Farmers and ranchers are not happy with Colorado governor Jared Polis’s push to explore plant-based meat alternatives.
The first-term Democrat has privately urged the state Department of Agriculture to explore how Colorado can produce meatless options, according to the Gazette. In a behind-the-scenes meeting, he even offered to buy agency researchers Burger King’s new Impossible Whopper, which is made of soy and other meatless products, to demonstrate the potential of the plant-based meat trend.
Beef is the state’s largest export and linchpin of its $40 billion agriculture industry. The initiative by Polis, a tech entrepreneur worth hundreds of millions of dollars, provoked condemnation from local farmers and ranchers.
“For the Governor to suggest that Colorado agriculture begin focusing on growing vegetables for plant-based proteins is confusing to the farmers and ranchers who have worked the land in rural Colorado for decades,” the Colorado Livestock Association said in a press release. “Next time the Department of Agriculture staff is [sic.] looking for a free lunch we’d be more than glad to set up a grill in Broomfield and barbecue some cheeseburgers for the crew–the beef kind.” – READ MORE