SLV Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Hits the Ground Running

LAST fall the SLV chapter of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union (RMFU) elected officers, and they have come out of the gate in 2022 excited to get back together. Officers are Liza Marron, secretary; Kris Steinberg, treasurer; Patrick O’Neill, vice president; and Kyler Brown, president. 

We are proud to have Emily Brown continue to represent district 5 on RMFU’s Board. RMFU appreciated the invitation to speak at this year’s Southern Rocky Mountain Ag Conference. Dan Waldvogle, director of external affairs for RMFU, spoke on SB87, the farmworker bill of rights, and how that new law would affect farm operations and their employees. For more information on this law and how wages, work conditions, ability to file grievances and other aspects of the regulation, contact Dan at daniel.waldvogle@rmfu.org.

Dan also ran the “Firing on All Cylinders” workshop at the conference, letting producers learn about how to address farm stress and mental health. More information can be found at Agwell.org. RMFU and the SLV chapter hosted a booth at the conference sharing the benefits and initiatives of this great agriculture advocacy organization serving Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

The SLV chapter of RMFU was proud to send three delegates this year to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) 2022 Convention this past week, which was held in Denver. Two hundred delegates from around the country descended on the Grand Hyatt Hotel for 3 days of policy and elections. The RMFU delegation was able to meet with Kate Greenberg, Colorado commissioner of ag, as well as Gov. Jared Polis. The body heard from notable speakers such as President Joe Biden, Sen. John Tester of Montana, Sen. Micheal Bennet of Colorado, and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. The SLV chapter brought many policy proposals forward and were able to vote them into national policy.

RMFU will be having its legislative drive-in in Denver on Monday, March 14. This is a great opportunity for members and the ag community to engage with members of both state houses as well as the administration to talk over issues. Farmers Union is always ready to engage politicians with the hope of getting them to better understand ag issues and rural communities. 

The three foundational pillars that Farmers Union is built on are education, legislation and cooperation. RMFU is a great family-centered advocacy organization; the SLV Chapter welcomes new members and hosts barbecues, discussions, and other fun and educational events. If you have any questions about how you can be a part of RMFU please contact Kyler Brown at kowboykjb@gmail.com.