After a steaming dinner of steak and baked potatoes at the Cortez Elks Lodge on Saturday night, the Cowbelle and Stockman of the year were named by the Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association and the Southwestern Cowbelles.
It’s an annual tradition at the Livestock Association’s annual meeting, which features elected officials in the morning and a business meeting in the afternoon, prior to the evening festivities.
This year’s winners were Milton Lewis and Nila Jo “Jody” Schwindt.
Hundreds showed up for the dinner, seated at long wooden tables at the Elks Lodge. Cortez FFA students assisted with serving and clearing dishes.
Both a silent and live auction were held during the dinner, with proceeds benefiting the association’s scholarship fund.
The Cowbelle of the Year is selected by a committee made up of award recipients from the past three years. Bunny McComb was named Cowbelle of the Year in 2017, and said they received four nominations for the award.
“All four nominees were very well deserving,” she told The Journal on Friday.
Candidates for the award must be a Cowbelle in good standing – meaning they’ve paid their dues, McComb said – and must be nominated by a Cowbelle in good standing.
When finalizing the decision, the selection committee looks at nominees’ histories, Cowbelles activities, their contribution to the livestock industry, and why someone feels they are a good fit for the award, McComb said.
This year’s winner, Jody Schwindt, was celebrated for her independent spirit. A lifelong Cowbelle, Schwindt was born in Cortez in 1949 as the middle child of three daughters. Her father ran a cow outfit with his father and brother in McElmo Canyon, while her mother eventually acquired some land in Arriola.
“Our Cowbelle of the Year inherited her mother’s strength and big heart, who also provided her with the value system she walks the world with: respect all of the folks you meet; if you don’t have anything good to say about someone, keep silent; awe and humility for the gift of life and a deep love and appreciation for family,” Schwindt’s bio reads.
She became a teacher and after she and her husband married, they decided to venture into production agriculture – at first leasing farmland and then eventually buying land in 1976.
“The appreciation that Jody has for cows and the cow business has been a part of her everyday life,” the bio says.
Schwindt and her husband have two children and seven grandchildren. She is currently vice president of the Cowbelles and chairs the Ag Expo booth.
Stockman of the Year Milton Lewis also had a vibrant life story. Born in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1942, he grew up on a small ranch on the San Juan River, but in the mid-1950s, the federal government acquired the ranch through eminent domain to build the Navajo Dam, according to his bio.
In 1959, a week after his wedding, Lewis, his wife and a group of other relatives all moved to Alaska. They lived there for 18 years, and Lewis and his father ran a cattle ranching operation just northeast of Homer.
He was awarded the Young Farmer of the Year Award for the state of Alaska in 1968.
Ranching in Alaska’s climate presented difficulties, as did the distance required to travel to purchase ranching supplies. But in 1972, the distance issue was somewhat alleviated when he bought a Piper Cub plane and acquired his private pilot’s license. About the same time, he began an artificial insemination program with his cattle to help bring a new bloodline into his herd.
In fall 1977, Lewis and his family moved to the Cortez area, where he purchased a ranch and a U.S. Forest Service permit. He served as the chairman of the Southwest Cattleman Livestock Association, and for several years served on the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Board and as a church deacon.
Although retired, Lewis still ranches, selecting his cattle for gentleness, according to his bio. He also has tried his hand at buffalo riding, bull riding and team roping.
Dinner saw another surprise announcement as well. Allan Randolph, a Cortez resident and one of the night’s auctioneers, told the attendees that he would be running for Montezuma County commissioner.
Randolph, who said he has a trucking business and has worked at the sale barn for at least 30 years, said he had been mulling over possibly running for a few months but decided to make it official Saturday.
“I need to protect our county here,” he said.
And later that night, the band The Vanishing Breed performed for the crowd, and the Cowbelles raffled off their annual brand quilt, with proceeds going toward Cowbelle operations.
ealvero@the-journal.com
