Spring Break
CSU partners with state leaders to develop agriculture industry
Madeline Novey
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: News
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Gov. Bill Ritter called for a confluence of the state's efforts to increase wind and solar energy and the need to use simple science and research to evolve the current agricultural industry.
"We have one of the best Ag schools in the country to do that for us," Ritter said about the strength of CSU's agricultural research contributions. "We are a part of an industry that feeds the world … and we can credit CSU for being a frontrunner."
CSU's College of Agricultural Sciences professors and researchers said everyone involved must participate in a "necessary dialog" about the future of Colorado's crops, livestock and water.
"This is a modest topic, the future of Colorado agriculture," Department Chair of Agricultural and Resource Economics Steve Davies said of the tremendous challenge, laughing.
The same CSU faculty started to analyze decades of data last spring - including farm profits, production and regional water distribution --Â and presented the findings to about 300 agricultural leaders at the "Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture."
"We'll treat this as an initial hypothesis and then start a dialogue," he said referring to the study, which was based on a U.S. model and adapted for Colorado needs.
Based on the results of the study, Davies and his colleagues found several untapped resources including an increase in international exports, agritourism, biofuels and alternative energy and genetic food modification.
James Pritchett, an associate professor of agriculture and resource economics said that the study found that about 26 percent of people state-wide had never participated in any form of agritourism, which ranges from staying at a ranch or farm to winding through a corn maze in the fall.
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