The day I spent in Colorado, March 20, formally known as #MeatInDay, was one of the most moving days yet in my 20-plus-year career. It started out perfectly in Brush, Colorado, with Morgan County Sheriff Dave Martin.
The little book I pack around in my pocket with me every day says that the county sheriff is the ultimate authority in your county unless the sheriff surrenders jurisdiction to state or federal rule. I will just say that Sheriff Martin completely understands his role in Morgan County. After breakfast, the whirlwind tour began and it ran until 7:30 p.m. in Denver.
The purpose of #MeatInDay 2021 in Colorado was very simple. Coloradans are really tired of the heavy hand of the state and federal government. Quite frankly, they are tired of decent family values being hijacked by California transplants and they are looking for a reason to say, “Enough already!” Brothers and sisters, let me tell you that they shouted that message loud and clear.
I started the day at the Livestock Exchange in Brush for the hay sale. I am told they fed lunch to 400-plus people with three meat options. Just up the road at High Plains Cattle Supply, over 800 people ate lunch with the best buffet you could ever find in a feed warehouse. The buffet was highlighted with a two-hour speaker lineup that folks really wanted to hear from. Robert Farnam had to bring a touch of a Western feed to the forefront with some beef tri-tip—the best-kept secret in the beef industry East of the Rocky Mountains.
Chuck Miller and I then jumped in his pickup to head up the road just 40 miles to Sterling where the Santomaso family, owners of Sterling Livestock Commission, had the party of the year. I am told that 3,700 people attended. The benefit auction (because where people gather, auctioneers chant) rounded up $107,000 for the Miracle Letter Program. Just another glaring example of the generosity of rural people—even in economically troubling times.
After a quick stop in Sterling, I made my way back west to downtown Denver— Capitol Hill to be exact. There I found more cattlemen from the Sterling area directed by Andrew Timmerman. They spent the day working with 10 different food trucks to give away meals. Timmerman made one phone call to ask for donations and volunteers. They actually provided enough money for each of those food trucks to feed 125 people. At the end of the day, Colorado farmers, ranchers and their supporters made it possible for 1,250 people to enjoy meat, free of charge, in downtown Denver on #MeatInDay 2021.
I have shared with you only the few events that I was able to attend in Colorado and there were activities all over the state on this day. I am told that the rough estimate (which is believed to be low) was that over 50,000 folks statewide participated in this great event. While some have questioned the all-out promotion of meat production and consumption on this day in Colorado, I believe it goes way beyond that.
We currently see government officials from coast to coast overstepping their authority in every single aspect of the American experience.
What happened on this day is Colorado is not only refreshing, it is revitalizing that we will stand up and remind elected officials that they work for the people, We the people do not work for them.
Editor’s note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].