The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association is showing itself to be a driving force, unifying agricultural producers and industry partners under a common banner. The association incorporated this past January with a common goal of being a "portal for communication among fruit and vegetable growers around the state, big and small," according to the association's president, Robert T. Sakata.

Adrian Card, who works as an agent with Colorado State University Extension in Boulder County, serves as a partner on the association's board of directors.Adrian Card He provided The Produce News with a glimpse into the association's current activities, which have been kicked off at lightning pace.

"We are working on our second quarterly newsletter to be released in July," Card said. The newsletter is released for free to the association's 50 current members as well to general interest subscribers.

One of the items discussed in the newsletter is the association's upcoming annual conference, to be held at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver on Feb. 25, 2015. "We will precede the governor's forum on agriculture [to be held Feb. 26]," he noted. The agenda for the annual conference is currently being developed and will include plenary sessions on topics of interest to all members as well as breakout sessions. Topics such as food safety, labor and e-marketing are expected to be included.

The newsletter also references the 2012 Census of Agriculture recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Card said the document contains a wealth of information fresh production in Colorado.

Labor is a hot button topic, both nationally and in the Centennial State. "We are currently conducting a statewide survey," Card commented. By the end of June, 35 respondents had provided their feedback to the association. The comment period for the survey closed on July 1.

Card said the survey will be an important tool to help the association quantify data regarding the dynamics of Colorado's labor force based on respondent input. "Some people are hesitant to talk about [the labor force] because information is anecdotal," he said of the current situation.

Card said there has been an "economic downsizing" during the past four years, and the labor force available to agriculture has been affected. "It's hot, dirty work," he observed, adding that jobs in other sectors divert the ag work force.

The survey went out to 264 entities and was emailed to another 400 small farms. "We'll probably do it again in the fall," he continued. "We're still early in the season to ask those questions."

The association has also submitted a grant proposal to the Colorado Department of Agriculture in the amount of $90,000 to explore the needs of growers and consumers. If funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the grant would allow the association to develop materials addressing these areas.

Card said the association is proud of its new website which contains a variety of information of importance to the state's fresh producers. "We're in the digital age," he stated. "This is such a feel-good proposition." People wishing to find out more about the association are encouraged to visit www.coloradoproduce.org.