Denver, CO — Not even six months old, the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association received a warm welcome into the state’s ag industry at Colorado’s Ag Day celebration on March 26.

According to the association’s president, Robert T. Sakata, the response at the state capitol was “fantastic, more than I had anticipated.”

The association was incorporated in January, and Sakata said, “Currently we have board members representing the Western Slope, Arkansas Valley, San Luis Valley and northeast Colorado, but we are also looking for others who are excited about this effort and are willing to dedicate some time and energy by serving on the board and other subcommittees.”

The impetus for organizing the broad-scope group was need for a “collective voice,” Sakata said.

“Fruit and vegetable production in Colorado has a net value just for the products sold of $300 million, with more than 60,000 acres being farmed,” he noted.

“Although there are a few organizations that represent specific commodities like potatoes and onions, there wasn’t a single organization that was the voice of all fruit and vegetable growers. And many of the specific crops have no collective voice.”

Within the state, the “Local Food Movement” has gained momentum, and Sakata said produce plays a major role in that “no matter if it’s a local fruit stand or at the local grocery store.”

Moreover, he said, “CFVGA can utilize this interest to help its members be profitable.”

The goal of the association is to be a resource for produce growers around the state to “help ensure that they continue to have a sustainable presence in Colorado,” he continued.

To accomplish the goal, the association will be a “portal for communication among fruit and vegetable growers around the state, big and small.”

Adhering to the “high tide floats all the boats” principle, Sakata said although growers compete with one another, “there are becoming fewer of us that we can gain more by comparing notes and learning from each other and forming partnerships” in business or through social interaction.

The group also aims to serve as a portal for communication between growers and the public and between growers and educational resources, looking at production and at food safety as it facilitates interaction.

California’s production remains huge, but the drought in that state is impacting production in other areas. Colorado currently ranks third in lettuce production, fifth in dry onions, seventh in pears, eighth in peaches, seventh in carrots and fourth in spinach.  

Another goal is to serve as a portal of communication between growers and policy makers on issues such as the Food Safety Modernization Act, the state’s Ag Tourism Bill, the Colorado Water Plan, EPA changes to Worker Protection Standard and legislation concerning the availability of skilled labor.

Other issues face Colorado’s produce industry, and Sakata said to work toward solutions and mitigation of obstacles, “We need members to help us find ways to accomplish these tasks. We want farmers of all sizes and experience, growing the wide-range of fresh products. We also want members who supply the farmers with the resources that it takes to grow their crops and also members from sectors of our economy that benefit from what we grow.