When you think of Colorado agriculture, cattle ranching might be the first thing to come to mind, but we’re home to a sweet industry as well: sugarbeets. As a fourth-generation sugarbeet farmer whose family has grown sugarbeets in Colorado for more than 100 years, I know just how important sugar production is to Colorado.

That’s why I recently joined more than 75 other sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers from across the country to meet with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and ask Congress to pass a farm bill that includes a strong U.S. sugar policy.

Merlyn ‘BJ’ Fred Becker Jr.

September 2, 1990 - April 26, 2024

Graveside funeral services will be held May 9, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Fairview Cemetery in Cheyenne Wells. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Merlyn Becker Memorial Fund in care of any Eastern Colorado Bank location.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brown Funeral Home.

On April 8, 2024, the Cheyenne County 4-H council held a meeting in the Kit Carson School’s flex area. There were 12 youth present: five members from Happy Go Lucky, five from Sand Creek, and two from Old Wells. The meeting was called to order at 6:39 p.m. Rock-paper-scissors games were played as a Spark activity. Spark activities are played to move people around, so they sit by a new person each meeting. The pledge of allegiance was led by Kenzie Brossman, and the 4-H pledge was led by Kendra Wendt.