September 2020 - 9

Creative flair emerges;
government aid helps
Zoom panel moderator Wendy White, marketing specialist for Colorado
Proud, asked the panelists to outline for young or inexperienced business
owners and entrepreneurs ways to plow through the impediments.
" Be nimble, " Palisade peach grower Bruce Talbott said, advocating for
communication to be present daily among businesses and its consumers.
" Make decisions week by week. The game changes week by week. Be very
willing to change the direction you're going if the game changes. "
Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg said relationships can
be a guiding principle through the pandemic, and said there have already been
discussions to keep the industry thriving post COVID-19.
" When I think about where we want to land on the other side of COVID, it's
with an incredibly thriving food and ag system, " she said, " ... and an incredible
sense of interconnections between consumers and producers and the
businesses that connect them and serve them. "
In mid-summer, Western Slope fruit producers received some promising
news from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, after a multi-day
freeze that occurred back in April. In response to the significant production
losses that Colorado fruit growers face following this unanticipated drop in
temperature, Perdue authorized a secretarial natural disaster designation
for the area, allowing farmers to meet eligibility requirements for financial
assistance through the Farm Service Agency.
Colorado Farm Bureau (CFB) worked with the Mesa and Delta County Farm
Bureaus to gather information and to request a disaster designation from
USDA. CFB also worked with lawmakers and the Colorado Department of
Agriculture to advocate for federal relief.
Among other agricultural products, Western Slope producers grow apples,
apricots, cherries, grapes, pears, and peaches, the latter accounting for
upwards of 75% of the total fruit produced in the state. When peach trees are
in the first bloom stage of their production cycle, temperatures at-or-below
21˚ F will result in an estimated kill rate of 90%. The freezing event in Mesa
and Delta counties lasted five days and temperatures reached a low of 19˚F, a
devastating blow to growers.
The late spring freeze damaged peach trees in the early petal fall stage
when buds are exposed and vulnerable. Palisade growers report that there has
not been an intense, prolonged freeze like this since 1999.
Each year, growers expect some level of freeze and frost-related loss -
environmental setbacks occur when operating a high-risk business in the
Western Slope. Unfortunately, typical solutions like warm air from wind
machines and fans blowing in orchards did not increase temperatures enough
to prevent major crop loss during this year's freeze.
Participants in a Colorado Proud Zoom roundtable in July included, clockwise from top
left, Wendy White, marketing specialist, Colorado Proud; Kate Greenberg, Colorado
Commissioner of Agriculture; Josh Niernberg, executive chef and owner of restaurants
in Grand Junction; Bruce Talbott, farm manager of Talbott Farm, Palisade, and Kelli
Hepler, president, Colorado Agritourism Association. Photo: Zoom screenshot.
Over 33,000
SOLD
Worldwide!
- Gary Pullano
" Grocery stores have done quite well,
but the farmers' markets, fundraisers ...
our neighbors really have gotten hurt, "
Talbott said.
Talbott noted that the freeze leads to a
loss of revenue and impacts future access
to H-2A seasonal farmworkers. " We
spend years building crews of guys that
know our (orchards,) " Talbott said. " They
have to go elsewhere and we may not get
them back for subsequent years. "
The third issue involves the farm's
marketing channels. Any time that there
is a disruption in who the farm supplies,
it may be harder to get those people back
next year.
Talbott Farms did have some orchards
and peach varieties that produced plentiful
fruit for the local market, although its
commercial presence was impacted most.
" When it comes to our Western Slope
fruit growers, I hope that consumers
will still find ways to support them, "
Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture
Kate Greenberg said. " There is so much
value-added product from our Western
Slope fruit growers - peach jam, peach
salsa and other peach products. There are
also other revenue streams that producers
have potentially developed - agritourism
is a great option as long as it complies with
state and local public health orders. "
" We (were) hopeful that we will see
Colorado peaches this year, " Greenberg
said. " It's a little sad thinking about a
summer without crates and crates of
peaches to gorge ourselves on. Even
with fewer peaches, there are ways that
consumers can stay connected to Western
Slope fruit and growers. "
Marketing maneuvers key
Businesses, not just locally, but
across the state are working through
an " incredible " overhaul on marketing
channels, Greenberg said in the online
Zoom presentation. As a silver lining to
the effects of the pandemic, businesses
are rethinking business operations,
marketing channels and thinking
more about the customer experience.
An increase in direct-to-consumer
streams has been prevalent, too, due to
consumer demand.
The pandemic, even with its negative
effects, has given businesses a chance to flex
marketing muscles and help elevate local
Colorado businesses in Montrose, Delta
and Mesa counties.
Greenberg also said local consumers
have been able to invest in local
Colorado products after businesses
reached out to expose the wares of local
ranchers and farmers.
Kelli Hepler, president, Colorado
Agritourism Association, pointed to a local
winemaker who offers virtual wine tasting.
" There's a shift in how they want to
market their business, " Hepler said. " It's
been kind of eye opening for them. They're
getting creative and you're seeing that on
the Western Slope. " FGN
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September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020
