WSP00130

• File Number: 8050.100
• Description: Section D General Statewide Issues - State Policies - General
• State: CO
• Date: 1/1/2002
• Author: Propp,Leeper,Carlson
• Title: Agricultural Water Policy Development - Reference Materials - Agricultural Water Use in Colorado
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Agricultural Water Use in Colorado
Bryan proppl, James Leeperl and Dr. David Carlson~. Colorado Depanment of Agriculture
January. 2002

A Snapshot of Colorado A~riculturt.

. In 1997 there were more than 28.000 farms and r.1nches on 32.6 million acres - 49 percenl of
Colorado's 66.6 million acres of land. 10.5 million acres were cropland (16 percem of Colorado's land
area); irrigated land, including irrigaled pastureland. is 3.4 million acres (5 percent).) Figure 1
displays fedeml and stale land and other non-agricuhural uses with land in ranns.

.
Figure 1
Colorado 1997 Land Use Totals
Total: 66.6 million acres

,
Figure 2
Colorado 1997 Irrigated Farmland by Crop
Total: :].4 million acrAS

other I\JraJ land
developed 8%
Slaleland3"t.. ~L--
,,,-

~

ot/'Ierlandlll
farms
:N cropland
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PasturNnd
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. The market value of crops and li....cstod; in 1997 totaled over $4.5 billion in gross sales ($1.3 billion
in crops and $3.2 billion in Iivcslock)4. Agribusiness (inputs. production. marketing and processing)
represents over 105.000 jobs and genemles over $15.8 billion annually for Colorado's economl.

. In a recent CSU survel. it was found that 80% of the stale's population believes that agriculture is
very important (0 the quality of life in Colorado. This survey also found that 85% of the population
fell mat it was very impon:J.n110 maintain land and water in agricultural production.

Ae:ricultu(l' and Growlh

. Colorado has 1.7 million acres7 of prime agricultural land (a classification for high quality
agricultural land that meets soil composition and slope requirements ideal for food and fiber
production). about 2.5% of the state's total land base. Due to the semi-arid climate oflhe stale. all the
prime agricuhuralland in Colorado must be irrigated.

. Agricultural land is being convened to other uses at a rate of 140.<XX.l acres/year (1987.1997). The
rate of conversion has nearly doubled in the last five years 10 270,000 acres/year (1992-1997). Uses
of this land include urban and built.up land (28JX)() acres/year); open space, parh. and wildlife
habitat; and low density rural home sites and other non-ag uses of rural land.

. Colomdo's currenl population is -tA million. According to the Slate demographer. tilis number is
projected 10 increase 106.5 million in 20!5.

.

. Future patterns of growth will be shaped by the future of agricuhurallands. Land in farms and
ranches accounts for more than 85% of the privately-held undeveloped land in the state.

, Rt:>can"h Ai,l.tant. Cokr.a.do l:kpt of .'*.gnnlltu.re. Rcsoun:c .'*.n;lly~,s Sa:t1OlJ
: Rcsoun.:t Analys.!.. Colorado Ikpt 0( Asri~llltun:. Rcsoula" An;ll~is Secuon
1-1997 Ctows of Aj!:IlculIUTt-, ~;l1l0lLl.1 Agricultural Stall.SLK1 Servlct (uSDA),
''Tradln~ Agri~ultural Land COII>tl"Sion in CoIcndo-. Cokndo lkpl of ....gncllIIUTt. !\;ltunl RC'SOUrct Cun>en',lioo So:rvl,"t' \USDA),
CoknJo A~Cllltural Stallloun xr>ict\USDA). 5q)(cmbcr ~OOO