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​Cortez, Colo. – The Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program (CALP) board has made the tough decision to cancel the 2021 Forum on Colorado Agriculture scheduled for Feb. 24, 2021.  
 
Agriculturists as well as those interested in agriculture have relied on this forum to learn about new innovations, agriculture forecasts, and new policies that affect food production annually for the last 29 years. The event has brought speakers from all over the world to share their perspectives and knowledge on issues affecting consumers as well as those that produce the food, fiber and energy we have come to rely on.
 
“It is unfortunate that this informative event will not be available to update those that care about agriculture but the safety of our loyal attendees is our first priority,” stated board president, Jerry Sonnenberg. “We will use this opportunity to prepare an exciting and informative forum for February 2022.”
 
The Forum on Colorado Agriculture is planned and produced by the current CALP fellows. The 2021 forum would have been CALP Class 14’s final project for the program before they graduate as well as serve as the indoctrination of the next class. CALP Class 15 has been selected and will start their learning experience and preparing for the 2022 forum after the first of the year.
 
CALP is an intensive, two-year agriculture leadership program, focused specifically on developing high caliber leaders for Colorado agriculture who are well-versed in the complex and diverse issues of food production, agriculture policy, and the converging interests of rural and urban populations in Colorado. For more information, please visit www.coloagleaders.org.
 

​Denver, Colo. – The annual Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture will feature Cameron Bruett of JBS as the program’s keynote speaker.
 
Mr. Bruett, who serves as Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at JBS USA, has led corporate communications, industry affairs and sustainability at JBS® USA since 2012. He started his career at JBS in 2008, managing government relations in Washington D.C. Prior to JBS, Cameron served on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and held positions with ConAgra Foods, the EOP Group and USDA. He is the current President of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Board Member of the Farmer Support Programme in the Netherlands and a graduate of Tuskegee University.
 
Mr. Bruett will join a panel later in the morning, which will also include Wade Malchow, Manager of Malt Operations at Coors, Dan Dye, CEO of Ardent Mills, and Marty Gerace, CEO of Welby Gardens.
 
The morning program will also include remarks from Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown, Colorado State University President Tony Frank, and roundtable discussions on social media, hemp and local companies that have a national impact.
 
Early bird registration for the Forum is now open. Early bird registrants receive a $50 registration discount off the original $200 fee. Please follow this link to register. Special discounts available for students and Colorado Ag Leadership Program Alumni.
 
For more information about the Forum, and a complete program, please visit http://www.governorsagforum.com/. 

​The 26th annual Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture was defined by dialogue among state officials and industry leaders covering food production, land conservation, climate change, food safety and food waste, along with many other topics.
 
The common theme across all discussions during the Forum was the need for new opportunities and collaboration among partners within and outside of ag in order to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities during a time of low commodity prices and other challenges facing agriculture – an industry that in Colorado makes a $40 billion impact, and is the state's second-largest driver of our economy.  
 
The 425 attendees of Wednesday’s Forum in Denver heard keynote presentations from U.S. Senator Cory Gardner, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture Krysta Harden, and Colorado State University agricultural economics professor Dr. Gregory Graff, and also had the opportunity to listen in on a dozen panel discussions that featured 40-plus experts from CSU and various federal agencies, private businesses and organizations.

​Those wanting to attend the Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture at a reduced rate are still in luck, as you have a little more time left to save on registration costs.

Rather than registration increasing from $150 to $200 after Feb. 10, event organizers are pushing the early-registration deadline back to Wednesday, Feb. 15.

There's no ultimate registration deadline for this year's Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture, but those who register soon can save.

There’s no registration deadline for this year’s Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture, but anyone who does register by Friday, Feb. 10, will save $50.
 
Registration for the annual event – now in its 26th year – will be $150 through Feb. 10, and then increases to $200 after that date.
 
The 2017 Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture – titled “Label It: Agriculture” – is set for 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, taking place at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel (3801 Quebec St).

Joining a myriad of other speakers at the 2017 Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown will each be stepping up to the podium again at the event this year.

Gov. Hickenlooper and Commissioner Brown will help in leading a Forum that this year is titled “Label It: Agriculture,” and will focus on the powerful history of collaboration and cooperation that has made agriculture in Colorado the state’s second-largest driver of our economy.

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden will provide one of the many highlights for the 2017 Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture, when she steps up to the podium to deliver a presentation on an agricultural “future built by collaboration.” Harden, who currently serves as vice president of public policy and chief sustainability officer for DuPont, will share her perspective on the need for alliances with food, nutrition and conservation groups, as well as other non-traditional partners.

The Forum – taking place on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver – will also feature addresses from Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado State University President Tony Frank and Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Don Brown, among many others.

Titled “Label It: Agriculture,” this year’s event will be an innovative and informative program, bringing together producers, consumers, experts and other ag stakeholders to peel back the polarizing rhetoric often found in today's society.

The Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program is proud to host the 26th annual Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture, titled "Label it: Agriculture," and focusing on a future built by collaboration. 

The event will take place Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver, located at 3801 Quebec St.

This innovative and informative program will bring together producers, consumers, experts and other ag stakeholders to peel back the polarizing rhetoric often found in today's society. Stories can create divisive boundaries in agriculture between organic and conventional; urban and rural; large-scale and small-scale. 

The Forum will focus on the powerful history of collaboration and cooperation that has made agriculture in the state of Colorado the second largest driver of our economy. It will challenge and equip attendees to seek out novel alliances and ideas to benefit their own operations, the industry statewide, and beyond.

As this date gets closer, be sure to check out www.governorsagforum.com. ​

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DENVER -- The 2014 Governor's Forum on Colorado Agriculture, held yesterday in Denver, provided an exploration of consumer preferences with live focus groups and insights into international trade trends.

The Forum, an annual event highlighting trends in Colorado agriculture, was themed "Farm to Table: What do Consumers Really Want?"  That theme took various forms, including perspectives from Governor John Hickenlooper and Commissioner of Agriculture John Salazar on the driving forces of agriculture in the state, as well as insights into the minds of Colorado consumers from Colorado State University economic experts.

"Colorado's producers have proven themselves to be resilient and innovative, while continuing to meet the world's needs for food, fiber and energy," said Hickenlooper in a letter inviting the public to the Forum. "We have continued to see new growth in the agricultural sector via new patent applications, as well as increases in natural and organic goods production, giving Colorado's consumers more choice."

There are more than 36,000 farms in the state encompassing some 31 million acres. Agriculture continues to be a driving economic force, providing 170,000 jobs and contributing more than $40 billion to the state’s economy annually.

Over the years, Colorado producers have diversified to grow grapes, sunflowers, oats, mushrooms, fish, bison, ostrich, emu and more to fill the wants and needs of consumers, yet the more traditional commodities such as cattle, corn, dairy products, wheat and hay continue to lead product sales.

As diet trends come and go, Colorado’s farmers and ranchers adjust accordingly and fill our grocery stores with top-quality fruit, meat and vegetables.

So what do Colorado consumers really want? Variety? Quality? Organic? GMO-free? All of the above?


These are the questions that this year’s Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture this week is aiming to address. The Feb. 27 forum at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver is geared to help connect producers and consumers to initiate ongoing dialogue about Coloradans’ food preferences. View full article...