On the Western Slope and across Colorado, ranchers are waiting upwards of two years to get their cattle processed. The bottleneck created by COVID-19 continues to damage the already economically drained community ranchers. Wait times like this put many businesses in danger of closing. Local food and agriculture is a major driving factor on the Western Slope and key to homegrown prosperity. This crisis has created opportunity. Much like the Cottage Foods Act, which Western Colorado Alliance championed in 2015, our sights are set on opening the market for small, independent producers to thrive. Last year, the Wyoming legislature passed the Animal Shares Amendment. Our members want to pass one here. As of this writing, SB21-078 Colorado’s Animals Shares bill has passed the Senate. Animals Shares creates more access between consumers and ranchers, creating a rallying point for ranchers to flex their organized power, and to advance Our Alliance’s mission of delivering home grown prosperity.

Sajun, a rancher here on the Western Slope, is waiting a year to get his current stock processed. Currently, wait times are connected to requiring a USDA inspector on-site. This is where the real divide comes into play. The large meat processing factories, Tyson, Smithfield, JBS, and Cargill, control 84% of the market. Each of these companies always has a USDA inspector on-site, with a literal office in their processing facilities. Our local processors cannot afford this practice. Large corporations are using this USDA rule to push down the local processors, hamstringing possibilities of homegrown prosperity.

There is a way to eat healthy food, without restricting practices. If a consumer wants to purchase beef from their local rancher, they have the option of purchasing a whole, half, or quarter cow. These cows are processed under “custom exempt” not USDA, increasing the opportunity for processing. These quantities are both expensive and hard to store. Animal Shares allows a person to buy a share, like stock, of an animal which then classifies them as an owner. As an owner, once a cow is processed, you can select the cuts of meat you desire. This simple rule change will grant access to fresh food to a wider range of families and individuals and provide better incentives to our ranchers.

When organizing against powerful interests, nothing is easy. While large corporations have the money, we have the people. We have spent the last several months speaking with producers across the Western Slope. After countless conversations, we have a team that is ready to push forward this legislation. Our mission now is to support organizing their collective power. We are supportive of SB21-079 and will work for it’s passage. Our team will provide testimony on the importance of this bill and the positive change to our local ranchers and processors. Their work will be vital to Animal Shares passage.

As our Alliance works to bring power back into the hands of those most impacted. Over generations corporations have become more dominant in agriculture. Animal Shares is a small step and important step in taking back that power.