The General Assembly’s rural caucus began its 2015 activities Wednesday, hosting a meeting with the Colorado Ag Council to find out how they can help the ag community in the coming months.

Concurrent committee hearings kept some rural members from taking part in the Feb. 18 lunch meeting, although a dozen legislators were able to attend, some for the entire meeting and some for just a few minutes. One-third of the legislators are new members this year.

The caucus is co-chaired by Rep. Tim Dore, R-Elizabeth, and Sen. Mary Hodge, D-Brighton. Hodge commented that the caucus’ attention last year was on “lunch and learns” rather than taking any action, and stated the caucus would look to the Ag Council for ideas this session.

The Colorado Ag Council has 32 member organizations representing all facets of agriculture: producers of food, fabric, agritourism and agribusiness, water conservation districts, and rural electric utilities.

Mark Sponsler of Colorado Corn Growers chairs the council, and said that those in the ag community have to be experts in everything, be it energy, labor or taxes, for example.Among the issues at the top of the council’s agenda: animal welfare, the impacts on ag by actions taken in the legislature and market pressures.

Another issue that stands out is the “other” Colorado, as ag is sometimes perceived. Mary Lou Chapman of the Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, which represents small grocers and Safeway, said she recently met an intern who was supposed to work on marketing to millennials and that intern had never been to a farm.

“There’s a disconnect,” Chapman said.

The biggest thing, to Jerry Wilkins of the Colorado Egg Producers, is that people don’t know where their food comes from, and that includes legislators.

“How can you represent [us] if you’ve never seen [a farm]? We’re educating retailers, wholesalers and you. We don’t necessarily want more laws, but we need to understand that we have representation of people who understand where farming has come from and where our food comes from,” Wilkins said.

Economic sustainability and viability is also a major issue for the ag council and ag community. That can take the form of market swings that take place within a 12-month period, when operating the farm is profitable to when it’s not. Sponsler said that this is happening more now than in prior generations. It also refers to operation succession – who will operate the farm in the next generation – which is a capital-intensive question, Sponsler said.

Many legislators and those in the audience noted that renewable energy and natural resource production is keeping farms and ranches in the black. Wind turbine farms and oil and gas drills have made it possible for many in ag to bring in income that supports the farm, noted several ag council members.

But Robert Sakata, who represents the fruit and vegetable producers, pointed out that federal regulations are pushing him and other producers into more difficult times. New food safety rules from the FDA will require him to sample his water about 200 times per year, and it won’t improve the quality of what he produces, he said. “How can we stay in business with these disincentives?” he asked. “It’s easier to sell off [my land] for water than to stay in production. Too many things are stacked against us.”

The caucus plans to meet monthly throughout the session.

– Marianne@coloradostatesman.com