U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner hasn’t forgotten his rural roots as a fifth-generation Coloradan whose family has run a farm implement dealership in Yuma on the Eastern Plains for over a century.

The Colorado Republican has served on the Senate committees on Foreign Relations, on Energy and Natural Resources, on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and on Commerce, Science and Transportation. All four assignments encompass fields of interest to farmers, including foreign trade, energy, natural resources, small business and commerce. Each touches on agribusiness, still a major contributor to Colorado’s economy. Food and agriculture combine for a $40 billion industry employing 173,000 people with a $5 billion annual payroll.

Gardner is calling for farmers’ input on their priorities for the 2017 session of Congress. In a letter, he asked the Colorado Farm Bureau “and farmers and ranchers across the state on what legislative priorities are important to Colorado’s agriculture communities … As we move forward into a new Congress and new administration, I want to hear from Colorado Farm Bureau and our state’s farmers and ranchers on how we can work together to support growth in Colorado’s agriculture industry.”

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.