The Colorado Proud challenge

MONTROSE  — August is here and that means fresh, local produce is starting to fill the shelves. Sweet corn is on every street corner, orchards are selling their juicy fruits and restaurants and retailers are taking advantage of local, fresh products.

For the Colorado Department of Agriculture, August is the month to challenge residents to buy and eat local. Gov. Bill Ritter has declared August as Colorado Proud Month.

"August is the perfect time to buy local products," said John Stulp, commissioner of the CDA, in a news release. "Whether you take on the challenge for a day or the whole month, this is a fun way to get people to be more conscious about where their food comes from, how it is grown, and to connect with the farming and ranching community in Colorado."

Colorado Proud was created by the department in 1999 to help Colorado consumers identify local products, said Wendy White, marketing specialist for the CDA.

In a 2007 department survey, 82 percent of participants purchased at least one Colorado food product when they went shopping.

The program helps consumers identify the local products by the use of a logo. Members of the program use the logo to market their products, White said.

It is free to become a Colorado Proud member and the list consists of more than 950 different companies from farmers to ranchers, and retailers to restaurants.

White said membership has grown every year. In 1999, only 65 companies were involved.

Colorado agriculture is essential to the state, according to the department. It contributes almost $16 billion annually to the state's economy. There are 31,000 farms and ranches in Colorado encompassing 30.7 million acres. About 105,000 jobs in the state are related to agribusiness.

Colorado agriculture is more than just food, according to the department. Farmers and ranchers help create other products including soaps, cosmetics, construction and manufacturing products, plastics, crayons, tires, perfume and even shaving cream.

To view members of Colorado Proud and for more information, visit www.coloradoproud.org.

Contact Kati O'Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com