CFB Applauds Boulder Commissioners
Members of Colorado Farm Bureau are applauding the Boulder County Commissioners for their unanimous decision to support the diversity of farming methods on open space land. The Commissioners yesterday approved a plan to allow the planting and cultivation of biotech seeds on county-owned Open Space land after a lengthy review.
“The Commissioners should be proud of their commonsense approach to managing Open Space land in Boulder County,” said Shawcroft. “The decision will keep farmers on the land and ensure ample opportunity for all types of farming in Boulder County. They’re to be congratulated for their leadership.”
The debate over whether to allow the cultivation of biotech crops on Open Space land has been raging for over three years. After a request by a group of Boulder County farmers to allow for the planting of Roundup Ready Sugar Beets, organic activists sought to ban all farming practices other than organic production. The Boulder County Commissioners disagreed.
The new policy created by the county’s Cropland Policy Advisory Group approves the use of two current crops: corn and sugar beets. It creates a review process to approve future crops that may be made available such as drought-tolerant corn or wheat. The policy will ensure that farm families who have been in Boulder County for generations can continue to farm as they choose, while managing land for the betterment of Boulder County Open Space.
The Colorado Farm Bureau worked with the Boulder-area farmers to urge the Commissioners to support the new plan.
Legislative Tracking 2013
