Mental health - The Durango Herald

U.S. Olympian Bode Miller discusses mental health in new documentary

Film captures the behavioral struggles of living in a mountain town

DATE: Oct 19, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Bode Miller unveils movie on mental health in ski towns in Durango, Pagosa Springs

Famed ski racer will host a screening, panel Wednesday and Thursday

DATE: Oct 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy saved this Bayfield veteran’s life. He says it can save others

Mountain Hyperbarics in Durango treats vets free of charge through America’s Mighty Warriors

DATE: Oct 11, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

How La Plata County coaches help athletes avoid burnout

Studies show athletes are struggling with mental health more than ever

DATE: Oct 6, 2023 | CATEGORY: Sports

Durango therapist accused of dating client surrenders license

‘It’s disappointing’ said peer of Lillian Ramey, director of Riversage Family Counseling

DATE: Sep 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

A call for help: 911 dispatchers live through same traumas as police, firefighters

Those who answer calls are working toward mental health resilience

DATE: Jul 17, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Ousted Behavioral Health chief cites ‘lack of support’ from governor’s office

State’s human services director will take over for Dr. Morgan Medlock

DATE: Apr 19, 2023 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Pairing Durango police with mental health professionals proves successful

Co-Responder Program has handled 1,419 initial calls since its inception in 2021

DATE: Apr 3, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Meet the 15 appointees set to guide legalization of magic mushrooms in Colorado

Nominees for Natural Medicine Advisory Board await confirmation by full state Senate

DATE: Mar 21, 2023 | CATEGORY: Regional News

La Plata County man accused of holding neighbor at gunpoint appears in court

Paul Lundquist has yet to be declared mentally competent to stand trial

DATE: Feb 27, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Axis Health System purchases former Mercury Payment building for $18 million

Nonprofit to consolidate administrative offices, primary health and other services in spacious facility

DATE: Feb 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Local News

Colorado middle and high schoolers could begin receiving annual mental health checks

If a student needs additional resources, they would be referred to state-run program offering free therapy sessions

DATE: Jan 23, 2023 | CATEGORY: Regional News

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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