Press Release

The Colorado State Conservation Board (CSCB) is pleased to announce $460,029 has been granted to 24 Colorado Conservation Districts through the Matching Grant program, funding 26 contracted projects. The CSCB, supported by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, provides professional development, organizational development, and conservation programs to assist Colorado’s 74 Conservation Districts in leading grassroots environmental and agricultural stewardship. 

Colorado is well known worldwide for its high-quality lamb, ranking third in the nation for sheep and lamb production, with over 445,000 raised statewide. Colorado lamb comes from various sheep breeds raised primarily in free-ranging pastures, grazing throughout the summer and fall, and many in the meadows and fields of the High Country.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is excited to welcome Taylor Peterson as the Investigations Coordinator with the Bureau of Animal Protection (BAP) team. The mission of the BAP program is to prevent the neglect, mistreatment, and abuse of animals in Colorado. Peterson will work closely with the BAP Program Manager as well as local law enforcement, the livestock community, veterinarians and nonprofit organizations across Colorado to ensure complaints submitted to the BAP are handled within the process established by law. 

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Please join us for an update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) from the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office and the CSU Avian Health Team. 

HPAI Webinar for Backyard and Exhibition Poultry Producers
Wednesday April 6, 2022
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Topics covered will include:

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), in conjunction with United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in wild Snow and Ross's geese in Sedgwick County, Colorado.  These birds were collected by Colorado Parks and Wildlife on March 17, 2022 after finding several sick and dead geese at Jumbo Reservoir.  The birds were necropsied at the CPW Wildlife Health Laboratory and samples were submitted to t

Enhancing salads with millet makes a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal.  Millet is a grain that thrives in Colorado. Often overlooked in other states, this tiny seed makes a big impact on our economy.

In the first confirmed case since 2020, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in a commercial turkey flock in Indiana on February 8, 2022. Since then, HPAI has been detected in commercial poultry in Kentucky and backyard birds in Virginia. HPAI has also been detected in wild birds across many eastern and southeastern states as part of USDA’s routine surveillance program. There are currently no cases of HPAI in Colorado. 

Big Thompson Conservation District and Fort Collins Conservation District will join forces to meet the natural resources conservation needs of landowners within their boundaries in Larimer and Weld Counties.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce Dr. Rebecca Niemiec as the Manager of the Bureau of Animal Protection (BAP) program. The mission of the BAP program is to prevent the neglect, mistreatment, and abuse of animals in Colorado. Dr. Niemiec is a social scientist, whose work and research have focused on the relationships between humans and animals as well as enhancing community engagement in environmental stewardship.

You’ve had them baked, mashed, and fried, but have you ever had them street style? Potatoes are a meal time staple and their versatility, diverse flavors, and nutritional value mean they can easily become a star of any meal. Potatoes contain many essential nutrients including potassium, vitamin C, fiber, B6, iron, magnesium, fiber, and antioxidants.