Ask anyone who has built a business in Montrose County and they will tell you the same thing: agriculture is not background scenery. It is the economic engine that helped build this region and continues to drive it.
From the moment the Gunnison Tunnel opened in 1909 and transformed the Uncompahgre Valley into one of Colorado’s most productive growing regions, farming and ranching have shaped not just the land, but the character of the entire community.
Today, that legacy faces its most complex test in generations from several converging pressures arriving at the same time.
At the April 8 Forum held on the Colorado Mesa University-Montrose campus, county leaders, producers and water managers gathered to take stock of where local agriculture stands.
What emerged was a candid, sometimes sobering picture: drought, rising costs, aging infrastructure and a looming generational transition are all bearing down at once, and the region’s economy will feel the effects if the agricultural sector cannot adapt.
Water: The Variable Nobody Can Control
For farmers in the Uncompahgre Valley, water is everything, and right now, water is the source of the region’s deepest anxiety.
Steve Pope, General Manager of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, told forum attendees that the region is no longer dealing with isolated drought years and that the situation has shifted structurally, with persistent shortages pushing the system to its limits.
Compounding the problem is the age of the irrigation infrastructure itself.
Much of the delivery system that moves water to valley farms is more than a century old, built around the same era as the Gunnison Tunnel, and maintaining it has become increasingly demanding and expensive.
That same infrastructure challenge was a prominent topic at the West Slope Water Summit held May 19 at the Montrose Event Center, where water experts, conservation groups and agricultural leaders gathered to discuss drought outlooks, reservoir conditions and long-term planning for the region.
For businesses that depend on agriculture — equipment dealers, input suppliers, processors, and the retail and food sectors that benefit from a productive local farm economy — a long-term decline in water reliability is not an abstract concern. It is a direct threat to the economic activity that sustains the region.
The Numbers Behind the Worry
A first-of-its-kind regional economic study released in January 2026 by the Business Incubator Center and CMU’s School of Business put some hard data behind concerns that had long been discussed in more general terms.
The study, presented by CMU economics professor Dr. Nathan Perry, examined agriculture across five Western Slope counties — Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Garfield, and Rio Blanco — using economic modeling, the national Agricultural Census, and a custom producer survey.
The findings confirmed what many in the industry have sensed for years: the two issues keeping local producers up at night are succession planning and drought.
Cattle and calf inventories in the region have declined significantly from 53,051 head in 2017 to 35,892 in 2022, according to the study, signaling contraction in one of the valley’s most important livestock sectors.
For the businesses that service agriculture, those numbers translate directly into fewer customers, fewer transactions and less local economic activity.
Succession: Agriculture’s Quiet Crisis
If drought is the loudest challenge facing Montrose County agriculture, succession may be its most consequential long-term threat. County Commissioner Sue Hansen, who delivered an agricultural economic overview at the April Forum, emphasized the structural risks posed by an aging farmer population and the barriers that prevent younger producers from entering the industry.
Land prices across the region have risen sharply, making it difficult for new or young farmers to purchase or lease ground at a scale that supports a viable operation. At the same time, many established producers are approaching retirement age without a clear plan for passing their operations on.
The result, Hansen warned, is a gradual loss of working farmland through a slow attrition that is already underway.
This is where the business community can play a meaningful role.
Financial institutions, estate planning professionals, and economic development organizations all have tools and relationships that can help bridge the gap between retiring producers and the next generation of farmers.
Succession an agricultural problem that is also a community economic planning challenge, and it calls for a community-wide response.
New Variables: Wolves, Regulations, and Rising Costs
The pressures on local agriculture are not limited to water and demographics. Rising input costs like labor, fuel, supplies and regulatory compliance are squeezing margins for producers across every sector.
The gray wolf reintroduction program, mandated by Colorado voters, has added another layer of uncertainty for livestock operators. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed in early 2026 that it has no immediate plans to relocate additional wolves into the state this winter, though it continues to explore options for translocations in the 2026–2027 season.
For ranchers managing cattle and sheep on open range, the policy environment surrounding wolf reintroduction remains a live business concern.
Reasons for Optimism
None of this means that Montrose County agriculture is in terminal decline.
The region’s producers are resourceful, and the community’s commitment to its agricultural roots remains strong. The Valley Food Partnership continues to promote local food systems and agricultural heritage, hosting farm tours and community events that connect residents and businesses with the people who grow their food.
Penelope Powell, VFP’s Executive Director, sees reason for optimism even amid the current pressures.
“Despite the many challenges facing agriculture today, I remain filled with hope,” she said. “Our producers are innovative and adaptable, consumers are increasingly recognizing the importance of local agriculture and making purchasing decisions that reflect those values, and this community has consistently shown up in times of challenge.”
Powell also emphasized that the full breadth of local agriculture deserves recognition and support.
“It’s also important to remember that all agriculture matters — every scale, production method, and market channel. While much of our work focuses on strengthening the regional food system, our valley’s large-scale producers are equally important,” she said. “They have sustained agriculture here through changing markets, difficult seasons, and economic uncertainty, helping keep this agricultural community strong for generations.”
Local agricultural businesses like Homestead Natural Meats are investing in the community, with the local meat producer recently relocating its retail store to a prominent downtown Montrose location, a signal of confidence in the local market.
The Ag Heritage Day celebrated in March, held in conjunction with Colorado’s 150th anniversary and America’s 250th, drew attention to the deep historical roots of farming in this valley and the values it represents.
That kind of community pride is the foundation of the political and social will needed to make hard decisions about water policy, land use, and economic development.
What Business Leaders Can Do
For the Montrose business community, the health of local agriculture is a shared economic reality. When farms are productive and profitable, they generate jobs, support local supply chains, attract agri-tourism and keep rural land in active use. When they struggle, the effects radiate outward.
Business leaders can engage with local water policy discussions, support organizations working on succession planning and farmland preservation, and prioritize local agricultural producers when purchasing food and goods.
Economic development organizations like the Montrose Economic Development Corporation are well-positioned to bridge the gap between agricultural producers and the business ecosystem.
The challenges facing Montrose County agriculture are real and complex.
But so is the region’s capacity to meet them, if the business community chooses to show up.
Tonya Maddox is the Montrose Business Times publisher.
