Agriculture

It will take an array of strategies to achieve the environmental initiatives outlined in Gov. Hickenlooper’s recent executive order.

Most people don’t think much about the farms providing the fruits and vegetables they find in their local grocery stores.

Agriculture is one of the leading industries in Colorado. Nearly half of Colorado’s 66 million acres are farms and ranches. Colorado’s agriculture contributes $41 billion to the state’s economy and employs nearly 173,000 people.

Take a trip down the front range of the Rockies and you’ll encounter the best Colorado offers. Beautiful views of the mountainside, vast farm land and the majestic cow. Most people wouldn’t put the cow in their top 10 of Colorado’s best, but maybe you should.

Stress impacts everybody, even dairy cows. Colorado doesn’t have the biggest herds of dairy cattle, nor the most milk production. They do, however, produce the most milk per cow, putting them ahead of milk-producing states like Idaho and Wisconsin.

Managing food safety when you can cook the heck out of something is easy. Managing mother nature is impossible, and the effort that goes into safely growing fresh fruits and vegetables is underrecognized by most Americans.

If any journalist tells you that tracking the Trump Administration’s actions on food safety has been easy, they would be lying. The recurring refrain from the folks I’ve been speaking with is “wait and see.”

John F. Kennedy said, “The farmer is the only businessman in our economy who buys everything retail, sells everything wholesale and pays the freight both ways.”

The Colorado agriculture industry will be showcased at “Ag Day at the Capitol,” on March 22.