Census says Colorado farming growing occupation

Farming and ranching are apparently hanging on as viable occupations in the state, according to data released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its 2007 Census of Agriculture.

The number of farms in Colorado grew by almost 5,700 operations between 2002 and 2007, an 18 percent increase over the five-year period. In the face of fairly intense residential development during the period – at least along the Front Range – the amount of land in farming operations still rose 2 percent across the state from 31.09 million acres to 31.6 million acres, or about half a million new acres.

At the same time, however, the census showed the average size of a Colorado farm decreasing from 991 acres in 2002 to 853 acres in 2007.

John Stulp, Colorado’s agriculture commissioner, said the census findings were mostly consistent with his expectations. “The development pressure may actually be part of the reason for that upturn in the (farm) numbers with more people investing in 35-acre parcels,” he said.

Stulp said he’s a little mystified by the half-million-acre jump in farm land in the state. “If that’s new farm ground, that’s a little bit of a mystery to me,” he said.

Stulp said part of the explanation might lie in an increase in organic farming in recent years and the fact that the USDA includes farming operations with less than $1,000 in annual sales – represented by 14,235 such operations – in its farm land tallies.

The market value of farm and ranch production rose by 34 percent in Colorado during the 2002-07 period, rising from $4.53 billion to $6.1 billion. Crop sales during the period rose by 33 percent while livestock sales rose 67 percent, according to the census.

The average market value of production per farm in Colorado rose from $144,257 in 2002 to $163,576 in 2007 – a 13 percent increase over five years.

Stulp said the $20,000 increase over the period was “probably a combination” of increased demand for crops and meat and higher prices paid to farmers and ranchers for those commodities.

“Prices for crops like wheat and corn have certainly improved since 2002, and the price of livestock has been going up by healthy margins,” he said.

However, Stulp noted that the recent drop in the price of oil and lower gas prices has hurt the corn ethanol industry and the worldwide economic downturn is likely to dampen demand for U.S. meat and crops in the foreseeable future.

Fewer mid-size farms

Nationally, the census showed a net increase of 75,810 new farms between 2002-07 and a trend toward smaller or very large farms with declining numbers of mid-size operations.

Census data for Larimer and Weld counties mirrored that seen at the state and national levels. Larimer County saw 193 more farms during the five-year period while Weld County reported an additional 800 – a 26 percent increase.

The average farm size decreased in both counties, from 334 acres to 279 acres in Larimer County and from 581 acres to 533 acres in Weld. The average market value of production in Larimer County rose from $64,640 to $72,921 and from $361,376 to $392,520 in Weld County.

Government subsidy payments increased an average 25 percent in Larimer County, from $4,029 to $5,050, but declined by 11 percent, from $11,168 to $9,963, in Weld County.

The average age of the primary farm operator in Colorado jumped from 54.5 in 2002 to 57 years in 2007. The average age was slightly lower in Weld County (55.7) and Larimer County (56).

Stulp said the aging of the state’s farm population is a concern. “It underscores the fact that the younger generation is not coming back to the operation to keep the average down,” he said.

Stulp said the future of farming in Colorado remains generally encouraging, with a growing demand both domestically and internationally for food and expanding markets for alternative energy products. But like every other economic sector agriculture is bound to suffer some in the ongoing downturn.

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