Talk with your local elected officials about property taxes. How elastic is demand for CO produce? Will we hit a point where policy raises price too high? A primer on prepping cacti for the cold.
Start a conversation with your local elected officials about your property taxes.
The video linked first below is another by Natalie Menten and deals with your rights and chances for you to speak up.
The bulk of the video deals with your right to add pro or con statements to your local issues "blue book" (thought it's often called the "grey book" for local issues--mine was actually grey) and also tips on how to speak up at your local boards about lowering your property tax burden.
It is by this point too late in the election cycle to provide any pro or con comment on your local TABOR issues, so take what is here as general info and do as I have done: set calendar reminders for future elections (there were no local TABOR issues for me to speak up on this year).
I'll leave it to you to watch the video and brush up, but there are some things here worth special mention.
--First and foremost (and this is a theme Ms. Menten quite correctly hammers on), it is your right and your duty to speak up. No one will do it for you and almost no politician will voluntarily separate from your money. Do not be intimidated. I have dealt with more boards and politicians than I can count and I assure you they are no more pretty, intelligent, educated, eloquent, or any other thing than the general population. They put their pants on one leg at a time.
--Second, writing notices for and against local issues is one BIG way you can make a meaningful contribution with little output of effort. Let me give you an example. One local school district that I am not in had a measure up to increases taxes. As you might imagine, the FOR section had tons of writing in it. The AGAINST section had none. On one of the other issues I saw there was no FOR nor AGAINST at all! With that kind of lack of input, your words can stand out and have an impact.
--Carefully watch deadlines and make sure you know the rules. Know the rules and know them better than the elected officials. You will (repeat will) run into people that, for a variety of reasons including plain ignorance, are going to tell you you're wrong. It happened in the example out of Littleton Ms. Menten shares in the video and it happened to me when I spoke to my local school board**. Know the facts and calmly assert them in the face of the people who say you're wrong.
Ultimately, it's your money and your government. No one else will be looking out for your interests. That's your job. Learn the rules and speak up.
**I went to speak at a school board meeting recently to tell them that if they have extra money they should give it back. There is brief mention in the second article below. Missing from the article (and it's something I took the reporter to task on--see the attached screenshot of the email I sent), is the feedback I gave the board president AFTER he made the comment quoted in the article. I cannot remember it verbatim, but the essence was "you do have the ability and the power to give some money back and if you choose to not I want you to think about the message this sends to taxpayers". Again, know the rules, and calmly assert your position.
The alternative is a cheaper product (and/or one of inferior quality) shipped in from somewhere else.
The article linked below deals with one family farm's struggle with Colorado's new agricultural workers law. It's worth a read in its own right, because it highlights the struggle of farms and also because it highlights how actual farmers (not the boogiemen that many under Colorado's capitol dome imagine are running farms and ranches) view those that work for them.
I have written at length on that, however, and, in order to prevent a retread here, what I'd like to cover now is the attitude exemplified by one of the workers' advocates the article quotes. Take a look at the attached screenshot.
You have something of a microcosm of the larger argument highlighted here in red and blue so you can distinguish.
Let's talk what's reasonable and what's not here.
Do I think customers will pay an extra 15 to 25 cents?
First, let's back up. You should ask yourself where this number comes from. Is this number even realistic? Is it a guess?
Further, I want you to think through whether this number is a total. I.e. is it 25 cents extra per melon or ear of corn? Is it an extra 25 cents per pound?
These details matter because an advocate would have an incentive to inflate things or downplay an increase.**
The second questions matter too because 15 cents extra on a 99 cent ear of corn matters. 15 cents extra on $10 worth doesn't.
Let's assume for now that this is an increase in per pound cost.
Things like Rocky Ford melons or Colorado sweet corn are to me premium products. If I was in the market (I usually grow my own which I, of course, think tastes best of all no matter the reality), I'll be honest, I'm willing to pay a little more for premium products because it's a once a year treat.
Even if I am willing to pay more, however, the total amount I'd buy would go down as the unit price goes up so that my overall melon or corn budget would stay about the same. That is, I'm not going to spend more beyond a certain point.
So what do I think about the reasonable conclusion to reach here is?
I think it's reasonable to think that prices will go up. I think it is reasonable to expect people won't STOP buying produce. And I think it's reasonable to think the quantity purchased (and thus the overall revenue made by everyone including the farmers) will go down.
One last thing before signing off. Revisit that last sentence in the screenshot.
Maybe it won't happen with Rocky Ford melons. Maybe not with Olathe sweet corn.
I think what you see there, however, is a prototypical example of the kind of progressive thinking that has guided this state since the Democrats took over; the thinking that people have the broad and bottomless desire (and money) to only purchase what they see as ethically-sourced goods/services.
Is there some demand for that? Yes. Is there some tolerance for it? Depends.
Can we assume that we can "stretch" people's habits to fit what they think should be reality? No.
The assumption that you can engineer people's choices to match what you want with laws all too often results in some form or another of difficulty imposed on someone else.
**I reached out to the organization that Mr. Knapp works for and asked for clarification on the number. As of this writing I haven't heard back. If I do, I'll update.
https://www.cpr.org/2023/10/03/southern-colorado-farmers-struggle-agricultural-workers-rights/
Overwintering Cacti ...
The recent hard freeze out here on the Plains got me thinking that I need to start cactus prep for winter.
I thought I might share some tips with you in case you got some cacti or are considering some.
In no particular order then ...
1. With the notable exception of a local paddle cactus I got from a friend's land, I have had rotten luck when it comes to cacti in containers overwintering outdoors. They don't handle it well. I have had much better luck overwintering them in the ground. The same applies to agaves. If you have either in a container, bring that container in where it won't be so cold (basement, indoors, etc.)
2. When you overwinter cacti outside, cut way way back on their water around mid August or so. None after October to be sure. The will look dead and it takes some faith, but you don't want an outdoor cactus sailing into winter full of water.
3. There are a couple strategies to employ to help those cacti that might be marginal for your zone, things you can do to limp them along through a winter. To give you a sense of what I mean, I am in climate zone 5. I try to only buy cacti that are hardy to zone 5, but I've gotten some that are marginal to zone 5.
--Make yourself a little greenhouse by cutting the bottom out of a milk jug and place this over the cactus (keep the lid!). Take a look at screenshots 1 and 2 for an example of mine. This little cactus is, in theory, okay to zone 5 but I got him late in the year and want to baby him a little. To keep the milk jug around the cactus, take a hole puncher and punch a couple holes on opposite sides of the jug, then use garden stakes or staples to hold the jug down. Leave the lid off until it's deep into winter and then put it on. Don't want to bake your cactus!
--Another strategy I've had a lot of luck with is shown in screenshot 3. Plant a marginal cactus (or any sensitive plant you're trying to cheat on a little) next to a big rock buried deep into the ground. I circled the rock that is helping the agave under the milk jug in red. It's not apparent from the picture, but the rock goes deep into the ground next to the agave. This rock will heat up in the sun and stay warm. It also has a connection deep into the ground and so can get some heat from there too, even without the sun.
No guarantees, and understand that I know these things because I have killed more cacti and agave than I want to count, but these tips should help you get a cactus through winter, even one that's a bit more sensitive than others.
One last little bit: do not worry if you have prickly pear. Outside of overwatering before winter, those things take care of themselves! Practically a weed anyway.
And also things like my cholla (picture 4 attached). No milk jugs big enough for them! If you do grow a cholla and it gets big, you might consider putting some stakes around it if you live in a windy area. They stick up quite a big and can snap at the joints during winter's harsh winds.
Meantime, take note of those spines. Beautiful color. This variety was called snow leopard at the place I bought it and that name is apt. Pretty silvery-white as winter comes on.
