Denver Ballot Initiative Threatens Food Processing as Activists Target Livestock Industry

On May 17, 2024, Zach Riley, Bill Rutledge, and Jim May joined the show. Riley warns that a Denver ballot initiative could shut down Superior Farms, costing 600+ jobs across the supply chain and disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities Rutledge recounts Lindbergh’s journey from struggling student to aviation pioneer who finished first in Army pilot training and completed the first solo transatlantic flight May shares.

Ballot Initiative Threatens Denver’s Only Slaughterhouse

Start listening at 29:55 – Hour 1

Zach Riley, Chief Executive Officer of the Colorado Livestock Association, discusses a ballot initiative that would ban slaughterhouses in Denver. The measure specifically targets Superior Farms, an employee-owned lamb processing facility that has operated since 1964 and employs nearly 200 workers.

Riley explains that the initiative was pushed through by out-of-state special interest groups using what he calls a broken ballot measure process requiring only 8,000 signatures. The proponents have publicly stated they will not stop with this initiative, planning to pursue bans on furs, hides, and ultimately all animal agriculture.

The economic impact extends far beyond the direct jobs at Superior Farms. Riley estimates the total loss could reach over 600 jobs when accounting for the entire supply chain, from grain producers to truckers to restaurants. The financial impact could exceed $300 million, with halal restaurants, food trucks, and local taco spots all affected.

“When you start talking about the tertiary and the subsequent effects of doing something like this, you’re talking, yes, it may be 160 to 200 jobs on the locality, which is no small thing to scoff at. But you’re talking a total loss in probably anywhere from 600-plus jobs that are all a part of the process between forestry, grains, trucking, transport, wholesale, grocery.”

Zach Riley, CEO, Colorado Livestock Association

Kim connects this to a broader pattern of using public opinion to shut down businesses, similar to the wolf reintroduction initiative and Boulder County’s efforts to close a cement plant that has operated since 1960. Riley warns that disadvantaged communities will be disproportionately affected as protein becomes less affordable and accessible.

The Legacy of Aviation Pioneer Charles Lindbergh

Start listening at 1:12:52 – Hour 2

Col. Bill Rutledge, a 95-year-old retired United States Air Force colonel, discusses Charles Lindbergh in anticipation of the anniversary of his historic 1927 transatlantic flight. Rutledge notes that three generations of Americans know Lindbergh’s name but little about his actual accomplishments.

Born in 1902 in Detroit, Lindbergh grew up in Minnesota as an only child. His father served in Congress for ten years, exposing young Charles to Washington politics and early aviation demonstrations at Fort Myer, where he witnessed the Wright brothers’ airplane in 1909. Despite being a poor student who hated school, Lindbergh discovered his passion for aviation and enrolled in Army pilot training in Texas.

Starting with over 300 applicants, Lindbergh nearly failed out due to poor study habits but ultimately finished first in his class. His meticulous preparation for the New York-to-Paris flight included personally driving and flying the route, calculating fuel loads of over 450 gallons, and designing a custom aircraft with Ryan Airlines in San Diego.

“He would be considered to be a pioneer in aviation engineering, anything. I mean, he was creative, and he was a very quiet person, but he was a scientific person.”

Col. Bill Rutledge, Retired USAF Colonel

Cowboy Poetry with Lavaca Meat Company

Start listening at 1:03:28 – Hour 2

Jim May of Lavaca Meat Company shares his weekly cowboy poetry segment, this time reciting Bill Hershey’s humorous poem about a cowboy’s misadventures shopping for his wife. May also promotes Lavaca Meat Company, a third-generation family-owned business in downtown Littleton offering premium aged beef.