How important is agriculture to Colorado’s overall well-being?

It accounts for about $47 billion a year of our state’s economy, directly or indirectly employing at least 195,000 people. The livestock sector alone — especially ranchers and their cattle — contributes $9 billion of that total. The tens of thousands of farms and ranches in our state rank it among the top 10 producers of cattle, sheep, wool, potatoes and assorted fruits. 

Colorado also happens to be the nation’s No. 1 producer of proso millet. The name may be obscure to urban and suburban Front Range residents, but the crop is in fact a staple of their diet. It’s a nutrient-rich, gluten-free grain used in everything from health foods to baked goods. 

Yes, even in the Digital Age of the 21st century, in the midst of the AI revolution and on the cusp of quantum technology — agriculture remains a cornerstone of Colorado’s economy and a linchpin for the state’s vitality. 

And, of course, it feeds all of us our breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So it’s no surprise ag plays a particularly vital role in the many communities of Colorado’s vast Western Slope, as noted in a report this week in The Gazette about a new study of five key agricultural Western Slope counties. The Western Slope Agriculture Report, produced by Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction and the Business Incubator Center, concluded, among other things, that agriculture supports more than 9,000 jobs, contributes $287.1 million to regional GDP and generates over $719 million in total economic output.

The Western Slope’s farms and ranches also have proven themselves innovative and entrepreneurial, tapping into Colorado’s substantial tourism trade, the study found. Well over half of the region’s agricultural producers have diversified by engaging in agri-tourism, direct-to-consumer sales and outfitting.

At the same time, the report revealed some of the vulnerabilities of the ag sector on the Western Slope, mirroring challenges facing agriculture statewide and nationally. Some of those challenges are perennial, like the ever-present risk of drought in semi-arid Colorado; 8% of the farms and ranches studied reported being directly affected by drought. Another perennial challenge is demographics. Notably, farmers and ranchers are aging, and there too often is no next generation to step in. The report found 35%-44% of ag producers are over age 65, and less than 8% are under 35.

In other words, agriculture as an economic force is formidable, dynamic — and as essential as the food in produces. But it’s also fragile and susceptible to a number of threats.

All of which serves as a potent reminder for our state and federal elected leaders to proceed thoughtfully and tread lightly in making public policy affecting agriculture. 

Federal policymaking on the likes of grazing fees, or on tariffs and other import-export policies, can benefit or backfire on family farms and ranches whose profit margin is always slim. 

State policies — especially when orchestrated by narrow special interests seeking to persuade voters or lobby legislators — can undermine the precarious ag economy, as well. Consider the disastrous “ballot-box biology” in 2020 that imposed wolf reintroduction; it predictably turned into an assault on Colorado’s cattle herds. Or, legislation signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis in 2021, micromanaging pay and labor relations for agricultural workers. It was an epic display of the legislature’s gross ignorance of Ag Economics 101.

In other words, let’s not bite the hand that literally feeds us — and that creates so much of our state’s prosperity.