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Colorado Agriculture Overview
Explore Colorado agriculture and learn what makes it unique.
Did you know that 31.8 million acres, nearly half of the land in Colorado, is used as farmland? For many, outdoor activities and beautiful mountain ranges are the only things that come to mind, but Colorado has rich and fertile soils and miles of pasture producing crops and animal products in abundance. Colorado ranks in the top 10 in U.S. exports for two major commodity categories, Wheat and Beef/Veal. In 2018, cattle and dairy products made up nearly 60% of the state’s agricultural production.
Hover over the chart to view values by county.
Data For Region Not Available
Production Value
colorado Farmland Returns
Over the last 20 years, colorado farmland has offered average returns of 9.06%. At this rate, $10,000 invested in farmland in 2003 would now be worth over $54,176. Farmland returns are made up of two values, land appreciation, and capitalization rates of the property. Total farmland returns have been positive every year since 1990.
9.1%
Average Annual Returns
Cumulative Returns of Farmland
Source: NCREIF
6.6%
Standard Deviation of Returns
Year Over Year Change (%)
Source: NCREIF
Farmland Returns: Top 5 States
1. nebraska
14.3%
2. north dakota
14%
3. south dakota
12.6%
4. kansas
12.3%
5. washington
11.8%
6. iowa
11.4%