As drought cuts water allotments for Southwestern Colorado farmers and the 60,000 acre Ferris Fire threatens agricultural lands, Emily Lockard, Colorado State University Extension director for Montezuma County, says it’s a deeply stressful time for producers.
“Agriculture is this very isolating profession,” Lockard said. “And then you add drought, financial uncertainty, a huge fire – all of these things are a lot.”
As such, the CSU Extension and Montezuma County are organizing a “Pizza for Producers” event at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center at 16898 County Road Z in Yellow Jacket from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to July 23.
“We want to invite people who are involved in ag just to come together,” Lockard said. “It’s just a time for people to have informal conversations, because a lot of them are just by themselves farming or ranching.”
Attendees, who are encouraged to bring their families, will have pizzas while playing games like cornhole. The initiative encourages farmers and ranchers to build community and find support, especially as suicide rates in the farming community are 3.5 times that of the general public, according to the National Rural Health Association.
The CSU Extension also sponsors Cattle, Crops and Coffee, an intermittent gathering of agriculture specialists, inviting Montezuma County farmers and ranchers to convene with free coffee. The last event was in May but Lockard said it will begin again in the fall.
“Sometimes if you can get someone to go have a cup of coffee with you, or go grab a slice of pizza and just sit around and realize that you're not alone, I think that's super important for people to feel,” Bobbi Lock, Montezuma County Public Health director, said during the Board of Health’s Tuesday meeting.
Those interested in Pizza for Producers can RSVP at col.st/jurqy.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
