Centennial recognition for ranch

KateLynn Slaamot
NLJ Correspondent
 
With a love of ranching and the land, the Circle Nine Cattle Company has been a family operation for over 100 years. According to Rebecca Podio, the ranch was recognized as a centennial ranch this year. The Wyoming Historical Society partners with several other organizations to present the honor to ranches across the state each year after applicants are reviewed. 
The Circle Nine was established 26 miles southwest of Newcastle in 1918 by Claude and Marie Adkins, Marie Podio’s grandparents. The ranch was then passed on to Marie’s father and uncle, and eventually she bought them out in 1980. Today, the ranch is run by Marie’s sons, Joe and Andy, and Rebecca, Andy’s daughter. 
“I owe it to my ancestors to keep it (ranch) going,” Joe said, noting that his great-grandparents didn’t have an easy time running the ranch, and he feels the obligation to keep it going. 
From the Great Depression to the blizzard of 1949 that wiped out most of the cattle, as well as numerous other tragedies and hardships, Joe said, his relatives would have had every opportunity to throw in the towel. Yet they kept going. If they could put that much effort into something they loved, Joe said, he could put in the work to keep it going. While adversities do still come up, such as droughts or hard-hitting winters, it’s still worth it, according to Joe. 
“This family cared enough about this ground to keep it in the family,” Marie said, noting that the ranch really is all about family, a sentiment echoed by other members of the family. 
Andy reminisced about his summers as a child when he and Joe would spend the summer with his grandparents. Working on the ranch and helping out with cattle chores cultivated his love for the lifestyle, he said. 
“We didn’t want to do anything else but live and work on a ranch,” Andy said. 
Rebecca grew up on the ranch, and she was close to her great-grandparents, she said. Her great-grandpa taught her how to ride a horse, and he also taught her all the skills she needed to master for ranching. Rebecca said that the quality time she was able to spend with her loved ones was priceless. 
“The best thing about it is family,” Joe said. “It keeps the family together. Everybody still comes back to the ranch.” Even though some family members have moved away, Joe said that the ranch is a home that everyone can come back to. 
The family raises black cows, as well as a small herd of rodeo cows, and there’s just something about a family-operated ranch and ties to the ground that promotes excellence, according to Rebecca. 
“There’s more of a focus that can’t be taught in an agricultural program,” Rebecca said.  “Stewardship of the land and livestock” is better displayed and passed down from generation to generation, she said. Rebecca also noted that with smaller operations like theirs, you have to be all in and truly committed to make it work, traits that the family has exhibited throughout their years on the ranch.
“We take really good care of our livestock,” Marie said. 
The family is excited to receive this honor and recognition for all the years they’ve poured their hearts into the ranch. 
“It’s exciting to be a centennial ranch, it really is,” Andy said. 
Throughout all the hardships and tragedies, joys and learning experiences, family members all said that they are proud of the legacy of Circle Nine Cattle Co., and they wouldn’t trade it for anything. They also expressed a hope that the ranch will continue in the family for many more years to come, and that it will continue to be a place their family can always come home to. 
“I hope the next generation keeps it going,” Joe said.