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New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit indoor dining, personal gatherings
Brighton’s own wins appointment to the Water Conservative Board “My dad gave him credit because Schluter saw how hard my dad worked and they allowed my dad to become a sharecropper. It’s how he bought his first piece of land,” said Sakata. His Dad purchased his land and with his wife, Joanna continues to build up the farm with his knowledge of vegetable production growing gladiolus, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, onions, and sweet corn.
Early in the morning Robert Sakata is starting the day preparing the soil for the spring onion planting. Sakata a full time farmer was appointed by Gov. Polis on March 10 as an official board member on the Colorado Water Conservative Board. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD
Sakata will work on behalf of the farmers
Sakata Farms is in the South Platte Basin. Sakata is a Brighton, Colorado native. He graduated from Brighton High School and went to the UniverBrighton farmer Robert Sakata sity of Colorado Boulder to study has no problem coming busy, cermicrobiology. He also worked for the tainly not this time of year. Amgen research lab which was the Once spring arrives the farmer is up with the sun and working until it first lab in Boulder before it moved to a larger facility. goes down, tilling his fields to plant Sakata said “We were one of the his vegetable crop of onions, pinto original labs working on how to beans, wheat, and grain corn. figure out making DNA in the lab. Now he can add one more thing to Amgen israpid applied molecular his regular to-do Representing A long line of carslist: outside the city of Brighton’s testing site at genetColorado farms and farmers when it ics. It was really exciting.” Riverdale Regional Park. The site has hadAfter to close early many days in recent Sakata graduated from high comes to water conservation. Sakata weeks due to high demand. Adams positivity rateto do school14-day the lasttest thing he wanted was appointed by Gov. Polis to the County’s to be a farmer. Growing up, he Colorado Water Conservative was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. 17,Board accordingwas to Tri-County Health Department. saw how hard hisboth parents worked. to represent farmers of ColoBrighton andthe Commerce City’s test positivity rates were higher than “I thought, man, it has to be an rado on March 10. 13“It’s percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have rewarding. I wasn’t looking to easier way to make a living. I was so diedonfrom COVID-19 related health To limitthat the Mom spread of Dad COVID-19, fortunate and enget but back in December, I was issues. couraged that me to go off and do what asked likemoved to submit my restrictions at leastif 15I would counties to tighter prohibits indoor andI wanted to do,” Sakata said. application for an appointment. I personal gatherings. When Sakata returned to Brighton am so excited and it’s kind of scary he brought science to planting. you’re representing the citizens of “It why I’m so thankful that my Colorado on behalf of the state,” parents encouraged to go off said Sakata. Photo bymeBelen Ward and do something else and to have The Colorado Water Conservation diversity,” said Sakata. Board is set up with representatives from each of the major river basins.
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Internment to Colorado Sakata’s roots started with his parents. Robert Sakata’s dad Bob was a teenager living with his dad and two sisters working on a farm near San Francisco then World War II broke out. A family of Japanese descent, Bob and his family were moved into an internment camp in Topaz Utah. When released they decided not to go back to California — they had nothing left in California, anyway — and came to ByColorado. Ellis Arnold “My family felt uncomfortable goCommunity ing backColorado to California soMedia they stayed in Colorado,” he said. As Denver metro counties continue Ralph Lawrence Carr was the to governor Colorado at the time. inch closer in to local stay-at-home ordersHe believed that the constitution prounder Colorado’s system of coronavirustected the Japanese Americans and related restrictions, the state announced that they had a right to live where a newwanted. level of rules that prohibits indoor they dining and personal gatheringscareer. —a A “It killed Carr’s political lot of people did not feel comfortable change that applies to the majority of the living next to the Japanese. I believe Denver metro area and many counties in it’s why there is a lot of Japanese other regions. Americans that live in Colorado The state’s COVID-19 which has because of that,” saiddial, Sakata. been in effect since September, is the set Upon arrival, his father worked for the Billlevels Schluter family in Brighof different of restrictions that each ton, a dairyman.
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Growing, post-COVID Robert Sakata operates over 2,500 acres but due to development in the area, they lost acres for growing. “We also had to change our operation to grow a lot more vegetables such as sweet corn, cabbage, and broccoli,” said Sakata. Sakata said the demand for seasonal help has been difficult for the sweet corn operation which needed about 100 people for a couple of months. “We paid for transportation for some Haitians who were working in Florida. They were very knowledgeable but it was impossible to find enough housing,” Sakata said. During COVID they were thankful we did not have a lot of help that impacted the production. “We know of other farmers, it was challenging for them to spread people out also with barriers in the housing. We were fortunate our seasonal help is about 15 people. We were worried and lucky nobody got COVID, “ said Sakata. Sakata, said a few weeks ago Salud Clinic to his gave county came is required to farm followand based on the every a shot. severityemployee of a county’s local virus spread. “It was a big relief,” he said.
The dial grew out of the state’s safer-athome order Board work — the policy that came after theSakata statewide hasstay-at-home no childrenorder so itthis gave him lot of time numerous to be involved springa and allowed types with of other boards. He was one of the businesses to reopen. founding members of the Colorado Theand stateVegetable recently switched to Assocolor Fruit Grower identifiers — levels blue, yellow and ciation for eight years and stepped orangeas rather than numbered levels down president since his ap- — to pointment with the Colorado Water avoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, level red Conservation Board. meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level “I’ve been an uncle for a few of my red —friends,” “severe risk” —Sakata. is the secondkid’s said When Sakata’s group formed
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