Phil Castle, The Business Times

Danielle Trotta grew up in New Jersey and managed a ranch in Eastern Colorado.

Living in both urban and rural settings and raising cattle have been useful, Trotta said, in her latest position managing a program promoting Colorado agricultural products.

It’s helped in communicating with people whether they live in big cities or small towns as well as connecting farmers and ranchers with consumers, stores, restaurants and other customers for their products.

It’s important at a time when more consumers want to know where their food comes from and develop relationships with producers, she said. “People want to know the story. People want that connection.”

Trotta, a senior marketing specialist with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, manages the Colorado Proud program.

She discussed her work in a telephone interview with the Business Times in the midst of what in August is Colorado Proud Month and efforts promoting the program and Colorado agricultural products.

The timing coincides with the harvest of many fruits and vegetables in Colorado and such activities as farmers markets, u-pick operations and farm tours, Trotta said. “It’s a really vibrant time for Colorado agriculture.”

Trotta assumed management of the Colorado Proud program in March. She previously worked at the Colorado Department of Agriculture as a business development specialist, helping food and ag companies start and expand operations.

Before that, Trotta worked nine years as co-manager of an Angus cattle ranch near Karval in Eastern Colorado and another year as a livestock audit specialist.

Trotta said she grew up in New Jersey. She attended Colorado State University and initially wanted to become a veterinarian. She said she became interested instead in the agriculture and livestock industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree from CSU in animal sciences and master’s degree in agriculture with a focus on integrated resource management.

Now in its 22nd year, the Colorado Proud program promotes through various efforts food and other agricultural products grown, raised and made in Colorado.
A total of more than 3,000 farmers, ranchers, retailers, restaurants and associations participate in the program. A logo makes it easier for consumers to identify and purchase Colorado products.

A recently completed survey of 500 Colorado consumers confirms the effectiveness of the program, Trotta said: 76 percent of those who responded say they’re familiar with the Colorado Proud logo and look for it while shopping. Moreover, 40 percent of consumers said they’re intentionally buying more Colorado products, she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated several shopping trends, Trotta said, including the increasing proportion of consumers who purchase food online and growing interest in local food sources.

That makes it more important for producers to sell products online if they can, but also offer customers convenience and communicate with them, she said. “Convenience and social media are here to stay. These kinds of things are not going to go away.”

Trotta said she’s hopeful an allocation of $2.5 million to the Colorado Proud program enacted by the Colorado Legislature will provide additional resources to producers and further increase the sale of food and agricultural products.

 The agricultural sector is an important one in Colorado, she said, in contributing $47 billion to the economy annually and employing more than 195,000 people.

Moreover, farmers and ranchers care for a total of more than 32 million privately owned acres in the state and preserve vast areas of open spaces, she said.

While most Coloradans are aware of agriculture products and the contributions of the ag industry, Trotta said, “We can always do better.”

That’s where the Colorado Proud program as well as her experiences will come into play in making connections between producers and their customers, she said.