County faces 21st century

Farmers, ranchers: Endangered species?

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

What will Front Range agriculture look like in another 10 years? "The biggest crop will be houses," said Gary Simpson, third generation farmer and president of the North Poudre Irrigation Co.

In 1997, only 510 families in Larimer County listed ag production as their principal occupation, and Simpson is sure that number will decline further in the future.

"We've got to admit that this a desert," he said, "so it's an uphill battle. We're trying to compete with areas like the Midwest that don't require irrigation."

Don LeFever, part-time rancher and retired animal science professor, agrees that agriculture's future in this area is not rosy. He points to the high cost of both land and water as the principal culprits. "Young people can't afford to buy land for cattle or farming," he commented, "and water has become even more valuable than land." The current drought, he added, has brought agricultural issues to a head and will force many out of the business.

"The profit from ranching is very low," LeFever pointed out. In the past 20 years, his income has not increased, but costs have risen dramatically. "Cheap food hurts agriculture," he noted.

Other challenges to agriculture include neighbor complaints about hog farms and dairies, environmental pressures such as protecting endangered species and the desire to introduce wild animals such as lynx and wolves.

LeFever thinks the future will bring more part-time producers with smaller herds, people who enjoy raising livestock but make their living elsewhere. "It's just a gradual change," he said, "and not all bad. People are making their living in different ways."

Many conditions have changed in the past 50 years, Simpson noted, to the detriment of agriculture. For one, transportation is more efficient, so food does not have to be raised close to those who consume it. That means local farmers are competing with Midwest growers - not to mention those in Chile and Argentina - for their markets.

For those who do stay in farming, Simpson predicts that high-value crops such as vegetables will be the norm. However, these crops also require more water, creating a Catch-22 situation.

Making more efficient use of water is already a trend among farmers, one that is sure to continue. Simpson sees more sprinklers on the horizon, replacing flood irrigation, and even underground drip irrigation is beginning to catch on. Fagerberg Produce near Eaton is on the leading edge of that trend, Simpson said. "It's very expensive," he commented, "but it's more efficient and raises better crops, since the water goes into the root zone and isn't lost to evaporation."

More and more young farmers will leave the state to continue in agriculture, Simpson predicts. "There are better places to farm than in a desert," he said.

"The cards are stacked against us," Simpson added. "We hang on because we love to farm, and it's the way we were raised."