Press Release

To strengthen local food systems and create greater supply chain resilience, the Colorado Department of Agriculture will distribute grant funding to be used for agricultural processing projects. Up to $2 million will be awarded through a competitive Farm-to-Market Infrastructure Grant Program to help farmers, ranchers, food processors and manufacturers improve local food systems and drive the development and expansion of agricultural value-added projects. 

Starting today, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will begin accepting applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), a federal grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This application period is in addition to the annual application period that opens in December. CDA has approximately $900,000.00 in stimulus funds to award through this application process.

Applications are now open to Colorado farmers, ranchers, and food businesses looking to show they’re Colorado Proud. The Colorado Proud Marketing and Technical Assistance grant program will award competitive grants to Colorado food and agricultural producers who are looking to broaden their reach and expand into new sales channels.  

Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Kate Greenberg issued the following statement after a visit from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to Colorado. During the visit, the Secretary announced a $3 billion investment into agriculture, animal disease prevention, and nutrition, and announced a new partnership initiative for climate smart agricultural and forestry programs. 

The total number of horses in Colorado with confirmed West Nile Virus (WNV) cases has risen to 21, with a first case of equine WNV confirmed in Mesa County. Additional horses in Weld, Larimer, Morgan, and Douglas counties have also tested positive for WNV. Of the confirmed positive cases, five horses have died or have been euthanized.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) partnered with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to study ways of improving energy efficiency in agricultural settings.

September brings us to the cusp of fall, so the Colorado Proud Recipe of the month is bringing a warm and savory classic. We are taking the world famous Pueblo Green Chile and adding it to a corn bread to complement your main entree.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce Dr. Morgan McCarty has been selected as the Assistant State Veterinarian for the State of Colorado. 

In the role, Dr. McCarty will focus on disease response activities, overall management of division activities, and supporting Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin and the mission of the Animal Health Division. 

 The Colorado State Fair has released a new Master Plan that outlines a compelling vision for the fair and historic state fairgrounds. The Master Plan identifies a suite of capital investment projects for the Colorado State Fair, which are important for advancing State Fair goals 

Since the index case of the equine West Nile Virus (WNV) was identified in Colorado on July 30, 2021, horses from multiple Colorado counties have tested positive for WNV. Four additional horses in Weld County, three horses in Adams County, two horses in Boulder County and one horse each in Elbert, Otero, Morgan, and Fremont counties have tested positive for WNV. This brings the total test positive cases in 2021 to fourteen.