During the 2022-23 academic year, we are highlighting one Colorado State University student or alum from each of Colorado’s 64 counties. The Centennial State’s land grant university has a connection to the diverse lands and people from the counties of Moffat to Baca, Montezuma to Sedgwick and everywhere in between.

Monty Smith

Major: Agronomy (1987 graduate)

Why I chose CSU: I grew up on a farm and I was always interested in agriculture. CSU is THE agricultural school in Colorado. And my father graduated from CSU and had a lot of uncles and other relatives that had gone to CSU, so that also had a role. Once I got accepted to CSU, that just sealed the deal.

Favorite thing about CSU: I was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, and coming from such a small community and such a small school (graduating class of 17 at Sierra Grande), that did more to open me up socially as well as give me the communication skills. That was a major change for me,

Clubs/organizations in college: CSU rodeo team; Alpha Zeta agricultural honor society, Agronomy Club.

Favorite achievement: Graduating from CSU. I think that did a good job of preparing me for the rest of my life.

Quirky fact(s): I’m a private pilot. My favorite kind of flying is back country flying to mountain air strips and landing in meadows.

Career goals: I always planned on returning to the family farm and that’s what I ended up doing.

Favorite instructor(s)/class: Soil fertility class with Duane Westfall. That class really stands out. I really liked him as a professor. It was a challenging class, but I did well in it. 

Favorite NOCO food and hangouts: Hardee’s at the student center; the Ramskeller

Favorite CSU tradition: College Days (last one was in 1987). They had a concerts. It was just a huge party.

What do you tell people from Costilla County about CSU: I tell people it was probably the greatest thing I ever did, aside from getting married and having children.

Something people should know about Costilla County: My hometown of Blanca sits right at the foot of a 14,000-foot peak. We have a beautiful area. And we farm at 7,700-feet elevation, the highest Alpine agricultural valley in the world.

Role/influence of CSU Extension in Costilla County: I spent my childhood and adolescent years in 4-H the whole, so it was very connected through CSU Extension.