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Governor Declares Wheat Emergency
August 22, 2007 5:17 PM
Governor Bill Ritter has issued a disaster emergency order letting more trucks haul wheat because there aren't enough commercial transports to handle this year's bumper crop. The order, issued today, allows vehicles with farm license plates to enter commercial service hauling wheat to elevators, railroad sidings or markets. Colorado law says farmers can only use vehicles with farm license plates for hauling their own crops, for farming purposes or for personal transportation. Ritter's order expands that to include commercial hauling for 45 days. Ritter said that without the order, millions of dollars worth of wheat could be damaged or lost while sitting on the ground awaiting transport. State officials said Colorado's 87-million-bushel wheat harvest is the largest in nearly 10 years, and double last year's. Good snow cover protected the crop and provided the moisture it needed. But many truck and rail carriers that once hauled wheat have gone out of business because of the drought, low wheat prices and high fuel prices, officials said.
Posted by Eric Whitney on August 22, 2007 5:17 PM | Permalink
