March 22, 1919 marked the formation of the Colorado Farm Bureau Federation, and on Thursday, U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner received Senate approval of a resolution honoring the federation’s 100th anniversary.

“Growing up on the Eastern Plains and working in my family’s farm implement dealership gave me a deep appreciation for agriculture and the organizations that work every day to help the industry thrive,” said Gardner, who is from Yuma.

The federation has 45 county farm bureaus and 23,000 member families. In representing its members, the Farm Bureau lobbies legislators on issues that include access to rural broadband, protecting mineral rights for extraction, and opposing the addition of new federal endangered species.

“The Colorado Farm Bureau Federation has represented the interests of farmers with respect to the consideration and enactment of all major legislation impacting farmers since the founding,” the resolution reads.

On Nov. 22, the federation will hold its annual meeting in Denver, where delegates will ratify the Farm Bureau’s policy recommendations for the next year. Most recently, the Farm Bureau joined with the state’s cattlemen and wool-growers in opposing a 2020 ballot initiative proposing the reintroduction of gray wolves to Colorado.