State budget

Today, Governor Polis signed the Long Bill, sponsored by the Joint Budget Committee, which commits significant investments into programs and staff supporting agriculture across Colorado.

The state budget for Fiscal Year 2024/2025 includes a 13 percent increase in funding to the Department of Agriculture, to build out and add support to existing programs that are working to improve the agricultural industry in our state. Funding included in the Long Bill will support farmer-driven conservation efforts, emergency preparedness, renewable energy adaptation, and more.

Range riders are boots-on-the-ground support to livestock producers to help protect herds from wolves

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Department of Agriculture (CDA) provided information today on range riders and budget proposals to the state legislature to assist ranchers and livestock owners. CDA and CPW are working on a plan to get on-the-ground assistance within the next two weeks with range riders.

In today’s State Budget Proposal, Governor Polis presents a vision for meaningful investment into Colorado agriculture to best benefit the state’s vibrant and diverse agricultural communities.

Building on the one-time funding of state and federal stimulus programs, the Governor’s proposal for the FY 2024-25 budget makes ongoing, strategic investments into supporting Colorado’s producers by meeting immediate needs, addressing emerging challenges, and positioning Colorado as an agricultural leader into the future.

Several state agencies will implement policies to slash greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, protect our natural and agricultural lands, and make the state more resilient 

Governor Polis recently signed into law a series of bills passed by the Colorado legislature that build on the state’s commitment to an equitable transition to a low-carbon economy through robust policies and targeted funding. 

As Colorado legislators finalize the content of the state budget, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is praising lawmakers for their support of Governor Polis’s key budget requests that support agricultural communities across our state through passage of the state’s Long Bill. 

In his Fiscal Year 2023/2024 budget proposal, Governor Polis included funding for a number of key priorities for the Department of Agriculture and Colorado’s agricultural industry.

Colorado’s 2022 legislative session saw the most bills introduced (717) in the past five years and the fewest bills passed (275) during a regular session since at least 2010. Yet from this relatively small number of bills, the Colorado Department of Agriculture will see significant impacts on our budget and our ability to support our state’s agricultural communities. 

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) joined together in strong support of $15,000,000 “high impact” stimulus funds in Governor Polis’ FY 2022-2023 budget to preserve agriculture, meet interstate river compact obligations, and reduce rural economic impacts in the Republican and Rio Grande River basins .