Investigation - The Durango Herald

Firefighters reach full containment on Twin Buttes Fire; blaze measured at 4 acres

About 30 people remain on scene ‘fortifying’ lines

DATE: Jul 20, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Meet the Colorado man whose identity was allegedly stolen by Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters

Gerald Wood speaks publicly for the first time about his connection to the embattled election official

DATE: Jun 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Texas man arrested on suspicion of burglary, shooting up a house north of Durango

Reverse-911 call issued to Hermosa-area residents

DATE: Jun 13, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado officials evaluate complaint that Boebert used campaign funds to pay off tax liens on restaurant

Candidate reported driving nearly 39,000 miles, a nearly impossible distance during given time period

DATE: Jun 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Silverton faces fallout from structure fire

Business owners are in limbo while investigation is underway

DATE: Jun 7, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Driver in Main Avenue crash dies from injuries; co-workers mourn loss

Mario Garcia worked as a kitchen manager at Steamworks Brewing Co. in Durango

DATE: May 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Ute Pass Fire northeast of Durango is 80% contained

Pre-evacuation alert lifted for residents of the Ute Pass subdivision

DATE: May 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Whistleblowers say they falsified patient records at Western Slope mental health center

State regulators have overlooked what former Mind Springs workers describe as a long pattern of fraud

DATE: May 16, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Identity of attorney should be public, secretary of state argues in Elbert County election security case

‘Forensic images’ stored in an undisclosed location with a ‘private attorney’

DATE: May 9, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Rep. Boebert involved in ‘beginning stages’ of White House Jan. 6 planning, ex-aide says

Information was made public this week as part of a legal filing

DATE: Apr 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Police arrest man suspected of shoplifting, showing gun at Home Depot in Durango

Escalante Middle School was placed on ‘lockout’

DATE: Apr 26, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bayfield Marshal’s Office investigates possible theft of thousands of dollars from Clover Meadows HOA

Residents ousted entire board of directors Monday night

DATE: Apr 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Photos: Durango High School boys golf competes at stateDemons finished 14th after two rounds at Fox Hill Club in Longmont

Demons finished 14th after two rounds at Fox Hill Club in Longmont

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

Firefighters reach full containment on Twin Buttes Fire; blaze measured at 4 acres

Meet the Colorado man whose identity was allegedly stolen by Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters

Texas man arrested on suspicion of burglary, shooting up a house north of Durango

Colorado officials evaluate complaint that Boebert used campaign funds to pay off tax liens on restaurant

Silverton faces fallout from structure fire

Driver in Main Avenue crash dies from injuries; co-workers mourn loss

Ute Pass Fire northeast of Durango is 80% contained

Whistleblowers say they falsified patient records at Western Slope mental health center

Identity of attorney should be public, secretary of state argues in Elbert County election security case

Rep. Boebert involved in ‘beginning stages’ of White House Jan. 6 planning, ex-aide says

Police arrest man suspected of shoplifting, showing gun at Home Depot in Durango

Bayfield Marshal’s Office investigates possible theft of thousands of dollars from Clover Meadows HOA

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