Wanting to move to Colorado! Help? (Sterling, Fort Morgan: vacation, lease, school)

[meg_erin]

My husband and I are considering moving to Colorado and are trying to find an area with lots of agriculture. My husband is in the business of laser landleveling and would like to continue doing this. He would also like to custom farm. So as you can suspect we want lots of ag land! Does anyone have any suggestions? I am a substitute for some school districts in my area and would like to continue doing that. Thanks in advance!!

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by meg_erin

My husband and I are considering moving to Colorado and are trying to find an area with lots of agriculture. My husband is in the business of laser landleveling and would like to continue doing this. He would also like to custom farm. So as you can suspect we want lots of ag land! Does anyone have any suggestions? I am a substitute for some school districts in my area and would like to continue doing that. Thanks in advance!!

The kind of ag you are looking for in Colorado basically still exists in 2 areas: the eastern Plains, and the San Luis Valley. The valleys of western Colorado also used to be big ag areas, but they are being taken over by development and ag is in decline there. There is still some wheat farming in the northwest portions of Colorado, but it is more contour farming and not level land farming. Be forewarned that a lot of areas in Colorado's South Platte and Arkansas River basins in eastern Colorado that use water from those rivers are being dried up as Front Range cities acquire the water rights from the farmers. A lot of land in eastern Colorado irrigated from wells get their water from the Ogallala Acquifer--its long-term issues have been well-documented. I used to be in ag and I won't sugar-coat it. Ag in Colorado has always been challenging, but is getting much more so now--mostly from development pressures and water issues that have little to do with ag itself. That's sad, because a way of life and a piece of Colorado's heritage is being lost.

[meg_erin]

Jazzlover--

I have read some of your post and seen what you are saying about the water situation. It is sad that agriculture is being so down played so that people can have big stores. You said San Luis Valley and the eastern plains, can you tell me some town names? Even with the dairies the farming is becoming sparse? One last question, do you know any land leveling companies or how I could find them? Thank u!

[jazzlover]

The major towns in the San Luis Valley are Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Del Norte. There are a lot of towns in eastern Colorado--check out some the bigger (over 1,000 population) ones on the map--Sterling, Holyoke, Akron, Burlington, Fort Morgan, Brush, Wray, Limon, Lamar, La Junta, Rocky Ford, Springfield--just to name some.

You might want to call CSU Extension, the Colorado Farm Bureau, or the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union to find out more information on land leveling etc. Just some suggestions.

[meg_erin]

Thank u so so much!!!

I'll take more suggestions and info if anyone is willing to give!! Thanks in advance!!

[meg_erin]

I would really love more ideas of where to move and about colorado please!!!

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by meg_erin

I would really love more ideas of where to move and about colorado please!!!

The best thing to do is come out and look. I always recommend that people come out in, say, March. That is when most of Colorado will look its absolute worst. If you like it then, you will probably like it the rest of the year. As for some of the towns in the southern part of the state, you might check out this website, Colorado and New Mexico Information and Vacation Planner . It has synopses on a number of towns in that part of Colorado.