Onions, cattle and corn, ag groups boost economy

A cluster of agriculture industry associations call Northern Colorado home, enjoying both proximity to the producers they represent and convenient access to the metro area’s transportation and government hubs.

The National Onion Association, Colorado Corn Growers Association, Colorado Livestock Association and Colorado Crop to Cuisine all are based here, to name just a few. Dozens of horse and cattle breed associations, from the Colorado Pony of the Americas Club to the Colorado Draft Horse Association, also headquarter here.

Despite burgeoning urban growth and development, agriculture remains an economic mainstay in Northern Colorado. According to the 2002 Ag Census, 2.3 million acres in Larimer and Weld County are devoted to farming. Weld County farms number 3,121, while there are 1,564 farms in Larimer County. Combined ag receipts total more than $1.2 billion annually.

In addition to representing this substantial portion of the region’s economy, the trade groups hold meetings, events and conventions, drawing visitors to the region who stay, play and spend.

Katie Hollingsworth, visitors service director for the Greeley Convention and Visitors Bureau, offered examples. An annual junior beef expo, among the largest cattle shows west of the Missouri River, draws approximately 2,000 young exhibitors to Island Grove Park in Greeley. A second annual show – the junior Gelbvieh cattle show – pulls in about 250 exhibitors, their families and friends who spend an estimated $187,000 over the four days they’re in town.

The Colorado Farm Show, a longstanding Northern Colorado ag convention, draws roughly 34,000 to the four-day event each winter at Island Grove.

“They take up a pretty good chunk of our rooms here in Greeley and have a pretty significant impact.” Hollingsworth said. The Greeley CVB estimates that farm show visitors in 2005 spent roughly $279,000.

Central location

Along with holding meetings and special events, ag industry associations may draw visitors from elsewhere in the state or nation – or from overseas.

“There have been times where we’ve tried to broker deals that involve international business,´ said Bernie Lange, marketing and communications director for the Colorado Corn Growers Association. “We had some executives from France come in about a year and a half ago.”

Greeley represents a central location for board members and growers associated with the Colorado Corn Growers Association, Lange said. Colorado Corn has been located in Northern Colorado for about four years.

Formerly in the Denver area, the move to Weld County located the growers’ association in one of Colorado’s top corn-growing counties and adjacent to other big producers in Morgan and Logan counties.

“It’s a good location,” Lange noted.

These industry associations frequently represent related businesses and industries in addition to growers and producers. The National Onion Association, for example, counts bankers, equipment dealers, seed and chemical companies and other regional and state associations among its members.

“The main thing is we’re not just a representative organization for the growers only,´ said Kim Reddin, director of public and industry relations. “We represent the entire industry. Anyone who has anything to do with onions is encouraged to become a member.”

The National Onion Association took up residence in Greeley in 1985, when a prominent Greeley-area onion farmer was president. Reddin said Greeley was seen as a more central location to several onion-producing areas, “which would be ideal for hosting people who came from other countries to view the onion industry,” Reddin said.

Cooperative efforts

Reddin said the various ag industry organizations sometimes collaborate on projects. The National Onion Association has cooperated with the National Lamb Board, located in Denver, on promotional efforts.

“We did a feature food page with the National Cattlemen’s Association,” Reddin said, adding that the onion association also has worked with the potato board, which has offices in Greeley.

Bill Hammerich, CEO of the Colorado Livestock Association, said his organization also cooperates with ag entities across the region and state. “We do things in conjunction with Colorado State University, Colorado Corn Growers, Colorado Horse Council, the Dairy Farmers of America, Colorado Park Producers Council,” he said.

Hammerich added that his organization moved to Greeley about four years ago primarily to be closer to its membership base. Most of the group’s 721 members, livestock producers and related agribusinesses, are located in eastern Colorado.

Growers’ cooperative Colorado Crops to Cuisine is in its fourth year of encouraging Northern Colorado eateries to use regional produce, said member Nancy Burns. Burns said her group has about eight members, all farmers based in Northern Colorado.

Burns said her organization sees a strong market for fresh, local produce. “More and more people are wanting to support local farms and want fresh produce that was just cut this morning and organically produced. So there’s a good market for that right now.”

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