Custer County is solidly beef-centric, with cattle and hay production the kingpin of the agricultural segment of our local economy.

 

But it wasn’t too many decades ago that many Valley farmers produced ton after ton of vegetables. Until the D&RG railroad pulled out in 1938, there were at least two trackside produce sheds in Westcliffe where lettuces, potatoes, other root vegetables and various crops were iced down and shipped to distant markets. A couple of decades ago, Ed Thornton planted scores of acres of asparagus and other crops, but the vagaries of the labor market and transportation put an end to that venture.

We all know, however, of the cornucopia of produce that comes from the San Luis Valley, the lower Arkansas Valley, the Western Slope and the northeastern plains. Colorado ranks third nationwide in head lettuce production; fourth in spinach; sixth in sweet corn and seventh in onions and peaches.

 

All told, cash receipts from Colorado fruits and vegetables totaled $466 million in 2008, and our products are shipped to all 50 states and 56 foreign countries around the world. (Cash receipts for the Colorado beef industry last year were about $3 billion.)

 

This weekend, a large contingent of Colorado fruit and vegetable growers will attend the world’s largest produce trade show in Anaheim, Calif., and it’s likely that they’ll help expand global sales and consumption of our produce.

 

Here on the home front, there’s a growing “locavore” movement: eating foodstuffs as close to the source as possible. The Colorado Department of Agriculture promotes that concept through its “Colorado Proud” campaign (similar to the former “Always Buy Colorado” crusade). Without too much effort, we can get locally grown eggs and meat, potatoes from the other side of the Sangres, vegetables from Canon City or Pueblo, and even decent Colorado beer and wine. Now that’s living…