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How Colorado’s first agriculture-focused charter school is giving students tools for life
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Local, The Colorado Sun

How Colorado’s first agriculture-focused charter school is giving students tools for life

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun The last thing the rancher from Arkansas wandering through the cattle barn at the National Western Stock Show thought he’d encounter was the group of kids surrounding him dressed in the un-ranchiest clothing. You could see it in his face.  So it took a minute for 10th grader Kailey Seymour, in a flannel, jeans and sneakers, to gather the courage to ask if he’d let them interview him while her classmate Gianni Montoya, in a fuzzy black-and-white Raiders poncho that grazed his knees, recorded the conversation on a phone.  Lucky for them — Philip Moon of Moon Herefords in Harrison, Arkansas — obliged. He listened to Seymour’s question — Do you sell your cattle at stock shows? — and gave a thoughtful answer. He said he raises cow-ca...
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Beef industry should enjoy profitable 2025, analyst tells Farm Show audience
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Akron News-Reporter, Local

Beef industry should enjoy profitable 2025, analyst tells Farm Show audience

By Jeff Rice | Akron News Reporter Don’t look for retail beef prices to come down any time soon. That was part of the message from an industry expert Tuesday at the Colorado Farm Show in Greeley. Tyler Cozzens, an economist for Livestock Marketing Information Center in Lakewood, told a small crowd of about 70 people that cattle prices finished strong in 2024 and look to remain strong throughout the coming year. That translates into higher prices in the local supermarket. “Retail beef prices will stay high, but demand is very strong,” Cozzens said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE AKRON NEWS REPORTER
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Colorado Farm Show is Jan. 28-30 at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley
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Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

Colorado Farm Show is Jan. 28-30 at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice A winter rite of passage in agriculture returns this week, as the Colorado Farm Show takes place at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley. The three-day exhibition of farm and ranch equipment, vendors, exhibits, seminars and more takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, and Wednesday, Jan. 29, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. Admission is free. A $5 fee for parking assists in funding of youth agricultural scholarships. Read the full schedule of events HERE. See the list of scholarship recipients HERE. See exhibitor maps HERE. See the Greeley Tribune's Farm Show Guide HERE.
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Gaines: The people doing ag in this state need to speak up for each other
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Colorado Accountability Project, Commentary

Gaines: The people doing ag in this state need to speak up for each other

By Cory Gaines | Guest Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Whether you run cattle on the Western Slope of Colorado or you grow forage on the Plains, there are precious few people in Colorado in Production Ag, while there seems a never-ending list of advocates — paid, volunteer, and sometimes from out of state — who are speaking up in support of things that either have the potential to harm producers or that will most assuredly harm them. Listen to any CPW commissioners meeting and you’ll have no trouble at all seeing what I mean. I have heard from people in the past that testifying is a challenge because of jobs, lack of technology, and lack of know how. I understand the constraints and so I made this quick guide to help ease some of those problems, to help you find ways t...
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The reaction of ag-related groups following the election of Donald Trump
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National, thefencepost.com

The reaction of ag-related groups following the election of Donald Trump

By Hagstrom Report  | The Fence Post Several agriculture-related groups today congratulated President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance and made comments about their priorities for the next administration. American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall congratulated Trump and all the senators and House members elected. “Now that the American people have spoken, it’s time to put politics aside and begin the work of ensuring families nationwide can prosper,” Duvall said. “Among the most pressing issues in rural America is the need for a new, modernized farm bill. The two-year delay is unacceptable. The new administration must also address the impending tax hikes, which would crush many of America’s farmers and ranchers when stacked on top of inflation, high supply c...
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Amid acreage transition to solar farming, could Weld County lose its agricultural base?
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BizWest, Local

Amid acreage transition to solar farming, could Weld County lose its agricultural base?

By Sharon Dunn | BizWest Magnum Feedyards has operated for more than 30 years in eastern Weld County. The main line of business is growing feed and feeding cattle for market. Owner Steve Gabel started with 5,500 head in 1994, and he has gradually increased that to 35,000 head and 10,000 acres of land. But today, he’s planning to turn 4,300 of those acres into a new use — solar farming. If approved, it would be the largest solar array in Weld County to date. He’s not retiring — on the contrary, as a businessman, Gabel is looking to get the highest and best use out of all of his property. READ THE FULL STORY AT BIZWEST
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In order to help farmers survive drought, pests and market changes, improving the soil may be key
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State, The Colorado Sun

In order to help farmers survive drought, pests and market changes, improving the soil may be key

By Shannon Mullane | The Colorado Sun In southwestern Colorado, Greg Vlaming crouched down to look at dying remains of an oat crop baking under the July sun. It wasn’t just a dead plant — it was armor, he said.  “This minimizes wind erosion and surface runoff,” said Vlaming, a soil scientist, consultant and farmer. “Water can’t run off on something that’s like this.” Vlaming is working alongside the state, researchers, farmers and ranchers on a newly expanded soil health program established by the Colorado legislature in 2021. The goal of the program is to nurture soils in order to reap rewards — like more efficient irrigation, more carbon storage and healthier crops.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Grasshopper infestation in Colorado is among worst in recent history. What are people doing about it?
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State, The Colorado Sun

Grasshopper infestation in Colorado is among worst in recent history. What are people doing about it?

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun It was as if Doug Bay’s wish had come true, the day the doves landed. Bay, who grows alfalfa and a bit of corn and sorghum in Otero County, had been eyeing the 3 acres of fresh green shoots for days, worrying they were about to be destroyed by the swarms of crop-munching grasshoppers that were bouncing all over his farm.  He was holding out hope that he wouldn’t have to spray pesticide to save his alfalfa crop from the destructive insects, which are vexing farmers and gardeners from Denver to the plains this summer. Bay almost called the local crop duster, but he put it off. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Rep. Holtorf offers cattle class 101 to ‘city slickers’ in special session tax discussion
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Rep. Holtorf offers cattle class 101 to ‘city slickers’ in special session tax discussion

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice What is the impact of rising taxation on a cattle ranch or agricultural operation? That's what Eastern Colorado rancher Richard Holtorf asked what he termed "city slickers" in the Colorado Legislature to consider Tuesday as he offered a master's class in the costly prospects of cattle-raising, while perhaps straying from the topic at hand. "To run cattle, you have to have grassland," Rep. Holtorf said. "To have grassland, you have to own or lease grassland. There is a property tax element to that." In Eastern Colorado where Holtorf ranches, many cattle raisers and agriculture producers work on 640-acre "sections" of land or larger. The land is dry and most cattle raisers restrict grazing to no more than a head per 15 acres, or supplement w...
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Retired brand commissioner, Chris Whitney, honored for his service to industry
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State, thefencepost.com

Retired brand commissioner, Chris Whitney, honored for his service to industry

By Rachel Gabel   | The Fence Post Recently retired Colorado Brand Commissioner Chris Whitney was honored for his service to the state’s livestock industry by the Colorado Livestock Association at their recent meeting in Black Hawk. In a statement, CLA said Whitney has exemplified a profound understanding of the intricate balance between producers, sustainability, good business practices and animal stewardship. Whitney jokes that how he became the commissioner is a bit of a mystery to him. He grew up on the Walking Horse Ranch in Ridgway, Colo., a Western Slope Hereford operation but after graduation, found himself in Vietnam in the Air Force. “I’ve been so lucky in my life, it’s just disgusting,” he said. “When I was in college, I took undergraduate and graduate degrees in Russia...
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