Colorado Department of Agriculture

The Colorado Department of Agriculture strives to better the lives of those who are involved in agriculture. You needn’t be a farmer or rancher to benefit from the resources this Department provides. In fact, if you’ve ever bought groceries, adopted a dog, or fertilized your lawn, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has served you. Under the leadership of the Commissioner’s Office, CDA is divided into seven divisions: Animal Health, Brand Inspection, Colorado State Fair, Conservation Services, Inspection & Consumer Services, Markets, and Plant Industry; each one playing an important role in agriculture.

Colorado’s diverse agricultural and food industry contributes significantly to the state’s economy generating economic activity in the range of $40 billion annually including purchases of crop inputs, feed, livestock and equipment; rents paid and expenses for labor and custom hire; cash receipts from sales of crops and livestock; and value-added thru processing. Colorado agriculture supports more than 170,000 jobs and is home to some of the nation’s leading processed foods companies. Colorado ranks first in the country for the production of proso millet and in the top ten in approximately 20 other commodities including cattle and calves, winter wheat, market sheep and lambs, wool production, alfalfa, potatoes, onions, apples, peaches, grapes and melons.

Three of every four Colorado residents believe agriculture is important to the quality of life in the state. One out of three rank agriculture as the most important economic sector in Colorado, followed by tourism and high tech .