Phil Castle, The Business Times

Janie VanWinkle helps organize an annual parade of sorts through the Grand Valley that serves as a celebration of the contributions of farmers, ranchers and the agricultural industry.

“It’s really just about awareness and celebration,” said VanWinkle, who works with her husband, Howard, and family on a cow-calf operation based in Fruita that sells calves to feedlots as well as beef directly to consumers.

As it turns out, there are millions of reasons to celebrate. As in the $94 million of total market value of agricultural products produced in Mesa County, said Jenny Beiermann, an agriculture and business management specialist with the Colorado State University Extension in Grand Junction.

The Trail of Trailers features trucks pulling so-called cattle pots and other trailers, but also other vehicles used in the agricultural industry. The latest caravan on July 22 began near Cameo and went through Palisade, Grand Junction and Fruita. The event continued with a community barbecue at Loma Livestock.

The Mesa County Farm Bureau and Mesa County Cattleman’s Association sponsored the Trail of Trailers.

VanWinkle said the event includes cattle trailers, but also other vehicles from agricultural operations in Mesa County and elsewhere on the Western Slope. “We try to reach out to all of agriculture.”

VanWinkle said the latest event included vehicles from her ranch as well as Jim Brach and J. Brach Trucking, Clark Orchards, Colorado Egg Co., Cunningham Trucking Co., Food Bank of the Rockies and Western Implement.

The Trail of Trailers acknowledges the roles of farmers, rancher and the agriculture industry in feeding people, but also contributing to the economy, VanWinkle said.

By one estimate, each cow ranchers raise in the county equates to a $600 to $800 contribution a year to the local economy, she said.

Beiermann said an agricultural census conducted in 2017 — the latest numbers available — placed the total value of agricultural products in Mesa County at more than $94 million — about $48 million for livestock and $46 million for crops.

Cattle accounted for nearly $30 million, while fruits, tree nuts and berries accounted for a total of more than $22 million, she said. Hay accounted for another $9 million.

By one estimate, that money recirculates in the economy 2.4 times, more than doubling the contributions, Beiermann said.

According to the 2017 ag census, farms and ranches hired nearly 2,000 people. According to the CSU Regional Economic Development Institute, the average farm employs 10 people, she said.

There are other benefits beyond the economic contributions of the ag industry, Beiermann said.

Crop yields per gallon of water are higher in desert regions, she said. Cattle and other livestock can use land unsuitable for crops.

“About 90 percent of what cattle eat can’t be digested by humans. Cattle turn these rocky, steep, arid or otherwise unusable land into nutrient-rich protein and other numerous byproducts.”

In addition to providing food, farmers and rancher serve as stewards of the landscape and provide the green and open spaces that attract people to the Grand Valley, Beiermann said. “Ag makes Mesa County a really desirable place to live.”