SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT AGRICULTURE

BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Tymberlynn Rose Wiedemann said she grew up in the shadow of the Adams County fair and always had her eye on the fair royalty –although she wasn’t sure what they did.

“It wasn’t up until I was in high school, I was in the Future Farmers of America FFA Organization, which is an agriculture youth organization, so being part of that organization, we were around the fair lot. I actually got to talk to the fair queens and realized they are advocates for the agriculture industry,” Wiedemann said.

Now it’s her turn on the fair’s throne.

After a year as the 2022 fair’s Lady In Waiting, Wiedemann,19, was selected as the 2023 Adams County Fair Queen.

“I graduated in 2022, and I’m so fortunate. I was able to come from Brighton High School and I get to represent my county; it’s wonderful,” Wiedemann said.

Wiedemann said as a Future Farmers of America member, they teach students about the agricultural industry but need to learn how to promote it and educate people.

“I realized this is a way to serve my community, and follow a passion in the agricultural industry,” Wiedemann said. “These women royalty state titleholders are not just a pretty face that represents the county. When you talk to these women, they are very intelligent. They know horsemanship, agriculture, rodeo and the fair they’re representing.”

Wiedemann said FFA, 4-H, and the fair for kids’ is essential.

“You don’t have to be in a local 4-H or in agriculture or come from the city,” she said. “You can I can sign up and it’s something that is really fun. My FFA department at high school not everyone was an agriculture kid and some grew up in the subdivision or apartments. So sitting in Ag class they realized they too can be a part of this industry.”

Wiedemann said the FFA classes at the high school taught kids how to start a small project or grow a garden, educating them about the industry without even realizing it.

“Even the kids that are not working members in the agricultural industry when someone ask them a question, they can tell them about growing and harvesting in a field,” Wiedemann said. “The programs are incredible. It not just for kids its regular everyday people that can sit in those classes and those organizations and be involved in the work.”

Wiedemann is attending Colorado State University, majoring in Agricultural Education and minoring in Agricultural Literacy.

She chose to stay close to home because it allows her to give back to the organization.

“I learned so much value and what our industry really means. I hope I’m able to come back and grow the next generation of agriculturalists. A lot of times, industries can slowly die, and generations will leave if you have people that aren’t willing to fight for this organization industry that is slowly dying, and you need to have people that are knowledgeable about the industry and want to learn about it and work for it to last for the future,” Wiedemann said.

If she has her way, she’ll be involved in agriculture for the rest of her life.

“I hope to stay in the agriculture industry, whether it is classroom teaching, working in a position with agriculture, or work as legislator. I want to continue to be a voice for this industry representing the agriculture and Western industry in a public matter, talking to people. If I can continue to do that into adulthood, I would love that,” Wiedemann said.

4-H SHOWS AND COMPETITIONS

water law expert at the University of Colorado. “ e question is, what is your city going to do with that 10%? Are they going to leave it in the Colorado River Basin? Are they going to leave it in a reservoir for drought conditions? Or are they simply going to divide that savings out to build more and then use that savings on new development?” e average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home, and about 70% of that use is indoors. In the arid West, states have some of the highest per capita residential water use because of landscape irrigation, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. at means that the impact of inhome water conservation is going to be limited in the grand scheme of water use in the Colorado River Basin, where the amount of water stored in reservoirs like Lake Powell and Lake Mead has declined dramatically.

In Colorado, water users run through 5.43 million acre-feet of water per year. One acre-foot supports two families of four to ve people for one year.

Of that, 90%, or about 4.8 million acre-feet, is used by the agriculture industry. About 380,000 acre-feet is used in cities and towns, and of that, only about 46% goes to indoor water uses like toilets, faucets, laundry machines and showers.

“While the bulk of that water to help prevent Lake Powell from collapsing will come from agriculture, cities need to do their part,” said John Berggren, senior regional water policy analyst for Western Resource Advocates. “Municipalities’ water use matters. It’s small … but it matters.”

Home water use falls primarily into two categories: indoor and outdoor.

In Colorado, residents tend to use more water outdoors watering their lawns and gardens. at’s led to the rise of water-wise landscaping e orts, like those currently being showcased at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Indoors, Colorado residents use about 60 gallons per capita each day. at leaves them with plenty of opportunities for conservation

— and accidental waste.

In 2016, toilets were the main culprits of water use in homes nationwide, using 24% of household water, followed by showers, 20%; faucets, 19%; and washing machines, 17%, according to the EPA.

Americans use more than 1 trillion gallons of water each year just for showering. e average shower is eight minutes, which means it uses more than 16 gallons of water at 2.1 gallons per minute.

Letting your faucet run for ve minutes while washing dishes can waste 10 gallons of water. Each year, household leaks waste nearly 900 billion gallons of water nationwide, which is enough to supply water to 11 million homes. And about 50% of the water used outside is lost because of wind, evaporation and runo from inecient irrigation systems, according to the EPA.

“We’re now in a world where feet matter in Lake Powell. Drops of water matter because we’re on a knife’s edge. When you’re in that tight of a spot, every single water use matters. No matter how small,” Berggren said. ere are a few simple ways to cut back on water use at home, including some Colorado-speci c programs.

Yes, taking shorter showers can