AG-25-01; Ag Sustainability Guiding Principles

WHEREAS agriculture provides significant economic benefit to the Western Slope, and serves as a crucial cornerstone for wildlife habitat and open space preservation, and thus the quality of life, which all Coloradans value, and;

WHEREAS our farmers and ranchers use sustainable production practices to produce food and fiber and provide vital wildlife habitat while supporting healthy landscapes; and

WHEREAS our Agriculture lands rely on a vibrant, thriving environment with healthy soil and sustainable water supply including protected agricultural water rights; and

WHEREAS like neighborhoods and urban corridors, agricultural production depends the responsible use of water and embracing sustainable practices to ensure the longevity of the agriculture community and the economic well-being of our larger communities; and

WHEREAS the rate of land conversion from working landscapes to residential and other developments has become a crisis on the Western Slope, threatening to destroy the rural ambiance and lifestyle of many communities, and

WHEREAS the impact of such development has a serious economic impact and makes it increasingly difficult for low to middle-income workers to afford to live and raise families on the Western Slope; and

WHEREAS preserving open space which have been devised through conservation easements, transferable development rights, and tax credits are important and useful, but are only partial solutions and can’t generate enough money to save all Western Colorado's open space;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that

• Club 20 shall educate and advocate for agriculture sustainability that is economically feasible and incorporates the best management practices pertinent to each producer / grower sector; and;

• Club 20 defends profitable Colorado agriculture as an environmentally beneficial way to permanently preserve open space: and

• Club 20 opposes actions which interfere with agricultural production and diminish property value, including but not limited to restrictive laws, regulations, taxes, and the use of eminent domain; and

• Club 20 supports alternative approaches to ascertain market valuation of conservation easements that recognizes their ecological services value in the landscape where traditional reliance on housing subdivision value is inappropriate

• Club 20 urges that all ag related legislation including rules and regulations should include evaluation on cumulative effects and should consider mitigation measures to assure ag sustainability; and

• Club 20 supports programs for voluntary preservation of agricultural land in exchange for financial incentives, including conservation easements, transferable development rights, and other such programs; and

• Club 20 encourages the counties of Western Colorado to consider the option of various state and local zoning tools, all while respecting private property rights, to create the most appropriate tool for specific areas; 

• Club 20 believes that state and federal income tax credits should be extended to businesses whose activities protect agricultural lands and productivity, including the availability of such credits for easements of a limited time; and

• Club 20 supports voluntary agricultural enterprise zones so long as all affected property owners and the affected county government agree to the district's creation.

• Club 20 believes that a reliable, adequate, and sustainable water supply is crucial to successful ag operations across all of Colorado.

Adopted 9/5/2025

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