Weld County Agriculture

Weld County ranges from fertile irrigated farmlands around Greeley to extensive rangeland to the north and east with dryland areas coming in above the valley floors. Cattle raising and farming make up the backbone of the county's economy, contributing more than $700 and $200 million respectively each year. Weld County ranks first in the state for agricultural products sold and 5th in the country.

Settlement of the County

Weld County was first a part of Louisiana, then Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Jefferson Territory, Colorado Territory, and finally the State of Colorado.

Zebulon Pike first explored the area. In 1820 Major Stephen H. Long, on an expedition through the area, wrote, “In regard to this extensive section of country, I do not hesitate, in giving the opinion that it is almost wholly unfit for cultivation, and of course, not inhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.”

Fort Lupton, the first permanent settlement in Weld County, was built in 1836 as a fort and trading post for trappers and hunters. Fort Saint Vrain, one of the many forts built by the American Fur Company during this period, was built in 1837. With the creation of the Colorado Territory in 1861, the County of St. Vrain, which was later to become Weld County, was established. 

Cattlemen were the earliest permanent settlers. The cattle herds slowly pushed the buffalo out and with them the trappers and hide hunters. The Homestead Act and barbed wire fencing transformed the cattle industry from open range to ranches and farms. 

In 1870, The Greeley Union Colony was founded with agriculture as its basis. The colonists dug the first irrigation ditches from the Cache la Poudre River. Ten miles of ditch were completed the first summer; 27 more miles were built the following year, irrigating 25,000 acres. Today Weld County is the center of one of the largest irrigated areas in the world. Currently there are 34 river head gates, which provide 940 miles of irrigation canals irrigating more than 393,000 acres.

Land 

Weld County covers an area of 4,004 square miles in north central Colorado. The population of the county is 175,000. Greeley, the county seat, has a population of 75,000. 

The South Platte River and its tributaries, the Cache la Poudre, Big Thompson, Little Thompson, Boulder, St. Vrain, and other smaller streams, flow into Weld County from the south and west, leaving the county on the east.

Climate 

The climate is dry and generally mild with warm summers, mild winters and a growing season of approximately 138 days. The land surface is fairly level in the east, with rolling prairies and low hills near the western border. Elevations in the county range from 4,400 to near 6100 feet. The county is located about 50 miles east of the continental divide. 

Weld County has a semi-arid climate with annual precipitation ranging from 11.6 inches at Greeley to 13.9 inches in the northeastern part of the county. Average snowfall is 27 inches per year.

1999 Census of Agriculture-Colorado

Livestock 

Weld County is home to two Con Agra Beef Company feedlots, which are among the nation's largest, as well as beef and lamb packing plants in Greeley. Con Agra Beef Company averages a total of 150,000 cattle on feed at its Gilcrest and Kuner feedlots. The cattle and calves inventory in Weld County is over 600,000, which ranks it first in the state and in the nation.

Weld County boasts having 105 dairies with 42,000 head of animal, providing 48% of Colorado's total output. Weld County ranks first in lamb feeding, among all of the counties in the United States. Approximately 450,000 head of lambs are fed and 2.3 million pounds of wool are sold annually. The county also feeds 100,000 head of market hogs per year. Weld County ranks high nationally in chicken and turkey production. 

Farming 

The total number of farms in Weld County has steadily decreased since 1930. The number of acres farmed reached its peak in 1950 and has since been decreasing each year as more urban and industrial growth competes for land. Between 1987 and 1992, 18,857 acres were converted out of agricultural use. The land in farms decreased 8 percent from 2.08 to 1.9 million acres between 1992 and 1997. This is a change of more than 172,000 acres. Although the number and average size of farms have dropped along with the total acres in agriculture, the market value of agricultural products continues to increase as a whole and on average across farms. 

In 1997, 393,000 acres of cropland were irrigated out of a total of 882,260 acres of cropland in the county. The irrigated farmland of the area is capable of supporting a wide variety of crops. The main crops are corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, pinto beans, potatoes, and onions. Malting barley and vegetables are grown on limited acreages. 

Most of the corn grown in the area, both silage and grain is used for feed at commercial feedlots, farm feedlots, and dairies. Sugar beets are processed at factories in Greeley and Fort Morgan. Several truck farms are in the southern part of the county and there is a ready market for fresh vegetables in the Denver Metropolitan area. There are facilities for processing meat and dairy products locally in Greeley and in Denver. Significant numbers of sheep and turkeys use the feed crops of the area. 

A small grain-summer fallow rotation is the main type of farming on the non-irrigated soils. Summer fallowing is necessary to store enough moisture for sustained high yields. Wheat is the principle crop, but barley, sorghum, millet and sunflowers are also grown.

The Future of Agriculture 

Agriculture is changing in the state, and certainly in Weld County. As the state continues to face pressure from population growth, more agricultural land will be converted into development. Weld County, especially the southwest corner, is facing intense development pressure due to its proximity to transportation corridors and the Denver Metro area as well as its access to water.  

Higher-value agriculture such as greenhouse and nursery crops has been a growth industry for the state and county, and traditional crops continue to produce more on less land with less manpower.  

Agricultural technology is changing rapidly and farmers are adjusting accordingly. The acreage of vegetable production has shown slow, but steady increases during the 1990s and that trend is expected to continue, giving Weld County even more diversity than it has had in the past. Because of that diversity and the ability of those involved in the industry, agriculture should continue to remain a major player in the economy of the county for many years to come.

  1997 Census of Agriculture-Colorado

1996 Statistics

Colorado Agricultural Statistics 1999

      Colorado Agricultural Statistics 2000

1)                    Colorado Agricultural Statistics 1999, 2000, Issued Cooperatively by National Agricultural Statistics Service, Donald M. Bay, Administrator & Colorado Department of Agriculture, Don Ament, Commissioner.  Published by: Colorado Agricultural Statistics Service.

2)                   Weld County Research Summaries, 1999.  Jerry Alldredge, Weld County Soils & Crops Agent.

3)                   Colorado State University-Cooperative Extension County Information Service.  Elizabeth E.H. Garner, C-307 Clark Building, Fort Collins, CO  80523-1172.