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SAN LUIS VALLEY 2 FAIR 0 AND I SUMMER 7 AGRICULTURE
See What’s Happening at the Fair, and Get Updates on Agriculture
Wednesday, July 26, 20I7
Valley Publishing 835 FIRST AVE. r MONTE VISTA, COLO.
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
San Luis Valley Fair Livestock Commuter Agreement benefits producers & cattle continues to grow BY CHELSEA MCNERNEYMARTINEZ
MONTE VISTA— The 115th annual San Luis Valley Fair is shaping up to be a great week, beginning on Saturday, Aug. 5 through Friday, Aug. 11. The fair board decided to make the change to a weekend start this year to better accommodate participants’ parents who previously had difficulty scheduling set-up on a weekday. Celebrating their theme of “Timeless Traditions� the fair is including all of the timeless classics including livestock events, the dog show, open class competitions, the 4-H fashion review, the kids rodeo and much more. Set up will begin at 8 a.m. on Aug. 5, with the popular truck and tractor pull beginning in the arena at noon. The pull included roughly 15 entries last year and they are hoping for more in 2017. This is an open event; there is a $50 hook fee for pickups, tractors and semis to enter this year. General admission seating includes children five and under for free, children older than five are $8 to enter; adults are $12 and pit passes are available for $30. A pit pass is free for contestants. Contestants are guaranteed two pulls and will win 50 percent of the entries. Sunday, Aug. 6 events include the 4-H dog show and dairy goat judging and milking contest. Monday, Aug. 7 events include open class judging, 4-H/FFA project presentations and judging, the horse show, the breeding beef show, breeding sheep show, breeding swine show, memorial open barrow show and production meat goat show. Tuesday’s events include the Rainbow Girls breakfast that is a fundraiser for their organization, the 4-H fashion revue, 4-H working ranch horse show, poultry show, market goat and lamb weigh-ins and market swine showmanship. Wednesday events include the cake and cupcake-decorating contest, robotics competition, 4-H gymkhana, horse awards ceremony, rabbit shows market goat show/ showmanship and market swine show. Thursday events include the Sangre de Cristo FFA Alumni Pancake Breakfast, the market beef show/showmanship, model rocket launch competition, market sheep show/showmanship and wrapping up with the FFA Blue and Gold Showmanship event. Another favorite event is the youth Barnyard Olympics on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 10 a.m. at the softball field. Participants form teams to complete barnyard activities like stacking straw and loading and moving a wheelbarrow. Teams will consist of four to six people and the one with the fastest time will win. Also expanded this year is the mud volleyball events on Thursday, Aug. 10 behind the arena starting at noon. Anybody can participate in this tournament; there will now be two mud pits so four teams can play at once. “We had a lot of participants last year,� Fair Secretary Barbra
Davis laughed when addressing the mess, stating she predicts even more this year too. Friday is the conclusion of the fair’s events, including round robin showmanship beginning at 9 a.m., the kids’ rodeo, the pie auction and the highlight of the whole fair, the Junior Market Livestock Sale. Be sure to attend the 4-H dinner on Friday, Aug. 11 from 4:30-7 p.m. Proceeds from the dinner go to the Rio Grande and Saguache County 4-H Councils to assist their 4-H members with local community service projects and outreach, leadership conferences and more. Tickets are available at the door or from a member of these 4-H clubs for $8. A dance for participants will follow the livestock sale. The junior livestock auction is the pinnacle event of the fair, where the participants get to exhibit the products of their dedication and hard work over the last year. Davis stated, “We really appreciate all of the community support for the youth at the auction. Their support helps these kids go to college and keeps the events going.� New this year, during the livestock auction there will also be an indoor silent auction. Participants in the indoor events like cake decorating, photography, canned goods, fine arts and crafts, clothing, needlework, handiwork, etc. will have the option to put their indoor projects up for auction at the same time as the livestock. Davis extended the fair board’s thanks to past buyers, including the Monte Vista Co-op, Alamosa State Bank, Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, Rio Grande Savings and Loan, Becker Photography, Clark Equipment, Alta Fuels, Conejos County Rotary, Frontier Bank, Town and Country, Cooley and Sons Excavating, Francis and Sons, Heather and Jason Tillman, Alamosa Building Supply, Cottonwood Dental and others. The fair board also extended their thanks to all of the event’s sponsors, especially their Gold Sponsors, the Monte Vista Co-op and the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee for making the educational, fun and fundraising experiences of the fair possible for local youth. There will also be several popular local vendors present throughout the week including Blessed Brews and Chef Charles’ BBQ. This year’s fair board members include Chad Mortensen and Jason Tillman of Alamosa County, Wendy Fischer of Costilla County, Melissa Booth and Hannah Cary (fair clerk) of Conejos County, Betsey Strawn of Mineral County, Nick Malone (president) and Peter Clark of Rio Grande County, Barbra Davis (secretary) of Saguache County and Tim Biggs (vice-president) the at large member. Please see a complete schedule of events on pages four and five or for more information or visit their website, sanluisvalleyfair.com.
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COLORADO—The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian’s Office and Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian’s Office now have a Commuter Agreement process established for cattle moving between the states for grazing land. Colorado now has Commuter Agreements with New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska. “These Commuter Agreements create fl exibility for ranchers by allowing the livestock disease testing to take place during the normal production cycle instead of immediately prior to interstate movement. It’s also important to have a simple process for cattle to be able to travel to the most productive, nutritious grazing land,� said Colorado State Veterinarian, Dr. Keith Roehr. “Commuter agreements like these simplify the process of moving cattle across state borders,� said Nebraska State Veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes. “It gives cattle producers in Colorado and Nebraska more flexibility for cattle grazing while still being in full compliance with each state’s animal import requirements.� The Nebraska/Colorado Commuter Agreement allows ease of movement only for cattle from
breeding herds, including breeding bulls, cows, and their calves. The animals being moved must be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and a Brand Inspection Certificate issued prior to movement and a copy of the Commuter Cattle Agreement. All
adult commuter cattle shall be officially identified with an approved eartag. Ranchers interested in a livestock commuter agreement can contact their state’s State Veterinarian’s Office. The forms should be turned in two weeks before the anticipated travel time.
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Cattle prices up thanks to lower feeder costs BY TERESA L. BENNS
SAN LUIS VALLEY— Feeding costs for cattle are down this year nationwide and cattle ranchers in the Southern Plains are seeing the highest return on their beef in more than a decade. This according to Economist Katelyn McCulloch, writing for the American Farm Bureau Federation, (http://lmic.info/publications/in-thecattle-markets). During the first half of the year, average feeding returns have run $177 per head. McCulloch reports that in may the per head profit was $260, falling to $208 in June. This is welcome news considering that negative returns hit as high as $500 a head in 2015. Inventory placement hit 180,000 head in Texas in May, and analysts predict high placements will continue. Fed cattle prices are expected to dip again in the next six months and feedlot returns will probably drop, possibly hitting the red again as 2017 comes to an end. Last week in Colorado prices were running $165 per hundred-weight FOB in the 650 pound range for medium feeder steers, and $146-147 delivered
Amy Dean, songwriter
in the 880-950 pound range. Medium and large heifers delivered were ranging $143-150 per hundred-weight in the 700-pounds plus range, an $138-144 in the 800-pounds plus range. This is not bad for a year that saw disasters hit the cattle industry hard in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Although these disasters were not widely publicized, cattle ranchers lost livestock and reported reduced cattle weight after fires tore through these states in March and a blizzard buried southeastern Colorado and the other states in snowdrifts this April. Thousands of cattle were lost in the blizzard, which created snowdrifts 10 feet high in some areas. Many other head were never found. Among those that survived, a large number lost weight from several days lack of feed. Cattle producers note there is no insurance for weight loss and when beef is sorted out to around an average of $1.38 a pound (going price in May, which was high) a loss of 20-40 pounds per head can add up quickly. But most tragic were the fires that swept through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, resulting in the loss of seven lives. Ranchers lost not only their cattle but their hay supplies, grasslands and entire ranching operations. One survivor called the disaster “biblical” in its proportions. Thousands of calves were orphaned and only an estimated 25-30,000 cattle survived in the areas of the states affected by the fires. Ranchers were heartened and brought to tears, according to one Internet article, when trucks of hay and supplies rolled in from across the nation to relieve the victims of the fires (http://www.cattlerange.com/ACattleIndustryNews.html#CF). The same dry winds that fueled those
Photo by Teresa L. Benns
Cattle in the San Luis Valley escaped the April blizzard that cost ranchers in southeastern Colorado heavy losses in livestock. fires also drove families from their young children and another on the way. found at https://www.youtube.com/ homes in eastern Colorado. Amy Dean, Dean got together with church watch?v=GcftQt3nASs&sns=fb. CDs mother of seven, grandmother of 12, friends who helped her produce a will be available from some of the local who lives just north of Center learned song and video she could sell to help vendors, or those wishing to purchase about the fires in Texas on Facebook and the victims. The video for Dean’s the song can email Dean at amy.aapartdecided to raise funds with her musical song “Cowboys With Wings” can be ners@yahoo.com. abilities to help the survivors. It was there she read the story of Cody Crockett, Sydney Wallace and Sloan Everett, two young cowboys and a cowgirl trying to save their cattle from certain death. “When I heard the news of the loss of Cody, Sydney, and Sloan, I wept,” Dean later wrote. According to an online article posted by NBC March 7, the three Texans were caught in the Panhandle sand hills and consumed by the fire while moving their cattle, Crockett’s sister said. Crockett and Wallace, in their early 20s, were boyfriend and girlfriend and Sloan, 35, was married with two
Future hemp markets continue to grow in Valley BY LYNDSIE FERRELL
SAN LUIS VALLEY—When Colorado legalized marijuana three years ago, it opened the door for other investments for hemp crop growers nationwide. Throughout the last several years, people have watched as laws for the fibrous plant have neared the legal market time and time again to only come up against a brick wall right before legalization. Some find it rather ironic that a mind-altering drug such as marijuana can be made legal, while its useful and dormant cousin remains on the illegal drug list. Jim and Lisa Strang, owners of Green Acres Hemp Farm in the San Luis Valley have hit another snag in their quest to offer the medically proven hemp plant to potential clients. Last year the couple had an extensive crop growing on the eastern part of the Valley. The plants grew to an astounding 12 and 15 feet
tall during the small growing season and yielded a huge crop that the Strangs used to make their hemp infused products. This year, they had to forego the annual crop due to a glitch in the system that caused their crop’s delay. “The bank owns the land that we were growing on. Once they got wind of what we were doing they stated that the contract for the land didn’t allow us to use it for that purpose, so we had to stop. That’s what we were told anyway,” stated Jim. Due to the fact that the plant remains federally illegal, banks and other federallyowned facilities cannot have anything to do with the growth or sale of the illegal plant. The unforeseen circumstances that presented themselves this year for the Strangs only strengthened their resolve and they pushed forward by growing higher level CBD hemp in their own home. The higher levels of cannabidiol
have resulted in higher quality products that the couple sells on their website and at local farmer markets around the Valley. “You should see the people who flock to our booth and want to learn about our products and the response we are getting online. It’s unreal,” continued Jim. According to him, sales numbers are reaching all-time highs and products are moving out the door faster than they can make them. “People are really beginning to see how important this stuff can be for the chronically ill or even the people who have arthritic pain, its good for so many purposes and all we have to do is educate the public,” finished Strang. Conversations pertaining to local Please see HEMP on Page 8
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
San Luis Valley Fair Schedule th
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Saturday, Aug. 5 8 a.m.-noon 10-11 a.m. 11 a.m. - noon 12 noon
Set Up- all 4H/FFA exhibitors Mandatory Livestock Exhibitors’ Meeting Horse Exhibitors’ Test Truck & Tractor Pull
Sunday, Aug. 6 INDOOR BUILDING 7-8 a.m. 4-H Dog Check In 8 a.m. 4-H Dog Show MCMULLEN BUILDING 1-3 p.m. Dairy Goat Check In 4 p.m. Dairy Goat Judging followed by Milking Competition 4-6 p.m. Breeding Livestock Check In Petting Zoo runs through Thursday, tentative
Monday, Aug. 7 10 a.m. Pedal Tractor Pull (Vendor Area), tentative INDOOR BUILDING 7:30-9:30 a.m. Open Class Check In 8-11 a.m. 4-H/FFA Project Check In 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 4-H/FFA Project Interview Judging 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Open Class Judging ARENA 8-8:30 a.m. Horse Check In 9 a.m. 4-H Horse Show LIVESTOCK PAVILLION 9 a.m. Breeding Beef Show MCMULLEN BUILDING 9-11 a.m. Rabbit & Poultry Check In 1 p.m. Breeding Sheep Show 3 p.m. Breeding Swine Show/Mike Kelley Memorial Open Barrow Show 5 p.m. Production Meat Goat Show BREEDINGS STOCK CHECK OUT BY 9 P.M.
Tuesday, Aug. 8 *All market animals may be checked in and penned starting at 8 a.m. Exhibitors are responsible to have animals ready for scheduled weigh in
August 5-11, 2017
INDOOR BUILDING 7-10 a.m. Rainbow Girls Breakfast 10 a.m. – noon 4-H Fashion Revue 7:30 p.m. 4-H Fashion Show ARENA 8-8:30 a.m. Horse Check In 9 a.m. 4-H Working Ranch Horse Show SOFTBALL FIELD 8-10 a.m. Barnyard Olympics, tentative MCMULLEN BUILDING 8-10 a.m. Market Beef Check In/Weigh In 8-11 a.m. Market Swine Check In (Swine must be in pens by 11 a.m.) 9 a.m. Poultry Show 10 a.m. Open Poultry show Noon-2:30 p.m. Market Swine Weigh In 2:30 p.m. All Lambs and Goats must be in pens 3-4 p.m. Market Goat Weigh In 4-5 p.m. Market Lamb Weight In 6:30 p.m. Market Swine Showmanship
Wednesday, Aug. 9 INDOOR BUILDING 9:30-11 a.m. Cake Decorating Contest 9:30-10:30 a.m. Open Cupcake Decorating Contest 12:30-2 p.m. Robotics Competition ARENA 8 a.m. 4-H Gymkhana The Horse Awards Ceremony will be held after completion of the Gymkhana on the Indoor Building Stage. MCMULLEN BUILDING 10 a.m. Rabbit Shows 2 p.m. Market Goat Show followed by Market Goat Showmanship 5:30 p.m. Market Swine Show RELEASE NON-SALE RABBITS & POULTRY FROM 5-6 P.M.
Thursday, Aug. 10 INDOOR BUILDING 6-9 a.m. SDC FFA Alumni Pancake Breakfast LIVESTOCK PAVILLION 9:30 a.m. Market Beef Show followed by Market Beef Showmanship BASEBALL FIELD
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
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San Luis Valley Fair Schedule August 5-11, 2017
Continued
9:30 a.m. Model Rocket Launch Competition MCMULLEN BUILDING 10 a.m. Goat Roping, tentative 2 p.m. Market Sheep Show followed by Market Sheep Showmanship BEHIND ARENA 12 – 4 p.m. Mud Volleyball, tentative ARENA 7 p.m. FFA Blue and Gold Showmanship REALEASE OF NON-SALE ANIMALS MAY BEGIN AFTER LAST SHOW. NON-SALE ANIMALS MUST BE OUT OF MCMULLEN BUILDING BY 12:30 P.M., FRIDAY, AUG. 11
Friday, Aug. 11 ARENA 9 a.m. Round Robin Showmanship Noon – 2 p.m. Kids’ Rodeo INDOOR BUILDING EAST END 4:30-7 p.m. 4-H Dinner 5 p.m. FCE Pie Auction MCMULLEN BUILDING 6 p.m. SLV Fair Junior Market Livestock Sale INDOOR BUILDING Dance immediately following the sale
th 5 11
Saturday, Aug. 12 8 a.m. 8-10 a.m.
Tear Down/Clean Up all 4-H/FFA, All Exhibitors are expected to help Release 4-H/FFA projects
Lettuce harvest estimate larger than expected BY TERESA L. BENNS CENTER — Lettuce acreage has not changed much over the past five years, but Southern Colorado Farms General Manager Amy Kunugi reports 950 acres of lettuce will be harvested from the farm’s various acreages this year, a little better than average. Southern Colorado Farms is the primary lettuce grower in the Valley. Some 820 acres of iceberg and some romaine lettuce were planted at the farm near Center, Mike Jones with Skyview Cooling in Center said this spring. Wind and a spring frost “was tough on the fields,” Kunugi said, “but we find ways to make it up.” Kunugi explained that while some of the crop may have been lost in the spring, “It’s just like when you have a garden. When you lose plants you sow them back in; it’s just more work to do.” The summer weather has been favorable and the yields are good. Some 200 seasonal laborers were brought in with the federal H2A program, “so we had plenty of help,” Kunugi added. According to its website, Southern Colorado Farms was founded in 1977 to focus on key specialty crops for regional eastern markets. Major crops grown are lettuce, romaine, spinach and organic carrots in its California, Arizona and Colorado locations. The farms grow organic carrots for Gerber Baby Foods and Hain Celestial, as well as other organic food suppliers. Southern Colorado Farms also is a contract grower for Fresh Express, Dole, and Taylor Farms pre-packaged lettuce and spinach products. Farm workers process and package the lettuce on conveyor/processing plants brought right to the fields.
The vegetables are then immediately transported to the Skyview Cooling warehouse in Center for refrigeration until it is shipped. Lettuce is usually planted in stages starting May 1 and harvested beginning in mid-July. After the heads are cut, the boxes are transported on special trucks to a vacuum cooler. Head lettuce is then shipped in refrigerated trucks to Midwest and Eastern markets. The cold winters and dry climate minimizes disease and insect problems. Sprinkler irrigation produces a more uniform and higher quality head of lettuce. Lettuce production is centered in Center because of the location of the vacuum cooler plant. The vacuum cooler, trucks and crews move seasonally from Yuma, Ariz., to southern New Mexico to the San Luis Valley for the summer, then back to New Mexico and back to Yuma, Ariz., for the winter. Colorado lettuce history An article in Colorado Central
magazine in 2013 chronicled the decline of the once-booming lettuce industry in Colorado, which in the 1920s and into the 1940s proliferated across the state, but especially in central Colorado. Lettuce grew in Routt County, Eagle County, Buena Vista, Salida and Westcliffe as well as the San Luis Valley. Fairplay held its first annual lettuce celebration in September, 1922. There was plenty of ice to stock the rail cars carrying the crop back east and producers are estimated to have made about $500 an acre on the crop, (http://cozine.com/2014-june/ lettuce-harvest/) But like alfalfa and many other crops, popular demand, drought and water issues caused the lettuce economy to turn downward, and production has declined ever since. Today Southern Colorado Farms in Center is one of the major local lettuce producers in the area, and over the past few years the farm’s production has seemed to stay fairly level at about 800 acres of Iceberg and 100 or so in Romaine.
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Potato crop ahead of schedule, just in time for festival BY CHELSEA MCNERNEYMARTINEZ
SAN LUIS VALLEY—Local potato crops largely seem to be in good shape, according to Jim Ehrlich, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC). Ehrlich has conferred with crop consultants from around the Valley who say the potatoes are so far “very healthy, sizing up well and about 10 days ahead of schedule.” The warm weather this summer has been the biggest contributor to the crops’ success so far. Despite the snowpack being lower than anticipated when the planting season began, “there’s a fair amount of recharge
in the aquifer” and potato growers have thus far enjoyed a successful season. Some seed growers will be killing their vines over the next two weeks, which is ahead of schedule, Ehrlich added. Pests have not currently been a severe issue potato farmers have had to face either, but this is the time of the growing season where aphids move from alfalfa and barley fields into potato fields, according to Ehrlich. However, he noted “They are low in the barley this year too, but we’ll know for sure in about a month or so.” There are 51,848 acres of potatoes throughout the Valley this year, up 946 acres from last year, ac-
cording to the CPAC annual acreage survey. Anyone interested in learning more about the potato farming process and some of the many factors farmers have to consider including soil health, nematodes, disease management, water management and overall sustainability for potato growers are encouraged to attend the CSU Farms Field Day on Wednesday, Aug. 2. CSU Research Center’s Agricultural Experiment Station is located at 0249 E County Road 9N, Center and can be reached for more information at 7543594. CPAC has contributed roughly $250,000 to research projects so far, for these topics as well as specialty crop initiatives and other projects.
Potato festival The good news for potatoes is also good news for the San Luis Valley Potato Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 9 this year. The festival will feature many returning favorites to Chapman Park, including an archery contest, special guests from Colorado Gators, rock climbing wall, children’s train, bungee trampoline and lots of new, free children’s games. Of course the free baked potatoes will be a huge attraction in addition to the freshly-harvested potato sales. Profits from these sales will go to a local charitable cause. There will again be two informational train tours, one in Courtesy photo the morning and one in the afternoon, Brooke Eden will be featured at the first annual concert during departing from Fullenwider Park and the potato festival.
Courtesy photo
Does paying a fee to irrigate from a well lower a farmer’s water usage?
Changing climate brings new water concerns
SAN LUIS VALLEY—The Rio substantially hotter. For major river ing than in the past. Grande Basin encompasses approxi- basins, drought is projected to become These drought conditions present a mately 8,000 square miles, including more frequent, intense and longer lastPlease see WATER on Page 7 the San Luis Valley, and each growing season is dependent on the moods of Mother Nature. With an average annual precipitation of six to nine inches on the valley floor, most of the available water comes from snowmelt and runoff from the surrounding mountains. Headwaters of the Rio Grande are above Creede in the San Juan Mountains. Record high temperatures haven’t helped and farmers remembered the severe droughts of the recent past recent years. How will they manage increasingly scarce water when drought comes again? Snow delivers about 60 to 70 percent of the water supply and the snowpack has been called an “icy natural reservoir” that swells throughout the winter and then melts during the summer, providing rivers, agricultural fields and communities with water. Historic records show severe megadroughts at least 50 years long and future droughts are projected to be
File photo
Potatoes traveling north so riders can experience the intertwined local history of the potato industry and the railroad. There are still booth spaces available at Chapman Park for $50, please contact CPAC at 852-3322, at their office at 1305 Park Ave or on their website, coloradopotato.org for more information. The newest event at the potato festival this year is their first annual concert, featuring upcoming country artist Brooke Eden. Eden’s concert will be held at Ski-Hi at 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. “We are working to grow the event [the potato festival] and hopefully will make the concert as big as Stampede,” said CPAC Assistant Director Linda Weyers. She thanked the Stampede Committee who have been helping them develop the concert event and added they selected a country artist because the style “fits our geography and demographic and goes well with the potato industry… it’s another draw for Monte Vista, the festival and for the potato industry… We hope everyone will come out and
support the event, be entertained and have fun.” Weyers noted the concerts might not always be country music but the organizers felt it was a great choice for their first one. Eden’s hit single, “Act Like You Don’t” has been streamed on Spotify over five million times. According to her website, “Eden has been named an Amazon Music “Artist to Watch in 2017,” Vogue’s “10 Country ‘It’ Girls, one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, a SPOTIFY “Spotlight 2016” Artist, PEOPLE’s “Seven Country Acts You Should Check Out” and one of CMT’s “16 Listen Up Artists for 2016” as well as “One to Watch” by Country Music Rocks, NASH Country Weekly, MySpace, Nashville Lifestyles, Roughstock, Sounds Like Nashville, Whiskey Riff and more.” Eden has also opened for several A-list country stars, including Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Sugarland and Florida Georgia Line. Tickets to the concert are $15 per person and can be purchased at the CPAC office or at coloradopotatoes. eventbrite.com.
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
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Solar enriches lives of individuals SAN LUIS VALLEY—Solar has long been seen as a technology reserved only for hardcore environmentalists and the wealthy. And, historically, the high cost of solar and the emphasis on incentives in the form of tax credits has put solar out of reach for the majority of Americans. But rapidly falling prices over the last five years, coupled with creative financing approaches, has made solar accessible for an increasing portion of the population. Because of these changing external conditions, this issue is suddenly ripe for action and the San Luis Valley has long been on the bandwagon. Harvesting sunlight has long been a thriving agricultural activity. Communities are planting and growing solar gardens, while consumers are placing panels on their roofs and in their yards. “Community shared solar� is generally defined as a solar-electric system that provides power and/or financial benefit to multiple community members, who buy into the system and then reap the rewards in the form of lowered utility bills. According to the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (SLVREC), solar energy manufacturers and developers have made significant strides over the past decade in the quality and affordability of this electric generation resource. The per-kilowatt-hour price from solar generators in the past five years has dropped almost 30 percent
making this renewable resource competitive with traditional generation. For the past four years, SLVREC has been investigating the installation of a 2.75 AC megawatt solar project. Its top priority is ensuring that the project is cost effective. Last summer, a power purchase agreement was negotiated with RES-Americas, which provided attractive pricing that would provide modest power supply cost reductions. The project, Penitente Solar, will be located in the southwestern part of Saguache County. SLVREC purchased the 25 acres of land on which the project will be constructed and all the agreements necessary to build this project have been executed. Construction should be complete by midsummer. Also hard at work, the San Luis Valley Renewable Communities Alliance (SLVRCA) is a grass roots citizens group that emerged in response to large-scale industrial solar development initiatives, a desire for local energy self-reliance and long-term community resilience in the San Luis Valley and Colorado. Members support distributed development of diverse renewable energy resources for regional energy selfsufficiency that benefits all of our communities, not just private corporations and the utility industry. There is a critical need now to begin deploying solar in low-income communities and to develop effective project models and policies to scale
WATER
Continued from Page 6 huge challenge for regional manageIn addition, all of the waters of the ment of water resources and natural Rio Grande and Conejos River and hazards such as wildfire. In light of their tributaries are subject to the terms climate change and water resources of the Rio Grande Compact. treaties with Mexico, discussions will The Valley’s groundwater resources need to continue into the future to have been over drawn and depleted address demand pressures and vulner- groundwater levels can take place abilities of groundwater and surface throughout much of the basin. By water systems that are shared along 2050, a total shortfall of 180,000 acre the border. feet (AF) is expected, of which 160,000 The largely mountain areas, range- AF is the agricultural groundwater land and uplands surrounding the val- shortage to be addressed by pendley are primarily national forest and ing SEO rules and regulations and BLM lands, while the majority of the fallowing land via the Groundwater floor is privately owned. Sub-district. The primary irrigated land use A new CU Boulder-led study sugincludes more than 600,000 acres in gests that self-imposed well-pumping the central portion of the basin, so the fees can play an important role, offermajority of Rio Grande water use is ing incentive for farmers to slash use for irrigated agriculture. The rivers by a third, plant less thirsty crops and deliver the melted snow in the typical water more efficiently. high spring runoff pattern and manage In the San Luis Valley, several to recharge the underlying aquifer in hundred farmers voted in 2011 to selflimited amounts. impose a fee on groundwater—which Historically, farmers have relied pri- was free and largely unregulated. A marily on surface water from streams historic drought in 2002 and subseand run-off, but as population growth quent dryer-than-average years left and climate change have strained sup- the region’s aquifer depleted and some plies, agriculture has grown increas- farmers worried that the state might ingly reliant on water pumped from begin shutting down wells, as it had underground. in other areas.
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4'' 56+/#6'5 ˜ 2'%+#. 4&'45 ' '.+8'4 ˜ 1$ +6' 14-.+(6 '.+8'4;
this deployment quickly and broadly. According to SLVRCA, on an individual level, low-income households spend an average of 15 to 20 percent of their income on energy bills. This puts a strain on already tight budgets and makes families significantly more susceptible to rising energy costs. Helping households save money on electricity directly translates into a family’s ability to better cover other basic needs, including food, housing costs, education and medical expenses. On a macro level, renewable energy provides broad community benefits, File photo including local jobs, economic growth, Solar and sagebrush sit in contrast and one of the nation’s first private investment and lower rates and largest solar plants near Mosca of pollution. In short, solar provides significant benefits to the members of society that need them most. Tough challenges remain for solar startups, however. Big utilities and power companies who are potential investors or customers don’t generally have experience working with young, renewable energy companies. Meanwhile, US government funding for energy innovation is minimal, particularly with potential federal budget cuts looming and a lack of clean energy support in the White House. Still, as solar energy becomes cheaper, it’s attracting public and private investments worldwide, evidenced by the $116 billion that flowed into solar projects, companies and technologies in 2016, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The new fee, now at $75 per acrefoot of water, is among the first in the nation. About 700 farmers who manage 170,000 acres are subject to the fee. Proceeds are used to help local irrigators buy supplemental surface water or to pay them to let their acreage go fallow, or unused, in dry years. Others have opted to pay extra. “This is because a fee does not prescribe what one can and cannot do; it just forces the irrigator to consider the cost of the water itself,� notes lead author Steven Smith, who did the research as a doctoral student at CU Boulder and who is now an assistant professor of economics at Colorado School of Mines. The authors stress that while the study confirms that irrigators are using less water and changing their farming practices, more research is necessary to determine how the fee has impacted them financially and whether the fee has caused the aquifer to recharge. “Irrigators are far more responsive to these price mechanisms than was previously believed,� said Smith. “Through their adoption, they may be able to induce a lot of conservation.�
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SLV Fair & Summer Agriculture
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Alfalfa crops in San Luis Valley remain steady BY LYNDSIE FERRELL
SAN LUIS VALLEY— According to several reports, crops all around the Valley are steadily growing this year at a normal pace. Crop Consultant with Cactus Hill Farms Maya ter-Kulie Miller recently stated that the season has been normal, but that she has heard from several ranches that quality is lower than normal this year for the first cutting. “First cutting is up, but yields are lower than last year,” said ter-Kulie Miller. Reports across the Valley confirm that foliage quality tests have come in lower than normal and is an issue ranchers have dealt with for some time. In previous years, weather and precipitation conditions have yielded a slightly higher quality than this season, which has played a huge part in sales and price for the crop. Sale price number per ton have remained relatively steady, which has been affected by the need for high quality alfalfa to feed dairy cows and other livestock from around the country. According to reports, production by dairy cows has almost doubled in the last 40 plus years and because of the high production rate of these animals the need for high quality alfalfa has risen as well. Studies conducted by several universities, including the University of California expect that the demand for higher quality alfalfa and other feed will continue to increase in the future. Quality tests are usually based on high digestibility, good palatability, high intake potential and high protein levels. “From what I am seeing the second cutting that is underway, the crops may have a better yield than the first. This second crop looks leafier to me,” stated ter-Kulie Miller. The leafier the crop the higher the quality and the happier everyone is when it comes time to harvest. Prices this year are coming in at about $140 to $145 a ton which is significantly up from last year which was around $120 a ton.
HEMP
Alfalfa crops cover roughly 130,000 acres of the San Luis Valley and create a large portion of economic income for the farmers that grow it. This year June was exceptionally hot and dry which caused the first crop to yield less than anticipated quality. It is considered the second most successful crop in the Valley next to potatoes. Once the alfalfa has been planted, growers leave the plant alone for three to five years. After a considerable amount of time the plant is removed from the crop and replaced with potatoes. The alfalfa provides many nutrients that the potato crop needs to be healthy. Precipitation can be a bittersweet enemy for many ranchers and growers in any agricultural area like the Valley. Alfalfa crops require a certain amount of time to dry on the ground once the plant has been cut. During the drying process, growers must watch the cuttings for signs of mold, mildew and insect infestation. Alfalfa is typically used to feed livestock and must meet certain health standards before it can be shipped to other areas. High precipitation can cause any number of issues within this area of agriculture. The first cutting of the season rated at 87 percent, which is down from last year. The second cutting has only just begun and ter Kulie-Miller did not have numbers as of July 19. Most of the area ranches had late crop plantings because of the precipitation, making the crop late all together. According to the crop progress report, most of the precipitation was concentrated within the Valley and southwestern parts of the state. The season started rather cold and then warmed up nicely according to ter Kulie-Miller, which in turn has helped increase the quality of the crop. Precipitation levels are down significantly from last season, which has also helped with the amount of alfalfa growing in the region. Some of the crop growers
Continued from Page 3 research facilities have been underway activities have not been legalized under over the course of the last year, promot- section 7606.” Through an agreement made with the ing the promise of potential hemp research facilities in the works for growers Colorado Department of Agriculture, in the Valley. One of the main problems educational institutions will be doing with the crop to date is the expense of some type of research with industrial having to have the hemp sent off for hemp within the Valley in the near fuprocessing. By creating a facility within the Valley, growers could cut down on the cost by having the hemp processed closer to home. According to Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, “The Department of Agriculture legalized the growing and cultivating of industrial hemp for research purposes in states where such growth and cultivation is legal under state law, notwithstanding existing federal statutes that would otherwise criminalize such conduct. The statutorily sanctioned conduct, however, was limited to growth and cultivation by an institution of higher education or state department of agriculture for purposes of agricultural or other academic research or under the auspices of a state agricultural pilot program for the growth, cultivation, or marketing of industrial hemp. Section 7606 authorized state departments of agriculture to promulgate regulations to carry out these pilot programs but did not provide a specific delegation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or any other agency to implement the program. As well the statute left open many questions regarding the continuing application of federal drug control statutes to the growth, cultivation, manufacture and distribution of industrial hemp products, as well as the extent to which growth by private parties and sale of industrial hemp products are permissible. Section 7606 did not remove industrial hemp from the controlled substances list. Therefore, federal law continues to restrict hemprelated activities, to the extent that those
Photo by Lyndsie Ferrell
Alfalfa crops have finished first cuttings with less than anticipated quality and yield. Crop consultants expect better results from the second cutting and third due to weather. have reported damage from intermittent rain storms that have laid the plant down, lowering the quality and value of the cutting. Aphid infestation is also lower this year. Most area growers utilize an active program that can be found on the Department of Agriculture website that gives a weekly update on insect infestation as well as suggestions on how to get rid of the particular insect. Many of the crops across the Valley participate in what is known as an integrated pest management plan for when and if the crops are attacked. The plan helps growers fight pest infestations without causing harm to the plants or the environment. The plan is a long-term based management strategy that uses biological and habitat manipulation according to the definition of an integrated pest management plan or IMP. Most growers prefer to use the biological manipulation by introducing natural enemies to the pests attacking the crops. For example, alfalfa growers in the Valley depend on local water fowl populations to help control a grasshopper infestation.
ture. Hemp crops have been proven to grow abundantly in the Valley’s climate and could potentially mean a huge economic booster for several communities. More information will be reported as it comes available on future projects.