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• Farmers glad to see snow

  January 29, 2013 5:15 PM

  The snow was a warm welcome to farmers, but is it enough? We met with one Pueblo County farmer who says it's a welcome sight. It wasn't snowing when Shane Milberger first got up this morning, but then it hit us. "When we saw it coming down,... more »

• Farm bill debate leaves Colorado's fate undecided Play Video

  August 1, 2012 9:00 PM

  Colorado is thirsty: the worst drought in decades is drying out much of the United States, with Colorado's plains taking the hardest hit. With the 2012 Farm Bill still up in the air at the nation's capitol, local ranchers and farmers are questioning if they can afford to go... more »

• Drought remains, farm bill still questionable Play Video

  August 1, 2012 8:46 PM

  The ground is drier than ranchers have seen in years, and it's causing problems for farmers and ranchers across the country. "There's just no moisture; there's no moisture and no grass has grown at all," says Dixie Boyer, an eastern El Paso County rancher. "I think this at least... more »

• Farmers hope for a snowy winter in the mountains Play Video

  July 8, 2012 6:47 PM

  Farming this year means more work than usual because of dry weather conditions, but it's not this year's crop they're worried about. We found out farmers need a white winter in the mountains or things could get worse. "This is what Mother Nature gave us," said Carl Musso,... more »

• FFA State Convention going on in Pueblo

  June 5, 2012 4:19 PM

  Over a thousand future farmers take over Pueblo! They come from all over the state, and they're in town for the Future Farmers of America State Convention where they compete in different competitions like public speaking. We caught up with them Tuesday during a volleyball tournament, and they all... more »

• Shock waves from MF Global collapse felt on farms

  December 4, 2011 2:43 PM

  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Many farmers and ranchers are waiting to learn how much money they've lost in the collapse of commodities trading firm MF Global Inc. The firm is being investigated over what federal regulators say is an estimated $1.2 billion that may be missing from customer accounts. Many... more »

• The farm comes to the Springs

  July 16, 2011 1:06 AM

  Fruits, veggies, doggie treats, oh my! Join us this morning as we go live from the farmers market in Old Colorado City in Bancroft Park. We'll be talking with one of the original founders of the market, as well as with some vendors to help you create the... more »

• The farm comes to the Springs

  July 16, 2011 1:06 AM

  Fruits, veggies, doggie treats, oh my! Join us this morning as we go live from the farmers market in Old Colorado City in Bancroft Park. We'll be talking with one of the original founders of the market, as well as with some vendors to help you create the meal... more »

• "Cottage Foods" bill advances

  May 4, 2011 2:08 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Home-cooked foods including jams and breads have moved a step closer to getting commercial approval in Colorado. The state Senate on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to joining other states in creating a "cottage foods" designation. The bill allows farmers to prepare some foods in home kitchens, not... more »

• Colorado farmers get boost in legislature

  February 1, 2011 8:03 AM

  DENVER (AP)-Farmers and ranchers could be seeing a tax break on insecticides and other farm products. The House Agriculture Committee on Monday approved a bill to waive sales taxes on some agricultural products. The exemption would cost the state $1.3 million this fiscal year ending in June and $3.7... more »

• Farmers' Almanac: Kinder, gentler winter on tap

  August 30, 2010 9:20 AM

  Folks hammered by record snowfall in the mid-Atlantic and freakishly cold temperatures in the South can warm up to the latest forecast by the Farmers' Almanac. The 194-year-old publication is predicting a "kinder and gentler" winter season for much of the nation. The Maine-based almanac, which claims it... more »

• Disaster declaration sought for Colorado counties

  August 9, 2010 3:40 PM

  Half of the melon crop in Otero County was destroyed by a freeze in May or hail in June. Montrose County lost its entire cherry crop because of a freeze in April. Gov. Bill Ritter has requested federal disaster assistance for both counties because of the crop damage. ... more »

• Colorado to begin reviewing conservation easements

  August 5, 2010 8:23 AM

  Colorado Attorney General John Suthers is stepping into the dispute between landowners and the state Department of Revenue over conservation easements. Department of Revenue Director Roxy Huber told dozens of angry landowners Wednesday that the state will evaluate complaints of shoddy appraisals that prompted the denial of $90 million... more »

• Beef? Chicken? Squirrel?

  August 3, 2010 1:05 PM

  Jed Clampett would approve--but animal rights activists in London are horrified. A grocery store there has begun selling squirrel meat. The little rodents are killed by farmers because they cause damage. The store owner says the squirrels are killed anyway, and their bodies buried or incinerated. This provides... more »

• Florida tomato farmers have surplus despite cold snap

  June 4, 2010 10:30 AM

  Tomato prices skyrocketed just three months ago, but they're falling now with an unexpected glut in Florida. The Sunshine State is the only place in the U.S. where tomatoes are grown on a large scale during winter. But even there, cold weather in January and February killed plants and... more »

• California frog getting own habitat

  March 18, 2010 1:16 PM

  Mark Twain celebrated them, hungry gold prospectors ate them, and rural landowners cursed the name of the California red-legged frog. Now, the jumping frog, whose dwindling numbers empowered anti-sprawl advocates while thwarting farmers, ranchers and developers across California, is getting an established habitat to protect its recovery. Maybe.... more »

• Storms mean farmers, cities will get more water

  March 16, 2010 6:06 PM

  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says a series of drenching storms has freed up more water for parched farms and cities throughout California. Salazar announced Tuesday that growers in the farm belt south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will receive at least 25 percent of the water they have contracted... more »

• Controlled burns in eastern Pueblo County

  March 10, 2010 5:31 PM

  If you're seeing smoke east of Pueblo--it's a result of controlled burns. The Pueblo Rural Fire District says the Pueblo Chemical Depot reported in advance that it would burn excess grass and brush Wednesday, to prevent a wildfire. In addition, farmers are burning their fields to clear debris... more »

• Dairy farmers up production as milk prices rebound

  February 3, 2010 9:44 AM

  Finally, there's some good news for the nation's milk producers. For most dairy farmers, the price they received for milk last year was less than what it cost to produce it. One dairyman in Skaneateles, N.Y., says he lost $700,000 last year. But prices appear to be rebounding... more »

• Fremont County receives federal disaster declaration

  February 1, 2010 6:49 PM

  Fremont is one of six Colorado counties to receive a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fremont County experienced damaging frost and freezing temperatures on Oct. 8-11 of last year. The other counties are all on the Western Slope, which saw a wet spring turn into... more »

• Colorado lawmakers begin debate nixing tax breaks

  January 29, 2010 2:06 PM

  Colorado lawmakers have begun marathon debate on a plan by Gov. Bill Ritter to impose taxes on Internet purchases, junk mail, candy and soft drinks. The House Finance Committee on Friday approved a bill that would suspend tax breaks for farmers and ranchers. Troy Bredenkamp, executive vice president... more »

• Growers assessing damage from freeze; warming trend coming

  January 12, 2010 7:14 AM

  Florida growers are scrambling to assess damage from the prolonged deep freeze, but one says the weekend may have done some of them in despite the fight to save the crops. It's still cold in northern and central Florida, but the cold snap that gripped the South for days is... more »

• Cold snap gripping Gulf states threatens Florida crop

  January 6, 2010 10:31 AM

  Unusually cold temperatures are gripping parts of the Sunshine state and they're expected to last through the weekend. Farmers in central and southern Florida have been scrambling to save their crops by spraying them with protective layers of ice and covering them in plastic. Vacationing Ohio students Tara McCourry and... more »

• El Nino threatens water supplies in South America

  November 13, 2009 4:51 PM

  A severe drought brought on by the El Nino is threatening water supplies in Bolivia. The drought has brought Lake Titicaca, the largest by volume in South America, to its lowest water level since 2003. It is currently less than a foot and a half from reaching its lowest... more »

• Most of California designated drought disaster

  September 23, 2009 10:48 AM

  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 50 of California's 58 counties as natural disaster areas because of crop losses due to ongoing drought. The declaration will clear the way for emergency loans to farmers who have suffered financial losses this year from the drought. Farmers will be... more »