, more sugary beverages, less physical activity, poor sl...

DATE: Aug 29, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Mind-altering breast milk? New pot study poses that question

CHICAGO – Marijuana’s main mind-altering ingredient was detected in nursing mothers’ breast milk in a small study that comes amid evidence that more U.S. women are using pot during pregnancy...

DATE: Aug 28, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Aspirin disappoints for avoiding first heart attack, stroke

Taking a low-dose aspirin every day has long been known to cut the chances of another heart attack, stroke or other heart problem in people who already have had one, but the risks aren’t wor...

DATE: Aug 27, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Want to live longer? Stick to these healthy habits

There seems to always be a mad dash toward the next new thing when it comes to nutrition and fitness, whether it’s the latest exercise craze, super food or diet regimen. But leaping from fad...

DATE: Aug 23, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

Have you ever been fooled by ‘Big Food?’

I still remember a young family that came to me with a gluten-intolerant child. Because the child couldn’t digest gluten, it would make him, very, very sick. They were frustrated ...

DATE: Aug 21, 2018 | CATEGORY: Healing Nutrition

Europe sees sharp rise in measles: 41,000 cases, 37 deaths

BERLIN – The World Health Organization says the number of measles cases in Europe jumped sharply during the first six months of 2018 and at least 37 people have died. The U.N. age...

DATE: Aug 20, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

1 in 7 children of Zika-infected moms have problems

NEW YORK – One out of every seven babies born to U.S. mothers who were infected with Zika during pregnancy developed some kind of health problem, according to the first long-term look at tho...

DATE: Aug 19, 2018 | CATEGORY: Health

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