On Tuesdays, we talk with our colleagues at the Colorado Sun about the stories they are following.
Avian Flu
Nearly 6.4 million chickens have died from Colorado’s worst outbreak of avian influenza ever. Reporter David Krause says that number is up to almost 58 million birds nationally. Wild bird populations are also increasingly suffering, including the loss of bald eagles.
Unsafe Farming Conditions
In other news that shakes up Colorado agriculture, the recently-closed Colorado Mushroom Farm is in deep debt and owes thousands of dollars in unpaid wages, according to a bankruptcy filing from December. The company also faces allegations of unsafe working conditions and worker injuries. Produce from the facility supplied stores like King Soopers and Whole Foods. Krause says it’s hard to predict what will happen next.
“The concern there is, 1: where are the new mushrooms going to come [from] for some of the Colorado grocery stores," Krause told KUNC. "But also, what’s going to happen to these workers, many of whom come from Guatemala?”
Krause says multi-generational families of migrant workers have made homes in the area around the farm’s warehouse in Alamosa. It’s unclear if or when the farm will reopen.