Polis' CPW appointees get a NO from Senate Ag. Know who is on the boards and commissions that increasingly run CO. Grading meat is voluntary and costs the producers money.
Polis CPW appointees with ties to animal rights groups get a NO from the Senate Ag committee
Governor Polis appoints animal-rights people to represent hunters/anglers and state parks and recreation and the Senate Ag committee voted last week to NOT send them to the senate with a recommendation.
In keeping with his tradition of nominating no one who lives East of I-25 (one of the largest Ag areas of the state) to the State Fair Board and in nominating the execrable animal-rights maniac Ellen Kessler** to the state vet board, earlier last year Polis nominated some more people with ties to animal rights efforts to be on the CPW board (more context on that in the first link below, an op ed by Rachel Gabel).
Well, the Senate Ag committee had a hearing last Thursday and voted to send one of the three nominees forward to the Senate with a favorable recommendation and the other two on with unfavorable recommendations.
Note here that the Ag committee cannot shoot down the nomination, they just get to vote for favorable vs. not favorable. Note also that Senator Dylan Roberts was the deciding vote in both cases, voting no on two yes on the third. More details in the second link below.
I am not sure when the final senate floor vote will come for these folks, but the best way for you to advocate here would be to call, text, or email your state senator and tell hm or her how you would like them to vote.
I would suggest moving quickly on that. The vote could be as early as tomorrow (Monday 3/4).
**The same individual who later faced charges for animal mistreatment for the terrible conditions in which she had "rescued" birds living at her home.
https://gazette.com/opinion/denver-columns/column-an-apparent-disregard-for-the-purpose-of-commissions-gabel/article_52e0e520-32e0-11ee-92fa-13456a03d981.html
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/colorado-senate-panel-rejects-gov-jared-polis-nominees-to-wildlife-commission/article_bfaf4070-d754-11ee-a284-1b330ab11037.html
Related:
So you know, Sen Kevin Priola (pictured) was an enthusiastic thumbs up for all of Polis' nominees.
I'm sure the folks in Weld are just as enthusiastic at having him "represent" them.
Know who is on the boards and commissions that increasingly run this state.
Below is a quick rundown on Gov Polis' recent appointments to several boards and commissions around the state.
Pay attention to these things, and, if you feel moved, keep your eyes and ears open to vacancies. We need more conservative voices on the boards around this state. That only stands a chance of happening if more conservative people try.
If you feel moved to get involved, I not only salute you but will help connect you to resources if you don't know where to start. Happy to. Just ask.
https://www.longmontleader.com/local-news/governor-polis-announces-boards-and-commissions-appointments-8305347
Related:
Speaking of things controlled by boards, CPW recently released guides re. big game hunting for 2024.
The link below has details and links to the guides themselves.
https://coloradooutdoorsmag.com/2024/02/26/2024-colorado-big-game-hunting-what-is-new/
You may or may not be aware, but grading meat is voluntary and costs the producers money.
By the way, just look at that gorgeous marbling on that prime steak in the picture above. Makes my mouth water. Shouldn't have written this while I was hungry.
Moving on before I get too distracted, currently packers have to pay to have someone physically at their plant to grade the meat. As you might imagine, this means cost.
Quoting the Sun article, the cost can be "...sometimes upward of $114 an hour to travel to their plant, often out in the boonies, and grade the meat ranchers sold them after seeing it in person."
This is quite a barrier if you're a smaller outfit, often putting those folks at a disadvantage: the meat may be just as good, but if you can't get a grade, consumers may look right past your product to one that has a grade.
The USDA piloted a project to let graders work remotely and is now looking to expand.
I think this is a good idea: I don't foresee any issues and if it allows smaller packers and producers to level the playing field I'm all for it (right now the packing industry is pretty narrow and this often leaves producers at the mercy of a few large groups--anything to tilt that a little suits me).
If you're interested in more detail, you'll find it in the article below.
For my part, I'll dig around in my wallet and see if I can make myself okay with splurging on a NY strip steak--my favorite cut (and if not, a sirloin which is a cheaper, but good flavored alternative).
https://coloradosun.com/2024/02/19/usda-pilot-program-changes-quality-control/