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Hopkins County cattle rancher Bonnie Hufstetler was honored by The Art of the Cowgirl Foundation recently in Montana as the Betty Kunesh Legacy Award recipient. Listen to Huffstettler share her story with Enola Gay Mathews in Down Home podcast, episode 252, scheduled to air March 27, 2024 at ssnewstelegam.com. Photo by Art of the Cowgirl Foundation 2024
Bonnie Husfftetler, a Hopkins County cattle rancher, was presented the 2024 Betty Kunesh Legacy Award by The Art of the Cowgirl Foundation at Ryegate, Montana.
The award reads, “Congratulations to Bonnie Huffstetler, the well-deserved 2024 Betty Kunesh Legacy Award recipient. Bonnie is a true pioneer woman and kindles the Cowgirl Spirit wherever she goes. At age 95, Huffstetler was recognized and honored for her lifetime of hard work and contribution to the Western lifestyle through this award.”
This isn't the first time the Hopkins County cattle rancher has received recognition for her hard work.
At age 94, Bonnie was honored locally by Hopkins/ Rains County Farm Bureau as the 2022 Agriculturist of the Year at the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, held in February of 2023.
The 2022 Agriculturalist of thee Year award recipient was born in Ridgeway, Texas, the daughter of a sharecropper. As a child, she spent most of her time in the fields with her dad.
She told her mother as a young girl, “if I were a boy, I’d be a rancher.” Her dream of ranching came true.
She married her husband, Jack, in 1948 and they moved to Sulphur Springs. Jack worked for the post office for the next 20 years. They raised livestock on their farm.
At the age of 58, Huffstetler increased the cattle operation on her own. She spent hours in the offices of local veterinarians, asking questions, gaining knowledge, recognizing illnesses and finding the best available treatments. She built relationships with local ranchers, many of whom she shared valuable knowledge with. She was known to raise some of the best cattle and earned a reputation for holding her own at the sale barn.
After the decline of the dairy industry, Huffstetler made the switch to black angus cattle and continues to have NETBIO cattle. Today, she continues her daily ranching operation in good health.