
Democrats for Agriculture
There are two issues that affect farmers and ranchers that they will agree with. First is the monopolies that control not only cattle but grain, pork, chickens, and the rest of agricultural commodities. If farmers and ranchers could say, “You, ag buyers, make sure farmers and ranchers are getting paid at a living wage.” Then we would not have the same problem we have now. The meat packing and grain buying monopolies dictate the price farmers and ranchers get for their products. It has nothing to do with what they should get, what it costs to produce, or a fair profit. Then on the other end when they sell the retail product they protect their profits. That is where the federal government can come in and reinstate the laws that govern monopolies. And then the administrations and the courts have to enforce better laws to protect the supply chain – farmers, ranchers, and consumers.
The second is the water issue. Adam Frisch (candidate for Colorado CD3) might be better on the issue than I am. I think the water rights were given to farmers to farm and then the towns grew up around those farms. Now cities are bidding to take away the basic source of employment in rural Colorado. Take it away from farmers who still want to farm and from the towns that grew up around the farms. No wonder the rural areas of Colorado are a different political color from the urban areas. The state government and our federal elected officials could help by making our infrastructure as good as theirs! Highways and municipal water are the first tiers of that help. If we are going to grow past our farming and ranching roots, if cities are going to buy up more water, then we must have a four-lane highway from Kansas to Pueblo and then from Walsenburg to Four Corners. Also, our courts must abide by our water laws and not let slick lawyers always win.
A third problem that some farmers and ranchers are beginning to realize is climate change. The fires, the drought, the horrific weather events. Finally, the evidence is visible to anyone with a brain. We need to keep proceeding on a renewable energy path and away from oil and coal. That is also good for national security worldwide.
I am a member of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, so I get up-to-date opinions from them. We also own a working family farm in Kentucky.