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1659 Farm Dependent and Farm Important Counties Farm dependent counties are counties that receive 20 percent or more of their labor and proprietor income from farming and ranching (the farm production sector). In 1987. 17 Colorado counties met this criterion. Farm important counties are counties that receive 10 to 20 percent of total labor and proprietor income from the farm production sector. Eleven counties met this criterion. Thus. 28 of the 63 counties in Colorado are classified as either farm dependent or farm important counties. In these counties. farming and ranching is either the major eco- nomic sector or one of the primary sectors. For example. in the farm dependent counties. the farm and food system provided 58 percent of the total labor and proprietor income and accounted for 64 percent of the employment. Total economic activity. income and employment in these counties all mirror the economic well-being of farming and ranching. Agribusiness Dependent and Important Counties, 1987 . AglibusinessDependent ~ Ag,ibuslnesslmportant cs:3 OlharNonmelro Farm Dependent and Important Counties, 1987 _ Farm Dapendent ~ Farm Important [s:J Other Nonmetro Agribusiness Dependent and Important Counties The significance of agriculture to local economies also can be indicated by identifying the relative importance of agri- business income in each county. In 1987. Colorado had 22 agribusiness dependent counties - those receiving more than 20 percent of total labor and proprietor income from agribusiness activities. Eleven more agribusiness important counties received between 10 percent and 20 percent of their income from agribusiness. Thus. over half of the counties in Colorado are agribusi- ness dependent or agribusiness important. The business of agriculture is the major source of economic activity in these counties. Policies to promote stability and develop- ment within agriculture are important to their economic health. Front Range vs. Rest of State Agribusiness is an important component of the economic fabric of the 13-county Front Range, as well as rural Colorado. Weld County is the only Front Range county that is agribusiness important. according to the definition above. Neverthe- less, the Front Range accounts for more agribusiness jobs and income than the rest of the state. In 1987, total labor and proprietor income from agribusiness was $1 billion in the Front Range and $793 million for the rest of the state. For that year, the Front Range accounted for 48.000 agribusiness jobs, while the remainder of the state accounted for 31,300 such jobs.