For Cortney Cowley, researching the economics of the cattle industry was a bit more personal than most of her projects. (See the TEN feature article based on her research.)
“I always enjoy the work I do as an economist at the KC Fed, but this particular project meant more than most to me personally because my late grandparents were cattle ranchers,” said Cowley, a senior economist based in the Bank’s Oklahoma City Branch. “While growing up, I spent a lot of time on my grandparents farm near Ada, Oklahoma, checking cattle with my grandpa and hauling hay with my dad.”
When Cowley was old enough, she raised and showed heifers and steers through 4-H and the Oklahoma FFA Association.
Cowley has returned to her ranching roots. She and her husband maintain a small cattle herd that they enjoy with their children.
Sixteen-year-old Cortney Cowley and her grandparents, Chester and Erra Timmons, with Cortney’s show steer, “Gus,” at a livestock show in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.