Compiled by Candace Krebs Coalition to oppose radical ballot initiative Numerous Colorado agricultural organizations have formed a coalition to oppose Initiative 16, a potential 2022 ballot initiative that would ask voters to criminalize commonly accepted veterinary and animal care practices in Colorado. It would also ban the slaughter of livestock that have not lived more than one-quarter of their anticipated lifetime, a standard far longer than consumer and foreign markets demand. Newly formed Coloradans for Animal Care consists of six Colorado-based livestock organizations including Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Dairy Farmers, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Colorado Livestock Association and the Colorado Pork Producers Council. “We’ve come together to oppose one of the most radical and reactionary ballot initiative proposals this state has ever seen,” said Carlyle Currier, a rancher from Molina and president of Colorado Farm Bureau. “We can’t allow such a direct and brazen attack on one of the state’s largest and most historic industries to go unanswered.”