Blog Post

Article #2 in our Summer Wrap Up Series focuses on the resilience our people bring to the land

Once a decade, give or take a few years, Colorado has the opportunity to host the annual Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture (WASDA) conference.

Held in Denver this year, WASDA 2023 offered the opportunity to try something a little different as the Colorado Department of Agriculture works towards our long term departmental goal of supporting the next generation of agriculture. 

From all corners of the state, high schoolers converged in Divide, Colorado to learn about natural resource conservation in a week-long immersive Camp Rocky experience. Throughout the week, 31 campers delved into the world of resource stewardship, learning about the importance of protecting and preserving our environment.

Article #1 in our Summer Wrap Up Series explores CDA’s first group tour of Summer 2023.

By Bethany Howell

It’s a cool morning on the river, but the sun coming over the canyon walls promises to be here any minute, and with it, some welcome warmth to keep us company on the water. 

In the summer of 2022, when the first Japanese beetles were spotted in a Grand Junction backyard, the invasive species had not been seen in the area for more than a decade. After successful eradication efforts between 2002-2007, the pest was removed from the Western Slope, where it posed a threat to agriculture and the economy. But it reappeared again in 2022, likely due to transport by an unlicensed landscape contractor who violated the Japanese beetle quarantine from Front Range counties. 

Jerome and Ann Wheeler love their work. But even more than that, they love the animals who put the “family” in family operations. 

In the 1980s, G.I. Joe: Real American Hero animated TV series concluded each cartoon episode with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for children: “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!” 

Emergency preparedness and disaster management for a farm, ranch, or ag business follows that same mantra. If you know how to prepare, respond, and recover from an animal disease incursion or a natural disaster like flooding or wildfire, then you just need to follow your plan and act accordingly. 

Colorado is famous for our juicy peaches, nutritious beef, nourishing potatoes, and many other agricultural products that can fill a plate any time of year.

By Acres U.S.A.

The second regional Colorado STAR event took place on Friday, Feb. 24, in Rocky Ford, Colorado. Partners in the event included Acres U.S.A., the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the West Otero Timpas Conservation District.

Dean and Susan Vidal, who run Brightwood farms, recently hosted interns Christina and Nina through the Ag Workforce Development Program (AWDP), which provides financial incentives for both employers and interns. Christina comes from a background in farming, having spent time helping in an orchard on her parents’ land in Grand Junction.

As Tritrichomonas foetus (Trich) testing is soon to pick up again, the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Animal Health Lab and the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic labs in Fort Collins, Grand Junction and Rocky Ford have begun using a new testing method: reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), that offers an extended submission timeframe and more cost effective sampling media.