Farmers to Gov: We’ll Back You Up on Water Conservation

Today Rocky Mountain Farmers Union delivered a letter to Gov. John Hickenlooper with nearly 3,500 Colorado signatories supporting the Governor’s declaration in his State of the State address that “Every discussion about water should begin with conservation.”

The letter arrived on the same day the Governor signed an executive order to develop a state water plan for Colorado. “Colorado farmers know firsthand that protecting our water resources is fundamental to our state’s economic future, so we welcome the Governor’s focus on this issue,” said Kent Peppler, RMFU President and a Mead, Colo. farmer.  “We’re ready to help the Governor follow through on improving water conservation and finding a balanced way to meet the state’s water needs.”

In March, RMFU ran radio and web ads to express the support of rural Coloradoans and agricultural producers for the Governor’s comments on water conservation. The ads invited people to sign an online letter to affirm their support.  The ads repeated the Governor’s statement that “Every discussion about water should begin with conservation,” and pointed out that a recent poll indicated overwhelming support among Coloradans for improved water conservation. The ads ran across the state.

The Governor’s Executive Order sets forth a process to provide the state with a water plan by the end of 2015.  The order comes in the wake of a December 2012 report by federal and state governments indicating that demand now exceeds supply on the state’s largest source of water, the Colorado River system.  The same report identified improved water conservation and re-use as the most expedient and cost-effective way to address the imbalance.

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, representing family farmers and ranchers in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, is dedicated to sustaining our rural communities, to wise stewardship and use of natural resources, and to protection of our safe, secure food supply.