Boulder County is updating its cropland policy for the use of genetically engineered (GE) crops by local farmers and the changes will be discussed Tuesday, Oct. 19, 3 p.m., at a virtual public hearing.
Parks and Open Space staff will present their updated recommendations at the Oct. 19 meeting to the Boulder County Commissioners and the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee. Detailed staff recommendations and the online public comment form are posted at boco.org/CroplandPolicy.
The summary of recommendations include:
- Neonicotinoid Phaseout: The county will phase out neonicotinoid pesticides, effective Dec. 31, 2021.
- Soil Health; Boulder County will expand work with tenants to focus on improving soil health including carbon sequestration.
- GE crops: The GE sugar beet and corn varieties authorized in Section 6 of the 2012 Cropland Policy can be grown on Boulder County Parks & Open Space agricultural land.
- Update to the cropland policy: Incorporate Boulder County direction on any policy changes and streamline language to remove inconsistent or conflicting language and to remove non-policy information from the body of the document.
A virtual meeting link will be posted on the Boulder County Commissioner’s webpage one week before the meeting, according to a county news release.
Public comments will be accepted through Thursday, Oct. 14, midnight, to be included in the Board of County Commissioners and Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee Oct. 19 packet.
