New online resource compiles public records, published reports, and video documenting the Colorado congressional candidate’s history of animal-rights and environmental activism
GREELEY, Colo. — AGPROfessionals, an agricultural development and advocacy firm serving farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses across the United States, has launched a new online information resource examining Colorado State Rep. Manny Rutinel’s history of statements and activities involving animal agriculture, animal rights, and environmental policy.
The resource, “Facts About Manny Rutinel,” brings together articles, public records, published reporting, and video clips from interviews and panel discussions to provide agricultural producers and the public with information about positions Rutinel has taken during his academic, professional, activist, and political career.
Rutinel is a candidate for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, an area that includes a significant portion of Weld County and some of Colorado’s most important livestock, dairy, and agricultural operations.
Publicly available records document Rutinel’s longstanding involvement in animal law and environmental issues. Yale Law School identifies Rutinel as having focused on Animal and Environmental Law while earning his law degree. Yale also documents his previous work as a summer law clerk with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, a research assistant with the Harvard Animal Law and Policy Program and an intern in the Farm Animal Protection division of the Humane Society of the United States.
While at Yale, Rutinel participated in research proposing the use of carbon-offset credits to financially incentivize farmers to transition from animal agriculture to plant agriculture. In a 2021 Yale Law School interview discussing that work, Rutinel criticized animal agriculture and described the proposed transition as a means of reducing agricultural emissions.
His activities involving animal-rights issues continued beyond law school. The University of Denver’s Animal Law Program identifies Rutinel as a guest lecturer in an Animal Rights Law course during the 2023-2024 academic year. The program’s annual report states that students in the course studied animal-rights and animal-welfare approaches and ultimately drafted proposed animal law legislation for presentation to Colorado legislators.
Published reporting has also documented earlier statements by Rutinel regarding meat and dairy production. The Colorado Sun reported in 2025 and 2026 on Rutinel’s past animal-rights activism, including his advocacy for shifting food production toward plant-based foods, past criticism of animal agriculture, and since-deleted social-media posts discussing a future “animal liberation” amendment.
Rutinel has since told The Colorado Sun that some of his earlier views are nuanced.
AGPROfessionals believes both the documented history and Rutinel’s current statements are relevant information for agricultural producers and voters evaluating candidates seeking to represent one of Colorado’s most agriculturally significant congressional districts.
“Agricultural producers deserve the opportunity to see the complete record and evaluate it for themselves,” said Karen Gerfen Glueck, Vice President of Communications and Strategic Planning for AGPROfessionals. “Our purpose with this resource is to bring publicly available information into one place, including original video, public records, published reporting, and statements, so farmers, ranchers, and other interested citizens can review the information and draw their own conclusions.”
The Facts About Manny Rutinel webpage will serve as an information hub, with articles as well as video clips from interviews, presentations and panel discussions. AGPROfessionals plans to update the resource as additional relevant public information becomes available.
The resource is available at:
https://www.agpros.com/facts-about-manny-rutinel
About AGPROfessionals
AGPROfessionals is an outcome-focused agricultural development and advocacy company providing a broad spectrum of services to farmers, ranchers, investors and agricultural businesses across the United States. Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, AGPROfessionals provides expertise in agricultural development, engineering, environmental consulting, planning, agronomy, surveying, real estate, communications and agricultural advocacy.
For more information, visit AGPROfessionals.com.
