Farmers, ranchers face challenging spring
Drought, war, labor costs put pressure on agriculture industry
Coloradans could see less locally produced food on the shelves this year as drought and high costs push farmers and ranchers to scale back their operations.
Some farmers say they’re considering reducing the area of crops they cultivate due to dry conditions brought on by a winter with record-low snowfall.
What’s more, the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts have reduced the availability of farm workers, and the war with Iran has sent fuel and fertilizer costs soaring due to military blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, a major global shipping thoroughfare for those products.
Ranchers are also feeling similar effects. Grazing areas remain too dry for cattle to feed and the price of hay has spiked. Some ranchers are considering selling off part of their herds, since cattle prices remain high at the national level.
Need to Know
🏘️ Residential property owners would be allowed to split their lots in two and build homes on lots as small as 2,000 square feet, under bills that passed the state House earlier this year. While state lawmakers have pushed to make it easier to build denser housing, the proposals have been a harder sell in some cities, like Lakewood, which earlier this month rejected a plan for increased housing density. (Colorado Sun, read the lot-splitting bill, read the lot size bill)
💊 Colleges and universities in Colorado would have to provide students with access to abortion medication under a bill that advanced in the state legislature last week. The proposal would add to abortion protections that Colorado voters approved in 2024, following a Supreme Court decision that allowed states – including Colorado’s neighbors Texas, Oklahoma and Utah – to ban abortions. (KUNC, read the bill)
🧐 Complaints about abusive management and millions of dollars in payouts to former staff at the Department of Human Services led the state to hire independent investigators. Their probe is likely to focus on the social services agency’s deputy executive director for operations and strategy, Katy Morrison, who reportedly described her management style as “slap and tickle.” The human services agency is the state’s second-largest after the prison system, employing about 5,000 workers. (Denver Post)
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Something Good
🔔 I got dinner last night from the Taste of Philly in Lakewood. If you’re like me, and you like cheesesteaks but have zero interest in actually going to Philadelphia, this place is perfect. They have locations across Colorado, and I highly recommend their locally inspired green chile philly.