Centennial State News

The Colorado Department of Agriculture's Emergency Management Program and the Colorado State University Extension have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize their partnership in handling emergencies affecting agricultural communities in Colorado. This collaboration aims to improve the efficiency of service delivery, training, information sharing, and outreach initiatives in emergency management.

"The CDA Emergency Management Team looks forward to building an even stronger partnership with CSU with this MOU," stated Dan Frazen, CDA's Agriculture Emergency Coordinator. He emphasized the role of CSU Extension directors and specialists as essential components of CDA's Agriculture Emergency Liaison Program. "Along with our brand inspectors, ag association leaders and trusted veterinarians, Extension serves as a vital resource when it comes to emergency management in Colorado’s rural communities."

Eric McPhail, CSU Extension Field Director, remarked on the importance of partnerships: "Partnerships – local, regional and statewide - are the foundation of our work in Extension. Working together with partners like CDA, we better understand community needs and are able to address emerging issues that affect our state."

The MOU builds upon an existing relationship between CDA and CSU Extension. It will help coordinate efforts for disaster preparedness and response. Both organizations aim to educate the public and provide support during disasters by organizing meetings, workshops, and public events focused on all phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

CDA's Emergency Management Team will offer training in emergency management, incident management, and Emergency Support Function #11 (Agriculture and Natural Resources) to CSU Extension directors and field staff. This training is intended to enhance collaboration during disaster response and recovery operations impacting agriculture communities.

Through this agreement, CDA and CSU Extension plan to leverage expertise from various divisions within their organizations as well as from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other state and local emergency management partners.

Since 2022, CDA’s Animal Health Division has expanded its Emergency Management Team to bolster response capabilities for natural disasters and other emergencies. The team has been involved in responses to winter storms, avian influenza outbreaks, fires, flooding in Colorado, as well as national disasters such as Hurricane Helene in Florida and North Carolina.

For over a century, Colorado State University Extension has connected Coloradans with research-based solutions across various topics through local offices offering expertise, training resources, and programming.

For Spanish versions of this press release or further inquiries contact cda_communications@state.co.us.