Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association to Co-Host Legislative Roundtable Aug. 24, Sakata Farms, Brighton, Colo.

The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) will co-host with U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman a roundtable discussion and tour for the Colorado congressional delegation Aug. 24, from 8:30am to 10:30 am in Brighton, Colo.  The event will commence at Sakata Farms, Brighton, Colo., with a sweet corn breakfast and an agriculture policy roundtable discussion. Following this, at approximately 9:30 am, the group will tour Sakata Farms and then move on to tour Petrocco Farms, also in Brighton. “We are hosting this roundtable and tour to provide Colorado’s congressional delegation the opportunity to better understand how federal policies impact Colorado fruit and vegetable farmers. In discussion with CFVGA members we hope to outline some possible solutions to the challenges we face,” said Robert Sakata, host of the event and president of CFVGA. To date, participants include U.S. Reps. Mike Coffman and Ken Buck as well as representatives from the offices of Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner as well as U.S. Rep. Jared Polis. Also attending will be Colorado Department of Agriculture Commissioner Don Brown. According to Sakata, invitations had been sent to all of the Colorado delegation but Reps. Lamborn and Tipton had scheduling conflicts. “Congressman. Tipton has agreed to meet with me in September when I will be in Washington D.C. representing CFVGA,” Sakata said. In addition to CFVGA growers, the agriculture sector will be represented at the roundtable and tour by Colorado Farm Bureau, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union as well as other CFVGA allied members.