The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Letter to the Editor,

After listening to the Governor’s State of the State address recently, both my cousin and I were in dismay at the lack of importance given to our agricultural sector. Now to Governor Polis’s credit, he did include one point about water where he highlighted the importance of water to our great state of Colorado and to agriculture.

It may be the first time in history that the Governor of Colorado did not mention (or at least allude to) the importance of our agricultural industry. The State of the State is a speech that is planned and reviewed by many members of the Governor’s team, so one can only assume that this was no accident, but a direct insult made at the rural communities of Colorado. As we represent the entire eastern plains between the two of us, Senate District 1 and Senate District 35, we feel the need to point out that agriculture is indeed the second biggest economic driver for Colorado. Yet, even with our agricultural communities helping to bring revenue to the state, rural areas are still left behind in broadband and healthcare technologies while being targeted with higher diesel fees and extra regulations on produce like eggs and energy.

According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s recent survey (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F2A3baEZhJBMZMRqVo1MzB7shDN2XKjs/view), Coloradoans show near unanimous support for Colorado agriculture. In today’s society, it is hard to get most of the public to agree on anything; however, 98 percent of those who took the CDA’s survey do agree and support our agricultural industry.

With this overwhelming support of our agricultural sector from the general public, it is very disappointing that the Governor did not make a reference to the sector that feeds the state.

Senator Rod Pelton,

Senate District 35

Senator Byron Pelton,

Senate District 1