Press Release

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has hired Dan Frazen to serve as the Agriculture Emergency Coordinator for Colorado, a position CDA created this year after approval by the legislature to build out the Department’s emergency response capabilities. In this new position, Frazen will lead the Department’s response to all-hazards incidents that impact agricultural communities and coordinate with other government agencies and stakeholders for all phases of disaster management. 

In his Fiscal Year 2023/2024 budget proposal, Governor Polis included funding for a number of key priorities for the Department of Agriculture and Colorado’s agricultural industry.

With Thanksgiving in our sights we are bringing out the Best Supporting Actress, the sweet potato. We have featured some awesome sweet potato casseroles in the past, but this season we are bringing individual loaded baked sweet potatoes. We love a good sweet and savory mix, and who knows, these sweet potatoes might even steal the show.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has opened up the application period for a new grant that aims to support access to mental and behavioral health services in rural communities. The Department received an appropriation of $200,000 during the 2022 legislative session to support mental health services for farmers, ranchers, agricultural workers, and their communities. 

After a detection of the invasive Japanese Beetle in Grand Junction this summer, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has been working in partnership with local stakeholders to eradicate the pest and prevent its spread into additional areas of Colorado. 

The Colorado Department of Agriculture announced a search to fill new regionally based positions that will serve as a liaison between the Department and agricultural communities across Colorado. The Regional Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture roles will serve as a key resource and conduit to CDA to support the Department’s goals of community engagement and developing and maintaining trusted relationships with rural communities. 

Butternut Squash is a fall favorite so if you haven’t had a chance to try this yummy and diverse gourd, don’t wait any longer. Butternut Squash is a winter squash that grows on a vine with a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin.

The threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is still fully present across Colorado and the country. With multiple new detections in Colorado over the past week, the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office is continuing to promote biosecurity practices as the best method to prevent the introduction of the disease fatal to birds and poultry. 

Soon all eggs sold at Colorado grocery stores will be from cage-free hens. The Colorado general assembly passed HB20-1343 to advance animal welfare by requiring Colorado’s egg-laying hens to be housed in a cage free environment. Additionally, the act also prohibits business owners from selling or transporting for sale in Colorado egg products that are not from a cage-free farm.

The Colorado State Fair celebrated its 150th year with 461,104 visitors who traveled to Pueblo to have fun, support the next generation of agriculture, and learn more about one of our state’s primary economic drivers: agriculture. 

While attendance overall exceeded that from 2021 by only one percent, Fiesta Day, celebrated Sunday, September 4, 2022, saw the largest single day of attendance in 13 years, with 69,562 visitors who walked through the gates.