Bunny McComb, a longtime advocate for the beef industry, was named Cowbelle of the Year during the Southwest Colorado Livestock Association’s annual dinner Saturday night.

McComb has been a member of the Cowbelles since 1993. She has been active in the group’s calendar committee and has acted as its historian for the past two years. She also arranges every funeral dinner for members of the group as part of the bereavement committee. A former chair of the Colorado Beef Ambassador Committee, she now teaches at a school in Shiprock and runs a cow-calf operation along with her husband, Kevin, in Montezuma County.

Brandee Simmons, president of the Cowbelles, said McComb was chosen for the award because of her long and active participation in the group, and her enthusiasm about promoting the beef industry along with her husband.

“It’s always been an equal partnership between them,” Simmons said.

When McComb first married, she raised chickens and sold the eggs to help raise money for Kevin to buy his first few heifers. Now they have a successful business and are heavily involved in Southwest Colorado’s beef industry.

Simmons teared up at the banquet as she introduced McComb and spoke about all the ways she has benefited the Cowbelles, from making scrapbooks to coordinating scholarships. McComb herself said she was “humbled” to be recognized by an organization she’s always loved.

“I’ve watched women win this award, and I always admired them, so then to be included in that, it feels really special,” McComb said. “I’m very honored.”