Coffee Break Project with Hanna Bates

Join us this week for our Coffee Break Project episode with special guest Hannah Bates, the new Agricultural Outreach Coordinator at Southeast Health Group. Hannah is a Colorado native, born and raised in Otero county. She’s married to Jason Bates and they have two daughters, Jordan (15) and Jaslyn (13). As Hannah says, her husband has a busy life keeping us girls in line, as well as farming and being a full-time electrician. The girls keep us busy with sports, rodeos, along with our everyday life on the farm. We have raised cattle, horses, and grown some alfalfa on the side, but more recently we have decided to solely grow alfalfa.

Hannah told us that growing up, she never really imagined her life in any other profession than farming. “I have always owned some form of livestock and the only difference is that I never became that veterinarian all children dream of being. I attended Otero Junior college where I took Farm and Ranch Management and Agricultural Business accounting. These classes have helped my family and I to obtain and manage our farm in Manzanola. We have owned our farm for 13 years and it is a wonderful life. The ranching and farm life comes with its share of hardships, we, as an agricultural community, are facing more and more struggles as the years go on. Places that have been in families for generations are facing unseen hardships with oil and fuel prices. The cost of everyday items is on the rise and the normal concerns of drought, pests, market prices have only increased. All of this is causing a rise in debt and an increase in the day-to-day struggles of family life. These struggles make me passionate about my new position at Southeast Health Group, as the Agricultural Outreach Coordinator. We are launching the Coffee Break Project, a grass-roots initiative reminding farmers and ranchers to do what we have always done, and look out for each other.”

Reach out to Hannah with any questions at (800) 511-5446 or email at [email protected]