Hello Cowbelles. 

This month I have a GREAT way to begin my letter to you. Patti Townsend was awarded Outstanding CattleWoman of the year at the ANCW Annual Meeting in Nashville. Patti began as a New Mexico CowBelle, serving as President in 1995.

She has since gone on to serve as ANCW President in 2003 and now ranches in Oklahoma where she is a member of the Oklahoma CattleWomen and a non-local member of New Mexico CowBelles. Congratulations Patti!

Well, there is good news and bad news regarding the Department of Labor Farm Youth Rules. The good news is that the department announced its plans to re-propose the parental portion of the proposed rule. The bad news is that they plan to move forward with the rest of the rule. Since the entire rule goes too far, scrapping the whole thing would have been far better. The rule will still ban those younger than 16 from doing certain activities such as using power driven equipment. The DOL assumes that youth younger than 16 lack the ‘cognitive ability’ to herd animals on horseback, use battery-powered drills, or use any equipment unless it is powered by hand or foot. What a theory: if you don’t work, you can’t be hurt on the job.

Why is it that those making these rules don’t recognize that the youth who have grown up working on farms and ranches are exactly the people employers want to hire? These are the young people who have a sense of responsibility and a work ethic that keeps our country strong! They know how to WORK for what they want, not hold their hands out and say “give it to me”. The Department of Labor obviously doesn’t get it.

The re-proposed section of the rule should be published for public comment by early summer. Then it will be up to us to once again stand up for the youth of agriculture and our producers. Our voices made a difference, at least to some extent, the first time and we need to continue to stand strong in opposition to something we believe is fundamentally wrong. Get involved and make a difference.

                          – Beverly Butler, NMCB President



DATES TO REMEMBER

• March 18 – Executive Board Meeting in Roswell
• March 19 – District IV Workshop in Roswell (Host – Berrendo)
• March 20 – District III Workshop in Silver City (Host – Copper)
• March 21 – District I Workshop in Corona (Host – Crown)
• March 22 – District II Workshop in Ft. Sumner (Host – Powderhorn)
• April 15 – Pat Nowlin Scholarship applications due to Committee Chair
• May 21-23 – ANCW Region V & VI in Hawaii
• June – Beef Promotion Month Beef for Father’s Day
• June 24-26 – NMCB Mid-Year & Board Meeting & Beef Ambassador Contest in Ruidoso at Inn of the Mountain Gods

Corriente CowBelles ended their year with a very festive Christmas Party which included a surprise visit from Santa Claus. Gifts were exchanged as well as woes of the weather. Cattleman and CowBelle of the year were named. Troy Stone, of Stone Land and Cattle, was surprised with his beautiful hand crafted Bob Curtis belt buckle. Michelle Stearns, Corriente Secretary, was also surprised with her handcrafted Bob Curtis matching earring and necklace set. Both recipients’ items adorned their cattle brand. New Officers were installed as follows: President Kimberly Stone, Vice President Janet Taylor, Secretary Michelle Stearns, Treasurer Ivy Wrye, and Membership Coordinator Willa Stone. The Corrientes are looking forward to a great 2012 with plans for a big dance in March and Ag Week at Capitan Elementary School in May. Join us March 17, 2012 in Capitan for our 1st Annual “Pot of Gold” Benefit dance. Dance to the music of Terry Bullard and enjoy a silent auction and live Old Fashion Cake and Pie Auction. All proceeds will go towards Lincoln County 4-H and FFA members at the County Fair in August. It is a joy to serve the local youth, especially those involved in agriculture, thereby ensuring a bright future for us all. Submitted by Secretary Michelle Stearns

The Otero CowBelles met February 2 at the Sunset Run Restaurant in Alamogordo. Thirteen members and two guests, Teresa VanWinkle and Samantha Jones, were in attendance. Otero CB has 48 paid members with 14 being ANCW also, one memorial and one junior member. Pres. Debi W. Rupe displayed the new banners she had made. They are in color and measured 2’X6′, one being horizontal and the other lateral. They give a lot of information about the date OCB was started, affiliations such as ANCW, Beef Council, NMCG. etc. It also states “BEEF nutrition education is our Passion”. We LOVE “BEEF”. These banners will be an asset when the OCB are participating in health fairs, county fairs, and parades and other like events. New yearbooks were handed out, and to carry out Pres. Rupe’s slogan, the covers of the yearbooks display the same message. Teresa VanWinkle, CEO of Capped, which is an organization she initiated several years ago, gave an interesting presentation on “CAPPED Vision of Health”– A world without cancer and other preventable disease.” Pres. Rupe, along with many of the other CowBelles in attendance had a problem with the part of her demo on nutrition, in that it pointed out red meat as a culprit rather than a good part of our diet. She received the pamphlet, “Twenty-nine ways to love lean Beef”, in the red beef bag that Pres. Rupe gave her, with the hope that she will make a change or two in her perception of BEEF nutrition. The group was happy to learn that Patty Townsend was named ANCW Cattlewoman of the Year, Congratulations from all! Signed: Barbara Wagner, sec.

The February meeting of the Chamiza CowBelles was called to order by President, Gloria Petersen at the Elephant Butte Inn. There were 13 members and one guest present. The guest was Mike Kertesz who is a candidate for City Commissioner, and he gave a brief rundown of his intentions and goals. Both the secretary’s report and the treasurer’s reports were approved as read. Gloria requested the group send another scholarship payment to NMSU for Michelle Shivers. Cathy reported on the Bullock’s receipts. The total received for 2011 was $461.76. The first check this year was for $80.19, all of which is deposited into scholarship fund. The license plates have been ordered but not received yet. Jodell thanked everyone for donating generously last month to her church’s food bank. When she receives a healthy donation, she is able to purchase beef to feed the needy. District meetings will be held in March. Gloria hopes several will attend a district meeting this year, although no specifics from hosting clubs have been received. Deadline for the Pat Nowlin scholarship is nearing. June is Beef Promotion Month. Gloria will research the possibility of Cowbelles demonstrating, cooking, and handing out beef samples in a local grocery store. Ag Day is usually held in April, yet group has no information. The March meeting will be held at Nancy Phelps’ home near Dusty. Daisy will call those members without email to alert them of the next meeting. Meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m. Submitted by Cathy Pierce

President Pat Hunt called the January meeting of the Copper CowBelles to order at the Red Barn restaurant. Tracy Spikes, Director of the Silver City Museum is improving their outreach efforts in the community. He came to talk about the new centennial exhibit and then explained that it is his goal to create a theme of ranching as a “permanent theme” because ranching (and mining) are truly a part of the area’s history. Exhibits would change of course but the ranching thread would be there. He wants histories of families and asked about the history of the CowBelles. Evelyn Yates gave a summary of the Copper origins. Pat explained the group has many stories, photos and scrapbooks that may provide what he is looking for. Arley Howard introduced her guest Vivian Myers and Vivian became group’s newest member. She is a returning member! Bev Medford presented the year end Treasurer’s report which included a comparison of 2010 to 2011. There was a discussion about officers needing to use the “office supplies” line item in the budget. Postage and printing is expensive and the Secretary, Treasurer and In Our Hearts Chair need to submit bills for expenses such as stamps and paper. Gale Moore will donate a tape recorder to help with the minutes since the Secretary position is vacant. The note cards will be ordered. Thank you notes were read from El Refugio for toiletries donations in December and from Owaissa Heiman for Copper joining ANCW. Gale Moore needs updates for the Yearbook and the list of committees and hostesses. Please contact Pat if you are interested in hosting a meeting or being on a committee. It was decided to pay website domain expense for three years. Pat will continue to maintain and move to a blog formation to make it more interactive. There was discussion about the District III Meeting to be held on March 20. The gifts for the State Officers have been purchased. Kim will do the registration. All other decisions will be made at a special meeting to be called by Pat and then duties will be handed out. If you have a particular interest, contact Pat. The contract with the Flame was discussed for the Centennial Shindig which will be held May 5. The price has gone up $200 plus some additional fees. The group will sell advertisements on the posters and use the monies earned to pay some of the expenses for advertising the change in date for the dance. The Executive Board will have to have a planning meeting for the Shindig as soon as possible. Submitted by Pat Hunt

With 11 members and one guest, Lariat CowBelles met at Wild Horse Grill with Karen Kelling of Powderhorn CowBelles and past President of New Mexico CowBelles as the guest. Lariats wish to thank the First National Bank of New Mexico for printing the 2012 year book. Carroll and Herb Blakely had a fire resulting in loss of property, but no injuries. Georgia Kimsey reported son, David, is slowly improving. The 2011 and 2012 budgets were reviewed. Current legislative bills were discussed. The Ag Fest report was given. The New Mexico beef booth distributed brochures and samples of New Mexico beef jerky made with all New Mexico products. A lot of positive things about beef were heard. A report was given on the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Meeting and Roundhouse. Gate to Plate will be in this area following the Santa Fe Trail May 8-9, 2012. Lariat CowBelles have been invited to provide a meet and greet. The Beef Council promotes this media event. The National ANCW meeting was held in Nashville, Tennessee. ANCW is encouraging people to support the military and also to tell consumers the beef story. Everyone should be aware of the pending Death Tax Bill. Patty Townsend is Cattlewoman of the Year. The Union County Health Fair will be April 25. Lariat CowBelles will have a beef booth. New Mexico CowBelle cookbooks and napkins are being sold at Espy’s/Three West. Masters of Beef Advocacy program was discussed and members were encouraged to join. The Wolf Alliance survey was discussed. Memorials will be made to the Pat Nowlin Scholarship Fund for Margaret Poling and Brenda Christy. A Valentine’s donation was collected and given to Carroll Blakely to help with recovery from their fire. The deadline for District Workshop reservations is March 10 and costs $25. The District Workshop will be held March 22 at the Bosque Redondo Memorial. Pat Nowlin Scholarship applications are due at the April meeting. The scholarship is open to CowBelles and children of CowBelles. The Lariat CowBelle scrapbook for 2008-2009 was available to be seen by the members present. Kim Miller gave a fine presentation on some of the programs available through Integrated Management Information Global (IMI Global). The Added-Value Verification Program is used by the cattle industry. Export markets require source and age verification of beef. There is a $12 premium to the producer for each animal in source/age verification. Certification goes with every single animal. With an EID button on the ear, the animal can go anywhere. The cost to the producer for ear EID buttons is $250 per herd and $2 per head. Present Lariat members were given a Calving Record Book. The Non-Hormone Treated Cattle Program was discussed. There is an increase in demand on the European market for American beef. This summer tariff changes will open up the European market for American beef. Calves are required to have EID buttons. The Verified National Program is for antibiotic free cattle. Cattle that have been treated for illness with antibiotics cannot be sold under the program. The Where Food Comes From Program was discussed. The package of meat will have a square scan code that can be scanned by IPhone and bring up on computer the ranch were the animal came from. All of the above programs are available in Union County. The next regular meeting of Lariat CowBelles will be Wednesday, March 14, at the Rabbit Ears Café. Respectfully submitted by, Marianne Rose

Frisco Cowbelles met regularly in the fall. On a monthly basis the group gives two beef certificates to local senior Glenwood residents. They have always been greatly appreciated by the recipients. The group also gave a buckle to the winner of the Catron County bred steer at the fair in Reserve as well as other donations to the fair and to beef exhibitors. Election of 2012 officers was held; they are: President – Jeanne Johnson, Vice President – Kathleen Schuster, Secretary – Cathy Murphy, Treasurer – Frankie Webb, Reporter – Margie McKeen, Historian – Donnah McKeen. Margie gave industry issues reports on a regular basis. Frisco Cowbelles had their first meeting of the 2012 year President Jeanne Johnson presiding. There was discussion on possible candidates for Man of the Year with a couple of names suggested. Two names were selected for the beef certificates. The memorial angel from the annual meeting was given to the Klumker family in memory of Georgia Klumker. Some of the events and programs that Frisco does during the year were listed and dates presented. Ranch Days will happen again, this year on April 24 and 25 at the McKeen Ranch. Groups’ main fundraiser is the July 4th weekend. There are several considerations to be worked out ahead of time. Concerning industry issues, Margie brought up what the Wild Earth Guardians are planning for this year. They call it 12 for 2012. One of their items includes retiring federal grazing permits. The rest are also of equal annoyance but the previous mentioned item affects many ranchers with Forest Service allotments. The District meeting is in Silver City, March 20 and will be hosted by Copper CowBelles. There will be a good group going to it from Frisco. Submitted by Margie McKeen

The Powderhorn CowBelles of De Baca and Guadalupe Counties met February 14. Courtesy cards were sent to Dorothy and Neal Vaughan, Tanya Bequette, Jean Cowden and Frances Speight. The plans for meetings, places, hostesses and programs for 2012 were finalized and some minor changes made. Final plans for the District II Meeting on March 22 at the Bosque Redondo were agreed upon. The registration fee will be $25 in advance and invitations will be sent. We encourage all to come and enjoy. Karen Kelling will be in charge of Kid, Kows & More at the Santa Rosa Fair April 17, an opportunity to reach 4th and 5th graders with this great program representing Beef. Yetta Bidegain and Abby Hofman have requested permission to set up a table and dispense beef brochures and information at the Health Fair in Tucumcari on April 21. Other volunteers from Powderhorn will help. Sounds great to have all these activities planned to educate and promote our product in 2012. As always, plans to improve our beef promotion and barbecue during Old Fort Days are a part of every meeting in anticipation of this event. A great luncheon was followed by a demonstration by Karen Kelling on making her famous cookies, a treat enjoyed by all. Dorothy Vaughan, Secretary

New Mexico CowBelles: Thank you to all who have submitted their news to “Jingle Jangle.”
Please send minutes and/or newsletters to:
Jingle Jangle, Janet Witte, 1860 Foxboro Ct., Las Cruces, NM  88007 or email: janetwitte@msn.com