Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, Reporter Tracy Ross joined us to discuss what Colorado farmers are facing this wheat harvest season.
“The harvest was late this year due to all the rain we've gotten,” Ross told KUNC. “Although it's come with challenges like hail storms that have wiped out some people's crops, it's been a welcome relief after the drought we've been in.”
Ross interviewed Colorado farmers for her piece. She said they told her the push for green energy and other regulations is hurting agriculture in the state.
Senate Bill 87 – or the Agricultural Workers’ Rights Bill – was designed to help migrant workers with issues like extended work hours and unpaid wages. One interviewee told Ross that while that bill is good for migrant workers, it hurts farmers like him who are already paying their employees well. The bill stipulates an hourly pay rate rather than a salary, and a 40-hour work week.
“Colorado Senator Mark Hillman called it absurd because, as he said, sometimes you're putting in 60 to 70 hours a week to get work done, like during the harvest, and sometimes you have downtimes. That's just how farming works.”
Some farmers also expressed concerns about the financial burden of converting to electric engines in their equipment if combustion engines are phased out.
“Hillman told me that farmers are now starting to kind of stock up on good used farm equipment so they'll have it if and when the shift happens to prolong having to change over to EV for as long as possible.”
