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Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home
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The Fence Post, Approved, Commentary, State

Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home

By: Wade Allnutt | Commentary, The Fence Post I write this letter as a taxpayer, livestock producer and, most importantly, as a father of two young children. I am not writing to point fingers, but to give a first-hand account of what was voted on and what we in rural western Colorado are now living with as a consequence. The recent confirmed wolf depredation of a dog in Jackson County on Feb. 7, 2026, hits close to home for me. However, it is no more important than the depredations and mounting stress others have faced across western Colorado since this process began as a result of Proposition 114. This was also not the first depredation event for this ranch; they have had five other confirmed depredations of cattle in the last two years. Colorado is not an untouched w...
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Colorado State Land Board Approves La Jara Deal Aimed at Protecting Open Space
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The Fence Post, Approved, State

Colorado State Land Board Approves La Jara Deal Aimed at Protecting Open Space

By Rachel Gabel | The Fence Post After what seemed like a rock-solid deal was thrown into a tailspin by some commissioners, the Colorado State Land Board ultimately voted to sell the La Jara property, a deal that has unanimous stakeholder support that has been in the works for nearly a decade. Ultimately, the SLB commissioners, save for Commissioner Josie Heath, voted for the disposal of the property. The 46,000-acre La Jara property in the San Luis Valley will be sold to the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The USFS and the BLM will purchase 43,526 acres with $43.5 million appropriated through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The remaining 2,427 acres, around La Jara Reservoir, will be sold to CPW for $6.1 million. ...
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Western Water Crisis Deepens as Key Colorado River Decisions Loom
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The Fence Post, Approved, State

Western Water Crisis Deepens as Key Colorado River Decisions Loom

By Ali Longwell | The Fence Post Western Slope elected officials, water managers, engineers and conservationists met in Grand Junction on Friday, Oct. 3, all focused on one thing: the uncertain future of the Colorado River. “Water users, as a lot, tend to crave certainty, and that certainty seems more and more elusive these days,” said Peter Fleming, general counsel for the Colorado River District, at this year’s annual seminar hosted by the River District. Andy Mueller, the River District’s general manager, said the Colorado River Basin was “at a crossroads.” While the seminar broached many of the challenges and opportunities facing those who rely on the Colorado River, most discussions came back to two looming decisions that will dictate how the future looks for the 40 millio...
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Western Cattlemen Push Back on Federal Land Restrictions
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The Fence Post, Approved, National

Western Cattlemen Push Back on Federal Land Restrictions

By Carrie Stadheim | The Fence Post Several groups of cattle producers could be seen walking the halls of Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in recent weeks. No, they weren’t lost. They were detailing some of the ways government prevents cattle producers from being profitable and identifying solutions that could help. Jack Payne, owner of Nevada Livestock Marketing, was one of five ranchers from western states to meet with U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to describe the drastically diminished cattle numbers on federal lands. Grazing is needed on rangelands to maintain plant and soil health, reduce fire danger and provide economic stability to communities, Payne said. Secretary Rollins posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sept. 6, 2025, “Earl...
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America overtakes China in Uruguay beef market shift
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The Fence Post, Approved, National

America overtakes China in Uruguay beef market shift

By Hagstrom Report | The Fence Post The United States is set to overtake China as Uruguay’s top market, fueled by firm demand and strong FOB (free on board) prices, while China’s dominance continues to erode after more than a decade at the top, the Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported today. “The industry is also keeping a close watch on potential ripple effects from the U.S.-Brazil trade dispute,” FAS added. “In 1995, the United States allocated Uruguay a tariff rate quota of 20,000 tons product weight a year at a low tariff of $44 per ton. All exports outside the quota pay 26.4% tariff. The U.S. government recently increased Uruguay’s import duties 10 percentage points on all products, including beef. At the same time, the United States increased Brazil’s ...
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U.S. Dairy Industry Faces Tight Herd Numbers Until 2027
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National, Approved, The Fence Post

U.S. Dairy Industry Faces Tight Herd Numbers Until 2027

By Colbank | The Fence Post The U.S. dairy industry is facing a potential shortage of its most important resource — milk cows. The number of replacement heifers available to enter the dairy herd as milk producing cows has already fallen to a 20-year low. Based on new CoBank research, replacements could fall even further over the next two years before a recovery begins in 2027. These declining heifer inventories could limit growth in the milk supply, a looming concern for dairy processors with expansion plans underway. The U.S. is currently experiencing an historic $10 billion investment in new dairy processing facilities expected to come online through 2027. The decline in dairy heifers over the last several years is closely tied to beef and dairy market dynamics. Tight cattle suppli...
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USDA disaster aid available for Colorado producers after wildfire losses
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The Fence Post, Approved, State

USDA disaster aid available for Colorado producers after wildfire losses

By USDA | The Fence Post Agricultural operations in Colorado have been significantly impacted by recent wildfires. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has technical and financial assistance available to help farmers and livestock producers recover from these adverse weather events. “USDA has a suite of programs to support farmers and ranchers as they recover from disasters,” said Farm Production and Conservation Deputy Under Secretary Brooke Appleton. “I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, range, and forestland, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.”   Producers who experience livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality ...
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Bill Proposes Pause On New Wolf Releases To Fund Health Insurance
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State, Approved, The Fence Post

Bill Proposes Pause On New Wolf Releases To Fund Health Insurance

By Rachel Gabel | The Fence Post A bipartisan bill seeks to reallocate funding for one year that would be used to capture and release another round of wolves in late 2025 or early 2026 to Colorado’s Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise which helps Coloradans lower their health insurance costs. According to the sponsors, by not bringing in new wolves into the state, Colorado can focus on managing the existing wolves more effectively and save significant financial resources. The bill is coprime-sponsored by Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, Sen. Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, Rep. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, and is co-sponsored by a broad coalition of bipartisan legislators in both the Senate and the House. Gov. Jared Polis has called the...
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June 11 CPW meeting highlights failure to share data: “Producers left in the dark”
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Approved, State, The Fence Post

June 11 CPW meeting highlights failure to share data: “Producers left in the dark”

By Rachel Gabel | Fence Post Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioner Tai Jacober said it’s “ugly” right now for Pitkin County livestock producers. In the June 11 CPW Commission meeting, he said when a particular pack of wolves, the Copper Creek pack, were causing problems for livestock producers, CPW and the commission made decisions that have landed the wolves and the producers again, in a problematic situation. Jacober criticized the decision to go “against the management plan and capture the wolves, went further against the management plan and rereleased the wolves, and here we are today.” “Not only is it a blunder on the agency, it’s a blunder on the wolves, and it’s really difficult on the ranchers,” he said. “It seems we’ve removed one wolf — a yearling wolf that was kicked...
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Colorado’s wolf plan ignores the one thing wolves don’t: borders
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Approved, National, State, The Fence Post

Colorado’s wolf plan ignores the one thing wolves don’t: borders

By Ali Longwell | The Fence Post Over the last month, two of Colorado’s latest gray wolf transplants were killed after crossing the border into Wyoming.  Colorado Parks and Wildlife expects these types of movements into other states from the reintroduced wolf population. The species is known for traveling long distances in search of food or mates.  However, once the wolves leave Colorado, they lose certain protections afforded to them by both state and federal laws. But just how those protections change, and what might happen to them, depends entirely on which way they travel. In Colorado, gray wolves are considered “state endangered” in addition to being listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and as an experimental population under a ...
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