Colorado invests in local ag businesses

May 27, 2015

Investments to help with a variety of initiatives

In an effort to boost business and agricultural initiatives in Colorado, its Department of Agriculture is investing money into local agricultural businesses.

“We received 30 well written applications requesting nearly $400,000 for an array of innovative projects, ideas and concepts,” said Shaina Knight, Markets Division Business Development Specialist. “The Department is excited to make an investment in these companies to help them reach their goals.”

Grants

The “Enrich Colorado Ag Grant Program” will provide companies in Colorado the funds to conduct research and develop new strategies to market their food and agricultural products.

The grant program considers any applications looking for an investment of up to $15,000 per project. Applicants also need to match at least 50% of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s contributions whether in cash or other resources.

Some of the projects scheduled to receive funding include:

$4,900 to Brink Inc., of Erie, Colorado to study whether or not using pre-consumer food waste as livestock feed or for composting is economically practical.
$12,610 to Kettelson Family Farms in Wray, Colorado. They’ll get help with some of their equipment to look at a way of harvesting and producing two new ornamental products.
$9,895 to Southwest Fresh Farm Cooperative from Cortez, Colorado to improve the sales of local farm products by soon introducing online shopping access.

“The Department takes great pride in the ability to support our local food and agricultural businesses,” said Tom Lipetzky, Markets Division Director.

Tell us your thoughts on the investments being made by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. What kind of projects would you propose for funding assistance?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.