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42 POTATO GROWER | MARCH 2018 42 POTATO GROWER | MARCH 2018 GETTING INVOLVED Colorado growers meet with legislators Colorado Potato Administrative Committee By Jim Ehrlich Executive Director While agriculture has traditionally reigned supreme in Colorado, many of our urban cousins don't know the facts concerning the economic engine agriculture provides. story, it is easy to share why potatoes need to be a part of everyone's healthy diet. Growers also convey the economic importance of the Colorado potato industry to a legislature that is becoming increasingly urban-oriented as Colorado's population grows rapidly. While agriculture has traditionally reigned supreme in Colorado, especially in the San Luis Valley, the face of Colorado is changing. Many of our urban cousins don't know the facts concerning the economic engine agriculture is in our state. Agriculture contributes a staggering $41 billion to the state's economy annually, with the potato industry contributing over $500 million of this amount. While only 60,000 acres of potatoes are typically grown in Colorado, the industry's direct contribution to the gross state product represents 10 percent of the state's agricultural and food processing economy. While these messages have an important impact at the Capitol, the singular critical message we deliver is that we, urban and rural together, all have a stake in agriculture's future. Why? Because we all have to eat to survive, and nearly all of us enjoy the food we eat. To bring this message home, various ag groups team with a Colorado chef and a legislator on Ag Day to create tasty culinary delights that are served to all for lunch. The event is great fun for all involved and truly helps elevate the importance of farmers' and ranchers' stories to those who create the laws of our state. "This is the day we look forward to the most during the entire 120-day session," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said following Ag Day 2017, referring to the popularity of Ag Day at the Capitol and the cook-off competition among state lawmakers. "It's an enjoyable event, but it's also a time that we take a moment and truly reflect on how good we really have it here in Colorado, thanks to our ag industry." CPAC is proud to be a part of Colorado's Ag Day celebration. March is a busy month for potato growers in Colorado's San Luis Valley. It is time to start playing in the dirt to prepare fields for planting after a long winter. This is what growers live for, why they choose to farm in the face of great challenges—not the least of which is the indifference of Mother Nature to their fate. The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC) is cognizant of time demands on growers during spring, but grower volunteers never hesitate to help with Ag Day festivities at the State Capitol in March. Every year as members of the Colorado Agricultural Council, Colorado potato growers join other producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and others across Colorado in recognizing the contributions of agriculture. This year under the golden dome in Denver, Ag Day will take place on March 22. Every year on Ag Day, CPAC members make the four-hour trek to the Capitol, bringing potatoes for the legislature and their staffers. Equipped with the potato's powerful nutritional 162809Baicor13s.indd 1 10/25/16 2:58 PM