Western Slope lawmakers propose bills to boost support for Colorado farmers, ranchers
Legislation would expand property tax breaks for small and locally-owned farms and ranches while cracking down on deceptive advertising for out-of-state products
Andrew Maciejewski/Summit Daily News
A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers, mostly from the Western Slope, is planning to introduce legislation next year aimed at supporting ranchers and farmers through property tax relief and cracking down on deceptive out-of-state advertising.
The Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee on Wednesday gave initial approval to two bills for the 2026 legislative session, which begins in January. The committee, made up of House and Senate lawmakers, has been meeting on an interim basis to consider potential legislation for next year.
One of the measures approved by the committee would broaden the legal definition of a “ranch” and “farm” as it relates to agricultural land for tax purposes. Doing so would allow small and family-owned operators to receive existing property tax exemptions, lawmakers said.
The measure is sponsored by state Sens. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, and Byron Pelton, R-Sterling; and House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon; and Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont.
Roberts, in a statement, said the measure took over a year of work to “get the language just right,” adding that he is excited to move forward with the bill.
“Small and family-owned operations are the heart of Colorado’s agricultural communities and too many of them struggle with high property tax costs,” he said. “With this legislation, we are finding every opportunity to put money back in their pockets and keep their farming and ranching operations going.”
McCluskie, in a statement, said that as President Donald Trump’s administration “threatens to flood our markets with Argentinian beef and undercut Colorado ranchers, this bill steps in to save our farmers and ranchers money.”
Trump has floated bringing in more cheap beef from Argentina as a way to lower meat prices for American consumers, which has led to outcry from some Colorado producers and bipartisan pushback from lawmakers.
U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Lafayette, and Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, both of whom represent parts of western Colorado in Congress, have openly opposed Trump’s plan.
The other bill being advanced by state lawmakers would ban producers from advertising a product as being from Colorado if that product is produced outside the state. It would also prohibit the use of the Colorado Proud logo, unless authorized by the Colorado Department of Agriculture. The logo is meant to designate local products sold at grocery stores, farmers’ markets and other retail sites.
That measure is sponsored by Roberts and Sen. Marc Caitlin, R-Montrose, and Reps. Matt Martinez, D-Monte Vista, and Matt Soper, R-Delta.
The Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee also advanced a resolution recognizing the importance of farmers’ markets to Colorado communities, small businesses, and the agriculture sector. The resolution encourages the state’s agriculture department to continue supporting and promoting farmers markets.
