Courtesy Adrienne SObering Cowboys and cowgirls herd cattle across the Sterling Ranch Master Planned Community on Saturday, Nov. 1 in Douglas County, Colorado. Animal agriculture, ranching, hunting, and farming are not dying ways of life. The cowboy is not about to ride off into the sunset and c ertain extinction. Beef is not going to be replaced by cultured meat, any variety of bugs, or salad (though we grow that, too). AI or niche small scale production methods are not going to feed the country or caretake the habitats or create economic growth in rural places.  But, if there is to be an agriculture industry- the second largest industry in Colorado that rakes in over $7 billion annually- reasonable people in and out of those industries must hold the line. If Gov. Jared Polis is allowed to deconstruct the departments with significant pull over those industries, there will be less animal agriculture and hunting industries in the state for the next governor next January. We can not afford to allow the legacy of the Polis administration to be taking food of the plates of those who need to eat. The rancher is not an endangered species or, for that matter, as a certain beaver with a beef against cows and this columnist might suggest, an invasive one. The ag industries in this state include big players like Cargill, JBS, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, and Agfinity. None of these companies are going to pick up their petticoats and leave town because Gov. Polis and Marlon Reis don’t like them. These are large companies that are creating opportunities for thousands of families while feeding millions. Just because they have broad shoulders, though, doesn’t mean they should be targets. JBS alone, which is headquartered in Greeley, claimed about $77.2 billion in sales in 2024. The economic impact of the 16 days of the National Western Stock Show is $171 million. The anticipated economics of relocating U.S. Department of Agriculture offices to Fort Collins, assuming a middle of the road estimate of movers, is a $805 million boost to the state’s economic output. Agriculture in Colorado is not fragile, nor is it a shrinking violet, but it should be treated better than a stray cat. Consumers should be treated better and not be left to the whims of the misinformed and enthusiastic. It’s time for a serious gut check when in an open meeting, the pro-wolf advocates were pleading with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission not to send wolves to Colorado because it wasn’t safe for the wolves. Wolves via ballot initiative were a terrible idea and the clock can’t be rolled back. However, voters can make Colorado a much less friendly state to place bad ideas on the ballot. The middle of the road, reasonable people need to put their big girl boots on and refuse to allow agendas to drive up the cost of eggs, Happy Meals, and Christmas trees. It’s time for the middle to hold the line and refuse to allow agendas to run producers out of business so billionaires can buy pretty properties. You know a female rancher in wolf country who is waiting in line for her refill of maxed out doses of anti-anxiety drugs and her 40-something-year-old husband’s heart and blood pressure meds. You know a fifth generation Colorado rancher who is searching for Wyoming real estate listings through tears in her eyes. You know kids who want to milk cows like dad and grandpa but are watching sign-wielding people call them murderers and greedy. There is dignity in hard work, necessary work, and doing the work that feeds people. There is no dignity in dirty work that leaves your hands clean. We all depend upon agriculture and agriculture depends upon consumers. We’re down to the final year of the Polis administration and it is time to stand firm against agenda-driven initiatives that will drive energy costs wildly higher. It’s time to stand firm against desperate attempts to derail ranching, be it through wolves or rewilding. Enough is enough. No man, no matter his political stripes, is a king, and no man should be allowed to act as if he is. Rural Colorado, ranchers, farmers, oil and gas guys, meat processing workers, feedlot cowboys, and that mom waiting on prescriptions all need the reasonable Colorado voters to stand shoulder to shoulder with them for the next year and refuse to hand over the keys to the kingdom. Rachel Gabel writes about agriculture and rural issues. She is assistant editor of The Fence Post Magazine, the region’s preeminent agriculture publication. ...read more read less