AG-26-1: Ag Economic Sustainability Guiding Principles

WHEREAS Colorado has become the 6^th most regulated state in the country and many have intentionally or unintentionally targeted ag production;

WHEREAS drought and water shortages in the past 20 years have added costly and unsustainable costs to manage ag irrigation water;

WHEREAS labor shortages and Colorado specific laws directed at H2A ag workers can be become obstacles to farm economies by adding costs such as ag labor overtime rules, laws regarding work in ‘extreme temperatures, and rising costs to enhance farm labor housing;

WHEREAS steadily increasing input costs – fertilizer, insurance, equipment, pesticides, fuel, seeds, freight costs etc. are rising faster than farm incomes;

WHEREAS land values continue to increase which adds pressure to sell farmland leading to prohibitive price points for new ag producers;

WHEREAS there are growing risks to diversified off-farm income due to new laws elevating protections for a multitude of species (ex.wolves, wolverines, beavers, furbearers) and growing efforts to increase animal care requirements (cage free chickens), and to eliminate cost effective ag product processing:

WHEREAS economic pressures add mental health concerns to multi-generational farm and ranchers and adds uncertainty for important successional planning that promotes long term agriculture;

WHEREAS the shear breadth of agriculture challenges pose similar risks to the Western Slope quality of life that is grounded in amazing viewsheds, open space, habitat for wildlife and diverse ecosytems;

WHEREAS even outdoor recreation can add costs and impacts to farming and wildlife dependent on ag lands for winter range and survival;

WHEREAS when only 2% of the population is actively engaged in agriculture, more community outreach and education is essential to understand the cost of more regulation to protect food security;

WHEREAS recent legislation creates more advisory groups, while political process changes commission character leading to undermining ag input because ag ‘subject matter experts’ become one among many diverse stakeholders and special interests;

WHEREAS there is little state level recognition of the negative cumulative economic effects on long term agriculture economic profitability and facts about declining ag competitiveness among less regulated states;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that

Club 20 asserts that policy decisions shall be based on law, science, and established standards rather than on ideological pressure:

Club 20 believes that further micromanaging legislation have costs that can be detrimental to the entire agriculture economy on western slope counties;

Club 20 supports fiscal analysis of all new policies and regulations relative to ag economic sustainability;

Club 20 supports concepts that compensate for excess regulatory costs such as access to capital, farming incentives;

Club 20 advises that international free trade agreements, tariffs, and farm bill policies can be exponentially damaging to states under heavy regulatory control;

Club 20 believes that assessment of the cumulative effect of all policies and regulations are of critical importance to long term food security and stability of an agricultural economy and is a significant sector of Colorado economy;

Replaced:

 AG-96-3          Tax Classification, Agricultural Property

AG-96-2 Taxes on Farmland, Inheritance and Estate

AG-06-8 Weight Restriction Over the Road, Exempting Livestock From

AG 18-1 Industrial Hemp in Colorado

AG 03-2 Maintaining Competitive Agriculture Markets

AG-06-4 Colorado Agriculture Products Promotion

AG-05-2 International Free Trade Agreements

AG-96-3          Tax Classification, Agricultural Property

AG-96-2 Taxes on Farmland, Inheritance and Estate

AG-06-8 Weight Restriction Over the Road, Exempting Livestock From

AG 18-1 Industrial Hemp in Colorado

AG 03-2 Maintaining Competitive Agriculture Markets

AG-06-4 Colorado Agriculture Products PromotionAG-05-2 International Free Trade Agreements

Adopted 04/17/2026