ranching

The Fetcher ranch in northwest Colorado is on the frontlines this year of record-low snowpack across the West. It's adding a sense of urgency among seven states to finalize a plan for how to conserve the dwindling Colorado River.

State funding supports weed control efforts to protect farms, habitat and water.

Facing the prospect of a pause in additional wolves, wolf advocates say Colorado should add new protections for its existing population of less than 50 wolves.

Farm News & Views examines USDA staffing losses, rising production costs, global market shifts, and trade challenges shaping agriculture in 2026.

This week on Farm News & Views, Bob Bragg looks at the rapid rise of agricultural drones and the impact of a new federal ban on foreign-made models, examines a UN report showing a slowdown in global food production, and closes with a reflective story about perspective, compassion, and the lessons we learn along the way.

As gray wolves spread across western Colorado, ranchers face new livestock losses and weigh whether range riders can really reduce conflict in rugged terrain.

Ranchers in Colorado are frustrated by the Trump administration's recent decisions on beef imports and say they are creating uncertainty in the market that's bad for business.

Drought, shrinking herds, high feed and energy costs, and slow herd rebuilding are driving beef prices higher, with impacts likely to last through the decade.

Colorado farmers and ranchers can now apply for a new Agricultural Stewardship Tax Credit, offering up to $3 million annually for conservation practices that improve soil health, water efficiency, and ecosystem diversity. The refundable credit rewards producers for adopting or maintaining techniques like no-till farming, rotational grazing, and pollinator habitat planting. Applications are open now, with attestation statements due by November 10th.

One of the goals of controversial wolf hunts in the Western U.S. is to help reduce the burden on ranchers, who lose livestock to wolves every year. A new study finds that those hunts have had a measurable, but small effect on livestock depredations.