Colorado Farmers Taking Risks To Stay Afloat During Coronavirus Pandemic

DENVER (CBS4) -  Farmers and ranchers across Colorado are raising concerns about the potential impact COVID-19 could have on their operations. John Harold has been growing "Olathe Sweet" Sweet Corn for 34 years with no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

"I've always said when I drop dead, bury me in a corn field, and I wont push up daisies, I'll push up corn stalks," he said.

In a typical year his company, Tuxedo Corn, will grow and then ship nearly 700,000 boxes of corn to supermarkets across the country.

This year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, he's not sure what to expect.

"Once we are at this point we don't have much choice now. We've decided to proceed, we've spent thousands of dollars on seed. We planted it," Harold said.

He says there's concerns about how much demand there will be come harvest time at the end of the summer, but even before that there are questions about having the workforce to bring in the crops.

Colorado's agriculture industry relies heavily on seasonal workers who come into the state on temporary visas -- that with the current shutdown -- are are slow to be approved, if at all.

"With this pandemic the real concern is where is the clarity to know, come July, you're going to be able to get labor," he said.

For sweet corn, even a few days of waiting for help can come at a cost, That's something Colorado's senators are trying to avoid. Together Sen. Cory Gardner and Sen. Michael Bennet are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address industry concerns both about workforce and financial security.

On a video call, Bennet told CBS4 he is working on a solution to ensure farmers can get the workforce needed, and he also wants to help those who are already hurting.

"The other part of it is to stay on the administration, to make sure the Department of Ag is spending the money we appropriated as part of the CARES Act in ways that make sense to Colorado's agriculture," he said.

For farmers like Harold, it's a businesses full of risks, and while this is unlike any other he's seen, it's one he has to take, because it's all he knows.

"I just enjoy what I do, I know what else I'd rather do. I have no interest in taking a cruise, especially now," Harold laughed.