Symposium takes a look at what’s on the horizon
There was plenty of optimism to go around Wednesday at a Colorado Department of Agriculture symposium despite international trade disputes, low commodity prices and questions about the industry’s future in the face of an aging corps of producers.
Technology, new partnerships, the growing demand for locally grown food and hands-on education programs in the schools are fueling enthusiasm, speakers at the Colorado Proud “Next Generation of Ag” symposium said.
“It’s a little bit like the wild West right now, which is really exciting. There’s just so much innovation and people are creating new ways of connecting with people,” said Amanda Weaver, a University of Colorado Denver professor who teaches in the department of geography and environmental sciences.
Weaver also raises vegetables, chickens and goats for milk on a 13-acre farm in Wheat Ridge.
The symposium drew farmers and ranchers as well as students, state and federal agriculture officials and business people. Hosted by Colorado Proud, a state agriculture program that promotes Colorado grown food and agricultural products, the gathering touched on what challenges and opportunities lie ahead.
State Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg, whose priorities include encouraging and supporting the next generation of farmers and ranchers, said she felt energized after listening to the panel discussion held at Balistreri Vineyards in north Denver.
“This is where hope comes from for me, the people out doing the work. It’s not a theoretical exercise, it’s a lived exercise. This is their work,” Greenberg said.
Soon after taking the helm at the Department of Agriculture this year, Greenberg said a priority was to support the next generation of farmers and ranchers.
The average age of Colorado farmers is roughly 58, and high land prices and low commodity prices have made it tough for younger people to stay in or go into agriculture, according to industry representatives.
“We want to keep agriculture as one of the economic drivers of the state,” Greenberg said.
Agriculture contributes about $40 billion annually to the state’s economy, making it the second-largest economic sector, according to state officials. Colorado’s agriculture industry is made up of more than 38,000 farms, encompassing nearly 32 mil
lion acres and supporting more than 170,000 jobs, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Two of the speakers on the panel at the symposium represented different points on the agricultural spectrum. Will Johnson, CEO of Flying Diamond Ranch, near Kit Carson in the eastern part of the state, is a fifth-generation rancher.
“My great-great-grandfather homesteaded the place in 1907. We just successfully did a generational transfer from my dad’s management, the fourth generation, to myself and my bother and my sister in the last year,” Johnson said. “The sixth generation is born and on the ground. We’ll see what the future has in store for them.”
Roberto Meza is a firstgeneration farmer and cofounder of Emerald Gardens Microgreens in Bennett, which produces herbs and vegetables in a passive-solar greenhouse that uses geothermal technology for heating and cooling. The business sells its produce to grocery stores, farmers markets, chefs, restaurants, food pantries and online.
“We’re a mission-driven farm to address how to create a sustainable local-food system,” Meza said. “We’re really trying to take a holistic approach to food production, distribution and hopefully establish the sustainable food system that we all envision.”
Among the agriculture department’s goals is working with farmers and ranchers on their plans to pass on their operations and providing them opportunities to expand and enhance their products, Greenberg said.
“The bottom line is that we want to help farmers and ranchers stay in business, make more money and open up new business opportunities,” Greenberg added. “We want more people in ag, not fewer.”
To that end, Greenberg said, the agriculture department has people focused on the trade disputes that have tightened or closed markets to farmers as the U.S. and China have imposed escalating rounds of tariffs.
On the home front, the department has launched a program to help promote Colorado hemp production. The Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan, or CHAMP, is drawing on the expertise of state agencies and private companies, according to the department.
State agriculture officials, working through Colorado Proud and other programs, support and promote Colorado-grown products.
Some people at the symposium asked about gaining more access to stores and connecting with local farmers and ranchers to use more local products.
Kris Staaf, senior director of public affairs for Safeway in Colorado, said the supermarket chain wants to support local farmers. “It’s something that our customers demand.”
Sallie Clark, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program, said the agency has several different programs and grants that farmers, ranchers, tribes and rural communities can apply for.