RMFU Members Named to Weld County Rural Task Force

Adams/St. Vrain Farmers Union President Jerry Hergenreder and Greeley dairy owner Les Hardesty (Weld County Farmers Union) have been named to the Weld County Rural Task Force, which will implement the review of county regulations regarding rural land use mandated by Weld County’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan. The task force will be looking at auxilliary housing requirements on agricultural land, at road easement and lot size regulations, at zoning and land use rules as they affect agri-tourism, and at maintaining the rural character of Weld County.

Task force members were selected by the county commissioners. The task force will hold about a dozen meetings in the summer of 2009. They will review past rural and agricultural studies, consider specific strategies prompted by the Comprehensive Plan, and provide recommendations on these issues to county planners and the Weld County Commissioners. Their recommendations may eventually lead to changes in County regulations or land use policies.

Hergenreder, a third-generation farmer in Weld County, has been active in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union for many years. “This task force is important to family farmers throughout the county,” Hergenreder said. “I’m looking forward to helping Weld create a comprehensive plan for agriculture.”