Colorado Proud Virtual Roundtable

Colorado Proud will be holding a virtual roundtable on May 13 from noon to 1 pm. The focus of the roundtable will be connecting the agriculture industry and small food businesses with important dialog, key learnings, and productive ways to flourish.

With small businesses especially top of mind during the pandemic pause, a mix of Colorado-based ag panelists will apply last year’s learnings – and discomforts – and discuss experiences, issues, and solutions.  Danielle Trotta, Colorado Proud Program Manager will be moderating for the panel discussion, as well as Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg will be addressing strategies to support entrepreneurship, programs, grants, and emergency relief.

Elizabeth Mozer, Founder/CEO, LoCo Food Distribution will cover supply chain, distribution, production, supply/demand, and Chef Jason Morse, 5280 Culinary will address key topics such as community engagement/partnerships, online sales, diversification, and marketing.

The informative Growing, Evolving and Thriving Colorado Agriculture Virtual Roundtable will feature a panel discussion and Q&A about Colorado ag’s physical, operational and cultural growth after a complex year, sharing lessons to help guide ag professionals, small businesses, and communities.  Hosted by Colorado Proud, a program of the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the online roundtable is available for media, Colorado Proud members, ag industry professionals, and the general public. Questions for panelists can be submitted via “chat” in real-time during the Roundtable. Those who wish to attend are asked to register ahead of time.

“While the pandemic has affected all areas of our lives, and Colorado’s agriculture is no different, we are experiencing new physical, operational, and cultural growth. And that’s good news for all of us,” said Danielle Trotta, Colorado Proud program manager. “The roundtable will address the vulnerability small businesses are experiencing after 2020 disruptions while balancing this year’s expectations with practical takeaways for ‘growing, evolving and thriving,’”

Agriculture is an important economic driver in the state, consistently ranking as one of Colorado’s leading industries and is in the top-10 nationally for production of a variety of agricultural products. With more than 38,900 farms encompassing nearly 32 million acres, agriculture is a vital part of Colorado, supporting more than 195,000 jobs, contributing more than $47 billion to the state’s economy annually.

For more information, please contact Grace Markley at [email protected] or 720-421-9633.