Cindy Buckhart, president of the Larimer County 4-H Foundation, told the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners on July 8 that the foundation should be "reinstated to the entire use of the Rancho Vinsk complex effective immediately" after she said the foundation was accused by ranch staff of food-policy violations without documentation.

Buckhart said the foundation held a carnival on March 1 and did not receive an allegation of noncompliance until an email from Connor McGrath, director of the ranch, on March 24. "As far as there having been ongoing noncompliance by the foundation, this is a false statement," she said, and added that the foundation had repeatedly requested documentation and received none.

The foundation’s comments alleged inconsistent enforcement, pointing to other events — a county pancake breakfast, a recent 4-H food sale and a chocolate-and-cheese festival — where food was prepared or sold without apparent reprimand. Buckhart asked commissioners whether Larimer County itself would be held to the same requirement that event food be "commercially prepackaged and sourced from licensed distributors," and she questioned whether removing the foundation from ranch facilities was an effort to reduce county costs or otherwise change access.

County officials present said a formal timeline and written correspondence had been provided to the foundation and its board. In response to Buckhart’s request, a commissioner said the board’s "support for 4-H and 4-H Foundation is very important and, in my opinion, unwavering. I don't think we're trying to single out the 4-H Foundation. We're trying to be fair and consistent in terms of policies," but the transcript contains no formal motion or vote on the foundation’s access.

Buckhart also referenced a June 17 email from Lori Cadwich and a prior interim director, Diane Frick, as part of the timeline; she said documentation covering six years showing compliance had been supplied to the county. The transcript also mentions the Thomas McKee Trust in the context of ranch facility use but does not record any county action tied to that entity during the meeting.

The matter was raised during the public-comment portion of the administrative matters meeting; commissioners did not take formal action or direct staff on the record during the session. The foundation’s request for immediate reinstatement therefore remains unresolved in the public record of the July 8 meeting.