USDA Designates 63 Colorado Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
The Agriculture Extension program area is currently managed by our Agricultural Specialist, Ravinder Panag. Please call 303-678-6017 for questions.
Agriculture is big business in Colorado, contributing $40 billion annually to the state’s economy. Whether you are a farmer on small acreage, in urban spaces or are involved in large scale production agriculture, Extension resources provide research based information for producers located anywhere from the plains to the mountains.
Useful Resources
- Intake form – fill out and email back for the Beginning Farmers Resource Program
- Check out the CSU Extension main campus Agriculture Resources
- Utilize Ask an Expert to email questions to the entire CSU Extension system.
- Try searches on PLANTfacts, pulling from all land grant universities’ databases.
- For precipitation related information, Go to Community Collaborative Rail, Hail; & Snow Network
- The US Drought Monitor – Updates drought conditions weekly
- U.S. Department of Agriculture or USDA provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science and effective management.
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture | National Institute of Food and Agriculture
CSU Crop Fact Sheets
Crop Diseases- Beans: Bacterial Diseases (5/11)
- Beans: Root Rots of Dry Beans (5/11)
- Beans: Rust of Dry Beans (5/11)
- Beans: White Mold of Dry Beans (5/11)
- Blackspot Bruise in Potatoes (6/19)
- Coryneum Blight (9/09)
- Fusarium Wilt & Yellows of Sugar Beet & Dry Bean (9/13)
- Importance of Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Colorado Crops (5/11)
- Onions: Botrytis, Downy Mildew & Purple Blotch (5/11)
- Onions: Soil-Borne Diseases (5/11)
- Preventive Control for Cytospora Canker on Peach (9/18)
- Biology & Management of the Toadflaxes (12/14)
- Canada Thistle (11/13)
- Cheatgrass Management Handbook (8/13)
- Diffuse and Spotted Knapweed (11/13)
- Foxtail Barley (12/14)
- Gambel Oak Management (6/12)
- Kochia and Russian Thistle: Identification & Management (12/12)
- Leafy Spurge (11/13)
- Managing Western Whorled Milkweed (2/14)
- Musk Thistle (11/13)
- Range, Pasture, & Natural Area Weed Management (11/13)
- Russian Knapweed (11/13)
- Weed Management for Small Rural Acreages (12/13)
- Weeds of the West
- Colorado Department of Agriculture – Noxious Weed Website
- Jeffco Invasive Species program website
- CSU Extension Small Acreage Management website
- Onion Health Management & Production
- Colorado Commercial Pesticide Application & Safety Training Guide: Agricultural Insect Control
- Ag Seed Treatment Study Guide
- Fumigation Study Guide
- Livestock Pest Control Study Guide
- Research & Demonstration Study Guide
- Stored Commodities Study Guide
- Wood Preservation/Treatment Study Guide
- Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) & Crop ET Reports (12/14)
- Crop Water Use & Growth Stages (12/14)
- Determining Irrigation Run Times with Drip Tape on Specialty Crops (9/19)
- Domestic Water Quality Criteria (11/13)
- Effects of Weather on Irrigation Requirements (12/14)
- Glossary of Water Terminology (5/12)
- Home Sprinkler Systems: Backflow Prevention Devices (10/14)
- Home Sprinkler Systems: Preparing Your Sprinkler System for Winter (10/14)
- Irrigation: Inspecting & Correcting Turf Irrigation System Problems (10/14)
- Irrigation Management – Best Management Practices
- Irrigation Pumping Plant Efficiency (9/11)
- Irrigation Scheduling (2/05)
- Irrigation Scheduling: The Water-Balance Approach (1/15)
- Irrigation Water Quality Criteria (10/14)
- Limited Irrigation Management: Principles & Practices (1/09)
- Micro-Sprinkler Irrigation for Orchards (11/13)
- Small Acreage Irrigation Guide (6/18)
- Seasonal Water Needs & Opportunities for Limited Irrigation for Colorado Crops (2/17)
- Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) (8/14)
- Avoiding 2,4-D Injury to Grapevines (7/11)
- Bio-Pharming (4/08)
- Bt Corn: Health and the Environment (9/13)
- Climate Change Resiliency in Colorado: Cropping Systems Best Management Practices (11/19)
- Climate Change Resiliency in Colorado: Grazing System Best Management Practices (11/19)
- Crop Pests – Best Management Practices
- Current Impacts of Outdoor Growth of Cannabis in Colorado (7/15)
- Dry Bean Production & Pest Management
- Dryland Cropping Systems (12/14)
- Genetically Modified (GM) Crops: Techniques and Applications (8/14)
- Growing Peaches
- Guide for Producing Dryland Camelina in Eastern Colorado (7/11)
- Industrial Hemp: Reemergence of an Alternative Crop in the U.S. (2/20)
- Managing Corn Pests with Bt Corn (12/14)
- Managing Spring Planted Cover Crops for Livestock Grazing under Dryland Conditions in the High Plains Region (12/18)
- Manure Utilization – Best Management Practices
- Minituber Production in Greenhouses – Management of Diseases, Insects and Physiological Disorders (4/19)
- Onion Health Management & Production
- Pesticide Application Equipment for Enclosed Space Production (10/19)
- Pesticide and Fertilizer Storage and Handling – Best Management Practices
- Pesticide Use and Water Quality in Agriculture – Best Management Practices
- Plant Analysis (11/13)
- Plant Variety Protection Act (9/14)
- Seed: Certified and Registered Production (9/14)
- Seeds: Yield Improvement with High Quality Seed (12/14)
- Weeds of the West
- Wheat Production and Pest Management Guide
- Zinc & Iron Deficiencies (12/11)
- Best Management Practices for Nitrogen Fertilization to Protect Water Quality
- Biochar in Colorado (1/16)
- Diagnosing Saline & Sodic Soil Problems
- Controlling Soil Erosion From Wind (8/09)
- Fertilizing Cool Season Grasses & Grass/legume Mixtures (9/11)
- Fertilizing Corn (9/14)
- Fertilizing Dry Beans (4/09)
- Fertilizing Mountain Meadows (4/09)
- Fertilizing Potatoes in Colorado (6/19)
- Fertilizing Spring-Seeded Small Grains (9/14)
- Fertilizing Sugar Beets (4/15)
- Fertilizing Winter Wheat (9/14)
- Field EC Mapping: A New Tool to Make Better Decisions (5/11)
- Grain Protein Content and N Needs (12/14)
- Legume Seed Inoculants (9/14)
- Nitrates in Drinking Water (11/13)
- Nitrogen and Irrigation Management (10/14)
- Phosphorus Fertilization – Best Management Practices
- Phosphorus Fertilizers for Organic Farming Systems (10/14)
- Seed: Certified & Registered Production (9/14)
- Selecting an Analytical Laboratory (11/13)
- Soil Management: Saline (10/14)
- Soil Management: Sodic (5/12)
- Soil Sampling (3/10)
- Soil Solarization, an alternative to soil fumigants (2/11)
- Soil Testing (11/13)
- Soil Test Explanation (3/10)
- Wind Erosion Processes & Control (2/19)
CSU Farm Management Fact Sheets
Economics- Break-even Method of Analysis (3/12)
- How to be successful at a Farmers’ Markets
- Direct Marketing for Colorado Producers (6/09)
- Financial Emergency Preparedness (12/14)
- Living on an Irregular Income (9/14)
Spanish Version - Long-Term Loan Repayment Methods (3/12)
- Partial Budget Form (11/13)
- Purchasing Rural Property in Colorado (1/20)
Ag Help Wanted is an educational guidebook designed to assist every person who currently manages or expects to manage human resources on farm, ranches, nurseries, dairies, and other agricultural operations. It presents principles, practical examples, regulatory considerations, and leads to additional resources that help equip managers to make choices that are reasonable, legal, and effective for both their businesses and the people they employ. Ag Help Wanted was an effort of land-grant university educators from seven states and one Canadian province. The three not-yet-retired authors recently updated the web site and continue developing resources and delivering education. Link to the Ag Help Wanted website to find the following Fact Sheets and others.
What is the Fair Labor Standards Act & How Does it Apply to me? I What is a Form I-9 and Who Needs one? I US Visa Requirements for Agricultural Workers I US Regulations for Child Labor in Agriculture
- CSU Extension Ag Labor fact sheets
- Ag Help Wanted– Guidelines for managing Ag labor
- Positive Practices in Farm Labor Management – NCAT pub
- Labor Management in Agriculture – UC Davis pub
Full doc - Colorado Department of Labor
- Alcohol for Motor Fuels (11/14)
- Sprayer Calibration Fundamentals (1/05)
- Triglyceride Blends (TGBs) as an Option for On-Farm Fuel Production (11/18)
Safety
- Agricultural Pesticide Protective Equipment (12/15)
- Agricultural Respiratory Protective Equipment (3/07)
CSU Livestock Fact Sheets
Animal Health- Ailments of Chickens (10/18)
- Bovine Respiratory Disease: Preconditioning Calves (4/16)
- Brooding & Rearing Chicks for the Family Flock (3/20)
- Brooding & Space Requirements for Poultry (10/18)
- Enterotoxemia (Overeating Disease) (5/10)
- Gastrointestinal Parasites in Sheep & Goats: Frequently Asked Questions (5/10)
- H1N1 Influenza & Pigs (12/14)
- Horses’ Health: Rabies in Horses: Should Horses be Vaccinated in Colorado? (2/14)
- Keeping Layers for the Family Egg Supply (3/20)
- Lamb Feedlot Nutrition (2/14)
- Nitrate Poisoning (6/11)
- Pinkeye Problems in Cows (5/10)
- Pregnancy Toxemia (Ketosis) in Ewes and Does (8/10)
- Prussic Acid Poisoning (6/11)
- Q Fever (12/14)
- Raising Poultry the Organic Way – Disease Control & Feeding (12/19)
- Raising Poultry the Organic Way – Management and Production (3/20)
- Sanitation & Disease Prevention for Poultry (10/18)
- Trichomoniasis Prevention: The Cost Per Cow to Prevent (3/09)
- Urea and NPN for Cattle & Sheep (6/11)
- Urinary Calculi in Wether Lambs/Kids (8/10)
- Vaccination Programs for Chickens in Colorado (12/19)
- Alternative Feeds for Cattle During Drought (10/14)
- Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes in Colorado (5/11)
- Beef Housing and Equipment Handbook
- Best Management Practices for Manure Utilization (9/99)
- Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions (11/10)
- Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions: Beef Cattle Nutrition (12/12)
- Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions: Lagoon Covers (12/12)
- Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions: Manure Application (12/12)
- Best Management Practices for Reducing Ammonia Emissions: Feedlot Pen Management (12/12)
- Caring for Livestock After Disaster (12/10)
- Caring for Livestock Before Disaster (12/10)
- Caring for Livestock During Disaster (8/13)
- Colorado Forage Guide (12/12)
- Dryland Pasture Condition Assessment & Guidelines for Colorado Small Acreages (4/17)
- Feed Composition for Cattle & Sheep (12/14)
- Flies – Controlling Without Pesticides
- Formulating Rations With the Pearson Square (6/12)
- Glossary of Wool and Fiber Terms (8/10)
- Grease Wool Grades and Lengths (5/11)
- Horses’ Health: Rabies in Horses: Should Horses be Vaccinated in Colorado? (2/14)
- Lamb Feedlot Nutrition (2/14)
- Livestock Management in the Mountains
- Managing Cattle Impacts When Grazing on Wet Soils (1/20)
- Manure Management for Small Acreages (7/18)
- Practical Feeding Methods for Small Poultry Flocks (12/19)
- Pregnancy Toxemia (Ketosis) in Ewes and Does (8/10)
- Sheep Feeds and Management Guidelines During Drought (4/13)
- Stretching Your Horse’s Hay Supply During Drought (10/14)
- Trichomoniasis Prevention: The Cost Per Cow to Prevent (3/09)
- Urea and NPN for Cattle and Sheep (6/11)
- Urinary Calculi in Wether Lambs/Kids (8/10)
- Wildfire Preparedness for Horse Owners (3/14)
| COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide: USDA and its Federal partners have programs that can be used to provide immediate and long-term assistance to rural communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This resource matrix organizes funding opportunities identified in the “CARES” Coronavirus Aid Relief & Economic Security Act and other federal resources that can help support rural America. Opportunities are categorized by customer and assistance type. For more information on the immediate actions USDA is taking to respond to COVID-19, visit usda.gov/coronavirus. Ag Financial Crisis Additional Resources: Colorado Agricultural Mediation Program (CAMP) Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Farm Crisis Center Man Therapy: It’s ok to cry, even when it’s not about sports Office of Suicide Prevention Talk Saves Lives: An introduction to Suicide Prevention When Someone Is at Risk: How to talk to someone who may be struggling with depression or anxiety COVID-19 Matchmaking tool for Colorado food system Colorado Produce Safety Collaborative COVID-19 resources Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Assoc COVID-19 resources |
