Musgrave, Udall hear farmers

2007-07-06

Source: Windsor Beacon

Reps. Marilyn Musgrave and Mark Udall were in town Monday to listen to farmers talk about the issues affecting them as they work to produce corn, dairy products and other commodities on Colorado's Eastern Plains.

The event at Austin's Homestead at Pelican Lakes, which attracted only a handful of people, was part of an agricultural forum organized by Udall, who spent his day in Northern Colorado beginning with a tour of Grant Family Farms in Wellington and a tour of the New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins.

Udall is the only Democrat running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Colorado, a race pitting him against Fort Collins Republican Bob Schaffer.

The impact of illegal immigration on Colorado agriculture, including the inability of farmers to find enough laborers, was an issue many farmers wanted lawmakers to be aware of.

"We need a way for verification (of workers) so when the employers hire someone, we know that (they are) who say they are," Fort Morgan dairy farmer Chris Kraft said. "And we need a way to get more workers in here (legally)."

Admitting that at times it's hard for him to find enough workers to keep his farm running, Kraft told Udall and Musgrave he isn't alone.

"We are really looking at a crisis in our community," Kraft said. "There are people who were planning on expanding their businesses, but they have had to say, 'I can't do it until I know I will have the workers available.' "

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