When people talk about the importance of agriculture to the economy of northeast Colorado – and I’m talking specifically of Sterling and Logan County – they tend to think in terms of cash sales of commodities and those support businesses like elevators, equipment companies, fertilizer sales and so on.
But it goes deeper than that, much, much deeper. One example was the recent International Feedlot Cowboys Association World Finals Rodeo held in Sterling at the Logan County Fairgrounds. While a definitive calculation of economic impact hasn’t ever been done, we do know that Garden City, Kan., calculated a $150,000 cash infusion into that economy when the rodeo was held there.
It came to Sterling in 2017, thanks to Kenny Bornhoft, and it will come again one more time in 2023 before IFCA is disbanded. Even if participation has diminished by one-third since its heyday, that still means a cash injection into Sterling’s economy of $100,000 for a four-day event. What other events have met or even surpassed that?
Well, gosh, there’s the Logan County Fair, which pumps an estimated $1 million into the local economy, and if a county fair isn’t agriculture, I don’t know what is. And over the years other events have done the same. Anybody remember Hay Days? The Beef Expo? I covered both of them back in the day, and each time I was almost overwhelmed at the amount of money being spent in my hometown.
And yet, I hear people constantly talking about how we need to diversify our economy so we don’t depend so much on agriculture. We need more “economic development,” whatever that may be.
Speaking of economic development, the local guy charged with developing the local economy recently inspired the Logan County Commissioners to encourage all kinds of agricultural economic development. His name is Trae Miller, and he, along with Bob Schaeffer of CHS, Inc., asked for forgiveness of some sales and use tax and building permits for a specific project. The commissioners had a better idea – forgive all building permit fees on all ag-related new construction and remodeling done in Logan County. That can come to a hefty chunk of cash for something like a $6 million project like CHS’s New Haven rebuilding project.
Okay, so maybe building permit fees aren’t the make-or-break point on an ag-related project. But it sends a signal that Logan County wants agricultural economic development. Logan County is ag-friendly.
That’s why people like Kenny Bornhoft bring things like the IFCA Finals to Logan County. We’ll enjoy one more year of that rodeo, and then we’ll need to find a replacement for that annual cash injection. I’m not at liberty to print Trae Miller’s phone number here, but if you’ll email me, I’ll pass your name and number along to him. He’d love to hear from you.
So, yeah, maybe diversification is a good thing. How many ways can agriculture benefit Logan County? With apologies to Elizabeth Barret Browning, let me count the ways.
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