Last week, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet gathered at the farm of CFB board member Marc Arnusch to discuss key issues facing Colorado agriculture.

“It was great to join with Secretary Perdue, Senator Bennet and the Farm Bureau for a roundtable at Arnusch Farms to discuss a wide variety of agriculture issues and the recent approval of the request for a Secretarial Disaster Declaration for Colorado’s Western Slope counties. Peach farmers were impacted by the major freeze event on April 13, and I’m glad the USDA granted this support for Colorado farmers as they work through the fallout of the weather event,” said Senator Gardner. “Farmers in Colorado have been working around the clock to protect our nation’s food supply during COVID-19 and this relief is much needed.”

Farmers and ranchers from around Colorado gathered to discuss COVID-19 support programs from USDA, employee safety, Farm Service Agency programs, water infrastructure and much more.

The tour concluded a day of tours for Secretary Perdue and Senator Gardner and Marc Arnusch Farms presented a fabulous backdrop to host the roundtable. Special thanks to the farmers and ranchers who attended to tell their stories:

  • Bob Mattive
  • Bruce Talbott
  • Don Shawcroft
  • Jules Van Thuyne
  • Foy Chapin
  • Marc Arnusch
  • Melody Villard
  • Robert Sakata
  • Don Brown

Listen to the full roundtable discussion here.

Read more about Secretary Purdue and Senator Gardner’s tour here.