Mike Callicrate and Melissa Marts attended the annual Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) convention held November 15-17 here in Colorado Springs.  RMFU is celebrating its 100th year as an organization serving the interests of independent family farmers and ranchers throughout Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Events over the three days were dedicated to adopting policy to drive the Farm Bill in the direction of supporting independent producers versus corporate interests. Workshops focused on renewable energy options and how to market products to local consumers. Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union, set the stage by stating that in 1970 the U.S. imported 20% of its oil, now we importing 99% of it. By comparison, today we import 20% of our food. Where will that figure be in 30 years? A failed marketplace is putting farmers out of business and putting our food supply network at risk.

At the convention, Mike Callicrate presented more on the subject of how local growers struggle to compete and supported strategies to make policy changes.  Melissa Marts served on a panel presentation with Wendy White, a marketing specialist with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and Pam Roy, past manager of the Santa Fe Farmers Market and currently with a group called Farm to Table. The panel discussed further community based strategies to get local food to market.

The real highlight came with the reading of poems and essays by junior high and high school students as part of something called “the Torch Bearer Ceremony.”  Students read aloud about the personal impacts agriculture and local food supplies have had on their lives. The Torch Bearer Ceremony is a long-standing tradition honoring youth who have completed educational benchmarks in agriculture and demonstrate their commitment to carry on as advocates for agriculture. The young people are presented with the proverbial “torch” to keep the fire burning and the path illuminated.

(This report was filed by Melissa Marts.)