Colorado grower-shippers say that, while high prices for inputs have not gone down, inflation generally has been leveling off recently. One exception is the cost of labor.
“Labor continues to be a huge deal for us,” said Marilyn Bay, executive director of the Eaton, Colo.-based Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.
Senate Bill 87, known as the Agricultural Labor Rights and Responsibilities Act passed in 2021, implemented “in one fell swoop” a series of laws that took 10 years to pass in California, she said.
The legislation, among other things, made overtime pay mandatory, placing a severe financial burden on growers, Bay said.
Although labor costs have been rising throughout the U.S., the impact on Colorado growers has been especially severe because of the legislation’s requirement that farmers pay overtime and because Colorado’s minimum wage and Adverse Effect Wage Rates are higher than that of most states. Between 2017 and 2022, Colorado lost a higher percentage of its farms than any other state — 7.2% or 2,837 farms of all types — Bay said.
As a grower member organization, CFVGA advocates for policies that support rather than harm the viability of farms, she said.
“We’re trying to communicate the impact to consumers that passing these laws is having on the farmers,” she said.
The association is working with a public relations and media firm to place opinion editorials and letters to the editors. It also is aggressively promoting policy messaging on its social media channels.
Bay herself was interviewed on KOA, an iHeart Media radio station in Denver, to talk about the impact recent legislation has had on Colorado produce farms.
Chuck Hanagan, the association’s president, pointed out in a Colorado Sun op-ed piece that “Colorado farmers aren’t to blame for higher food prices.”
Labor likely will be a hot topic at CFVGA’s annual conference set for Feb. 17-18 at the Westin Hotel in Westminster, Colo. The gathering will include a members meeting, educational breakout sessions, networking, exhibits and a networking session where growers and buyers will have an opportunity to do business together, Bay said.
About 280 organizations and individuals, including growers, allied industries and partner organization are members of CFVGA.
