In his fiscal year 2023/2024 budget proposal, Governor Polis included funding for a number of key priorities for the Department of Agriculture and Colorado’s agricultural industry.

“Colorado’s agriculture is vibrant and diverse and is one of the economic drivers of our state. The Governor’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2023-24 supports CDA’s mission of diversifying supply chains, promoting stewardship of our natural resources, supporting the future generations in ag, and improving animal health and welfare across Colorado,” said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. 

The governor's budget proposal includes funding for several CDA programs and department priorities, such as the Palisade Insectary, a critical resource for noxious weed managers and ag producers. The first part of this funding will support the improvement and expansion of the Insectary’s greenhouse. The greenhouse serves as a primary research and development facility for the 77-year-old insectary, which imports, rears, researches, and distributes biological control agents for the state of Colorado. Successful biological pest control reduces production costs, decreases the amount of chemicals entering the environment, and establishes colonies of beneficial insects offering a natural permanent pest control solution. Additionally, a funding request for a new lab technician will support the Insectary’s Request-a-bug program, which allows Coloradans to order shipments of biocontrol agents to use as natural techniques to mitigate invasive pests’ spread in the community and agriculture industry.

To support emergency response and disease detection and response, the budget proposal includes additional funding for CDA’s Animal Health Division to support critical disease detection and emergency response functions. The budget also requests additional funding for a full-time Compliance Investigator and resources for a social services and mental health contractor for the Bureau of Animal Protection. 

These requests are part of Governor Polis’s FY2023-24 Budget Request document. The document also includes a request for funding that will benefit rural and agricultural communities across Colorado.

Source: Colorado Department of Agriculture