By Rae Solomon
Two themes are emerging from this year’s slate of agriculture proposals at the statehouse. Several bills wade into the age-old tensions of Colorado’s urban-rural divide. Meanwhile, another set of legislation suggests a bipartisan concern for the future of Colorado’s agricultural heritage.
The policies adopted under the golden dome in downtown Denver reach the farthest corners of the state. Several Republican lawmakers from rural areas say their main priorities this session involve blocking what they describe as ill-conceived legislation devised by urban lawmakers who don’t understand agricultural communities.
“All of my farmers and ranchers are the best stewards of the lands,” said Republican Representative Dusty Johnson, who represents Fort Morgan and is known as a fierce defender of rural culture and interests. “It's really scary when urban colleagues come and try to tell farmers and ranchers what to do when they've been doing this for generations.”
A rivalry between two bills seeking to set competing policies for agricultural overtime wages casts that culture gap in sharp contrast.
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