Colorado’s farmers and ranchers don’t ask for special treatment. They ask for the opportunity to grow the food, fiber and fuel our nation depends on. Agriculture remains one of Colorado’s foundational industries, contributing billions of dollars to our economy while supporting thousands of jobs in rural communities.

From the San Luis Valley’s potato fields to the Western Slope’s orchards, from vegetable farms along the Front Range to the livestock operations that define our state’s rural heritage, one challenge rises above nearly every other: finding enough legal, reliable workers to keep their farms and ranches operating.

Producers across the state increasingly face a workforce crisis that threatens not only individual operations but our nation’s long-term food security. Without a reliable workforce, crops won’t get planted, produce will rot in the fields, livestock won’t get fed or milked, and our country won’t eat.

This is not a partisan issue. It’s an American issue that has economic and food-security implications for every citizen.

Colorado producers have embraced technology, conservation, precision agriculture and innovation. But no amount of technology can completely replace the skilled men and women who do the work required to bring food to our tables.

Many agricultural employers advertise positions year after year with few, if any, domestic applicants. Existing visa programs are often costly, cumbersome, unpredictable and unavailable for many year-round livestock operations.

Colorado’s pork producers understand this challenge perhaps better than most.

Unlike many seasonal crops, pigs require care every day of the year. Farmers need skilled employees who understand animal husbandry, animal welfare, biosecurity, nutrition, breeding and environmental stewardship. These are not temporary jobs; they are careers that protect animal health, safeguard our nation’s food supply and keep family farms operating.

Congress now has an opportunity to modernize agricultural labor policy through legislation such as the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act. The proposal seeks to improve existing legal workforce programs while recognizing the unique needs of year-round livestock agriculture.

No legislation is perfect. But maintaining a workforce system designed for a different era is no longer sustainable. Colorado’s agricultural producers deserve policies that reflect today’s realities. They deserve a legal, functional workforce system. And American families deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing their food is being produced here at home by a resilient agricultural industry.

Whether you’re enjoying Colorado-raised pork, beef, lamb, dairy products, fresh vegetables, Palisade peaches or Pueblo chile, every meal begins with hardworking people dedicated to producing safe, wholesome food.

The future of Colorado agriculture depends not only on land, water and innovation, but also on people.

Colorado has long demonstrated that practical, bipartisan solutions are possible when leaders focus on common goals rather than political divisions. The time to modernize agricultural workforce policy is now.

Joyce Kelly is executive director of the Colorado Pork Producers Council.