Perhaps the most popular Capitol event of the session, Colorado Ag Day, did not disappoint hundreds of hungry legislators, staffers and Capitol visitors on Wednesday.

The fourth annual Farm to Fork competition, which highlights Colorado agricultural products, took place on Wednesday, and is sponsored by the Colorado Chefs Association. This year’s competition showed off dishes made with Colorado bison, lamb, bass, beef, eggs, potatoes and desserts, and fed long lines of those eager to sample Colorado cuisine at its best.

The Colorado Ag Council, which sponsors Colorado Ag Day at the Capitol, annually presents a check representing a donation to the Food Bank of the Rockies. This year’s donation of cash and food totaled $15,574,909.

The day began with a resolution in the House and Senate, honoring Colorado’s agricultural industry, the second largest in the state. Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, one of the legislature’s few farmers, noted that agriculture led Colorado out of the last recession.

The agriculture industry is represented in the legislature by Reps. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio; and Don Coram, R-Montrose, and Sens. Randy Baumgardner, R-Hot Sulphur Springs; and Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa, all either farmers, ranchers or both.

— Marianne@coloradostatesman.com