‘Big Four’ anchor Colorado’s agricultural crops

Hay, corn, wheat and potatoes consistently rank in the top four of Colorado’s chief field crops, accounting for about 90 percent of the production value of all state crops, a list that includes barley, dry edible beans, proso millet, sunflowers, grain and silage sorghum and oats.

The combined production value of all Colorado crops in 2003 was estimated at $1.18 billion, according to the 2004 crop review published by the state agricultural statistics service. In 2003, Colorado’s top four crops accounted for 92.2 percent – $1.08 billion – of that total value.

Weather and climate, markets and consumer demand and changing farm…