Cortez Livestock has been a cornerstone of Montezuma County agriculture since 1959. For more than six decades, the auction barn has served local ranchers, farmers, and Native American producers as a place to buy, sell, and trade livestock — and to keep a way of life going. As family farms and ranches continue to decline, this longtime auction barn remains a critical part of preserving Western heritage and supporting local agriculture. This story is sponsored by Sky Ute Casino and Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers.
Transcript
It means a lot to carry the tradition forward. I, this is a pillar of Montezuma County Agriculture, and we’re losing family farms. We’re losing family ranches, and it’s important to keep the Western heritage alive.
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Cortez Livestock has been here since 1959, so it’s 65 years old. Back when it was started, they didn’t have internet. They didn’t have a lot of trucking, and so it was important for the local ranchers to be able to come in, bring their livestock and get ’em traded and, you know, bought, and particularly for the Native Americans, this was the only sale barn in the region for decades. And so they would bring their livestock in and they would sell, and then they would frequent the stores here in Montezuma County.
We do have good buyers and good sellers, and we do a lot of trade with the Native American people. A lot of them have been trading here for generations. We get a lot of the old ranchers and farmers, they come just to have a cup of coffee and, and catch up on, on their family. And the family that’s around here,
There’s a lot of corporate buyers that’ll come in and just buy a bunch of animals off of the hoof. So this allows the producer to, to have a spot to come and sell their livestock.
I’ve grown up around auctions, going to auctions, buying whatever at auctions, and just finally one day it just kind of clicked of that would be cool to do. And so I just kind of started looking and found a, found a school that was affordable and, and to do. And so I just did it. 15, 30, 25, 30, 30 turn, 25, 30. A lot of it comes from rhythm and they, they teach you a basic chant and then you just kind of take it and run with it. And
I grew up in Texas and, and, and around, you know, livestock and moving here and seeing the, the history of this place. My, my grandparents were from around here. And so just preserving the, the old west feel, it’s a big thing for the native population to come sell their animals and buy and trade. And it’s definitely a big part of the history of this barn.
We’re losing farmers and ranchers, and we want to be here to keep the tradition alive and they have a place to sell their livestock.
This is what this county is all about, is preserving the things that we love and keep keeping our businesses going.
For more information, visit the Cortez Livestock Auction Facebook page. And for more stories like this, visit durangolocal.news.
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