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Back To The Future....
A Student, A Teacher, A Cowboy All Rolled Into One
BHSSF announces renewable scholarship award
Rapid City, SD -- In the
movie, Back To The Future, the central story line is one of the character played
by Michael J. Fox who goes back in time - and meets himself.
You could make the same movie and cast Wes Hotchkiss of
Mud Butte, SD, as the ingenious kid who discovers there’s a reason
things are the way they are, why some things should change and why some things
shouldn’t.
There really is a ‘greater purpose’ to things and
from a young age, his mom says Wes seemed, “ to know that. From the time he
was little, he has applied a certain methodical approach to things - a place for
everything and everything in its place.”
As the first recipient of the renewable scholarship
program begun by the Black Hills Stock Show Foundation in 2004, Hotchkiss
embodies what many think doesn’t exist anymore; a generation of
cowboy that believes there’s still a place (and a need) for the old
ways, smack-dab in the 21st century .... a ‘back to the future’ take
on things, that works.
A third year range science major with a double minor in
animal science and ag business, Wes learned early some of life’s lessons that
come to others later in life. “Coming from a country school and because I was
the only student in my grade, it seemed I was always learning things a year or
more ahead,” he recalls. His mom Beth remembers that started with his
older sister. “She’d come home from school and teach him everything she had
learned. We skipped right over kindergarten and he’s been off and running ever
since,” she laughs.
Always a good student, Wes also experienced early the
separation from family. “From Sulphur Creek School out on the prairie to the
big lights of Newell, SD,” he says with a laugh, turning serious when he
recalls moving to a school where he didn’t know anyone and having to bunk in
town, away from home. “I’ve just had the experiences at a younger age -
which is why I think college wasn’t such a big adjustment for me.”
And he’s quick to credit others in his growing up years who
made those transitions more of an adventure than a hardship; parents, teachers,
FFA advisors, friends and family.
Both Terry and Beth Hotchkiss, who have ranched close to
30 years northeast of Newell, say they’ve encouraged the kids, that include a
brother and sister, to branch out and experience new places and people.
“Still, Wes has always remained focused on returning to the ranch,” she
observes. “Everything he’s done or is doing now, such as finishing his
degree, are part of his plan to return here.”
Here being a cow/calf outfit in hard country, where the
windswept prairie can yield either feast or famine. “It’s the most
beautiful, inspiring place on earth when most everything’s right,” he
observes. “It can break a person too. I think it’s part of the mystery that
were to learn, living here.”
When water runs out like in recent years, decisions
need to be made - another area where he shows an understanding and acceptance
far beyond his years.
It’s among the reasons why he works two jobs while
going to school. “You do what you have to do. There are times in this business
where there’s just not enough to go around. Programs like the Foundation’s
scholarships is so important to me and a lot of young adults like me. Without
their support, I wouldn’t be in school. Period.”
He’s counting on the academic experience to give him
two things; security in knowing he’s got something to fall back on in the lean
times that come and go in production agriculture and secondly, a better grasp
and knowledge of the beef industry complex as a whole
“You can sure enough ranch successfully without a
degree,” he says. “But if something were to go wrong well, best to
cover yourself.” He continues, “I like my world just fine, but I need to
know things outside of this place, the bigger picture if you will, and how that
relates to my part of the industry, the cow/calf unit. I’ll finish school with
all that plus the contacts I’m making; fellow students, educators and industry
leaders who can and do make a difference in my chosen career of ranching.”
So where does he find the time to do it all - college,
jobs, family and friends? “I’m definitely out of the social loop,” he
laughs, “no time.”
Still, the circle of life hasn’t escaped him. On the
contrary, he lives it more than most. “I ride horses - not machines - on
cattle because it gentles ‘em and that’s good for the bottom line, good for companionship too. I bring calves to the fire because it lets me sort
and know ‘em as I go. And that lets me know my friends and neighbors who
come to help. It's about community.
"I keep some of the old ways because they’re
more than just a function, they’re a way of life that in my opinion,
shouldn’t change."
His mom says he’s always been a stockman at
heart.
Mom’s always know best.
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