Colorado

Colorado’s Biggest Snow in 1,100 Days Raises a Bigger Question: Is the Plains Pattern Finally Changing?

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:09:03 GMT

After one of the driest stretches in recent memory, parts of Colorado finally caught a meaningful shot of moisture this week , and for many farmers and ranchers, it felt long overdue.

A spring snowstorm dropped more than a half foot of snow across portions of eastern Colorado, bringing measurable relief to drought-stricken areas that have spent months watching systems miss them to the north or south.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, roughly five million Colorado residents remain in drought conditions, with drought coverage increasing nearly 8% from the previous week. But for producers who finally saw gauges fill and snow pile up, the storm offered something equally valuable: optimism.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows 60% of the U.S. is experiencing drought, up from 44% just three months prior.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

Near Keenesburg, Colorado, farmer Mark Arnusch reported approximately six inches of snowfall after receiving about a half inch of rain before temperatures turned colder. By his measurement, it was the largest single storm event his farm has experienced in nearly 1,100 days.

That statistic alone underscores how unusual the recent dryness has been across the western Plains.

The Winter That Wasn’t Across the West and Plains

Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe, based in Colorado, says many areas have endured a winter that barely resembled winter at all.

“We’ve only had about 12 minutes of winter this year,” Bledsoe says after measuring 7.5 inches of snow at his home south of Denver in Castle Rock.

Bledsoe says he spoke with Arnish about the timing of the storm and realized the last comparable moisture event occurred during another major climate transition.

“He was telling me the date that he last saw that moisture — May 12th, May 13th of 2023 — and ironically enough that was the last time we did this whole La Niña to El Niño switch,” Bledsoe says.

Now, Bledsoe says another atmospheric transition may be developing, one that could eventually favor better precipitation opportunities across the Plains.

Pattern Shift Could Bring Better Rain Chances to the Plains

Through mid-May, upper-level weather patterns still favor ridging in the West and troughing farther east, a setup that typically limits widespread moisture across the central United States.

“This has been kind of a more March-like pattern,” Bledsoe says. “But the precipitation anomalies associated with this pattern are not that conducive to moisture in the middle part of the country.”

In the short term, Bledsoe says many areas of the Plains could remain drier than average through at least the middle of May.

However, forecast models suggest a notable shift later in the month.

“We have upper-level ridging moving east over the middle part of the country and the Midwest and a trough of low pressure out along the California coast,” Bledsoe says. “This traditionally means more active weather coming back to the Plains.”

That evolving setup could increase thunderstorm activity and improve rainfall opportunities from the western Plains into parts of Texas.

“We are going to start to see the Plains wake up,” Bledsoe says. “Not only with better rain chances, but also more chances for severe thunderstorms during that period of time.”

Seasonal Models Lean Wetter for the Western Plains

While seasonal forecasts always carry uncertainty, several major long-range models are beginning to align around a similar signal: the western Plains may trend wetter this summer.

Bledsoe says the latest European seasonal model for June through August favors above-normal precipitation across the western High Plains, portions of the Intermountain West and parts of the Southeast.

“You can’t derive a ton from these models, but you can pick up some signals,” Bledsoe says.

The North American Multi-Model Ensemble and Canadian seasonal guidance also point toward improved moisture potential farther west, without signaling widespread drought expansion across the middle of the country.

Bledsoe says historical analog years support the same general idea.

“If we do a little digging in terms of history and look at these analog years — 1957, 1965, 1972, 1982, 1991 and others, those precipitation anomalies also favor areas farther west,” he says.

That does not mean every region benefits equally.

Bledsoe says portions of central and southeast Texas could still trend drier, while some areas of the Midwest may continue to see uneven rainfall distribution.

Still, for producers in Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico and nearby areas, the recent storm may be an early indication that a more active moisture pattern is finally developing.

Relief Arrives at a Critical Time

The timing, though, matters.Many winter wheat acres across the western Plains entered spring under significant moisture stress, while ranchers have continued battling poor pasture conditions and limited stock water supplies.

One storm will not erase long-term drought concerns. Subsoil moisture deficits remain significant across many areas, and producers know meaningful recovery requires repeated events over time.

But after nearly three years without a storm of this magnitude in parts of eastern Colorado, the latest snowfall delivered a reminder of how quickly conditions can shift when atmospheric patterns cooperate.

“Some rain coming back to the Plains, especially the western Plains, would certainly be a good start,” Bledsoe says.

The next several weeks will determine whether this storm was simply an isolated event — or the first sign of a broader weather turnaround for the Plains.

Grit, Grease, and Gears: Meet the Colorado Teen Breathing New Life into Old Tractors

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 20:01:34 GMT

Colorado teenager Tyson Hansen is a shining example of that old saying “If you start them young…”

That’s because Hansen, 17, has cultivated a rare passion for buying and restoring classic tractors. It is a passion passed down from his great grandfather, who started the Hansen family farm and pieced together a massive tractor fleet over the years.

“He had over 200-some tractors, mostly two-cylinder, and when he passed, they had the big auction and my dad bought one to remember him by, and well now it’s our family tractor,” Hansen remembers. “My dad still talks about the first day he let me drive it, and he always says since that first ride, I was just hooked.”

The tractor that launched his lifelong love for tractors - the 1934 John Deere GP in all its glory.

(Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions)

That first taste of classic tractor heaven was on the hardened steel green seat of a 1934 John Deere GP, a popular two-plow row crop setup John Deere built and sold from 1928 to 1935.

The high school junior says he’s wrenched on about 16 to 17 classic tractors at this point, all while participating in his high school FFA program and wrestling for the varsity team. And it’s not a hobby he tackles alone in a dusty, dark barn – his dad, stepmom, and brother all pitch in and help out. Because everyone knows nothing brings a family closer than bonding over busted knuckles and stripped chassis bolts.

Tyson says his family is “pretty much a John Deere family” but that he has started to feel the pull from other legacy brands.

“I started out as a John Deere guy, but I don’t even actually own any John Deeres,” he says, adding that right now his personal collection consists of two classic Case IH tractors and two Farmalls.

That doesn’t mean a young man can’t dream big, though, and Tyson’s big dream restoration project is to someday fix up a John Deere Model R.

He purchased his latest tractor, a Case 400 Super Diesel Western Special Edition with a hand clutch – one of only eight ever built, he says – with the goal of fixing it up and flipping it to raise enough cash to make that dream a reality.

“Once I got that tractor I went online and looked up some Facebook groups where the guys are all about Case, and I didn’t know anything about them at the time, so I just started asking guys for help and next thing I know within an hour I had about seven or eight texts from guys asking to buy that thing off me,” he says. “That’s when I realized that 400 is a little rarer than I figured it would have been.”

His Case 400 is also going to end up helping his fellow students in the FFA program. Tyson’s FFA teacher has asked him to bring the 400 in and is going to let the young man lead his classmates through a lesson on how diesel engines work.

Work is a key word in any farming family, and the Hansen family is no different.

“I don’t know why, my dad always tells me I won’t like it when I am out of high school, but I like to work,” Hansen says. “I guess I’ve just got a working mindset – I’m not the biggest fan of sitting in the house.”

Check out Tyson Hansen’s latest Tractor Tales spotlight below, where the teen shows off his rebuilt Case 400 tractor. And subscribe to the Farm Journal YouTube channel to get all of the latest Tractor Tale videos.

Also keep an eye on U.S. Farm Report every Saturday morning for the debut of the newest Tractor Tales feature.

Your Next Read: 2001 John Deere Smashes Record With $132,500 Price Tag

Colorado Animal Activist Kessler Charged With Animal Cruelty

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 19:42:57 GMT

Hypocrisy is not a crime. Neither is stupidity.

Ellen Kessler has been charged with 13 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty in Jefferson County, Colorado. That’s the same Ellen Kessler who – while she served on the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine – called ranchers “lazy” and “nasty” in a Facebook post.

The Jefferson County sheriff’s office was tipped off March 7 that Kessler had multiple birds living in poor conditions in her basement. That’s where officers allege they found birds being kept in cages without sunlight and with floors covered in seed, dirt and feces. The blatant hypocrisy is stunning.

In total, officers found 13 birds along with “an overwhelming smell of urine” and “mice were found, both alive and dead, as well as flies throughout the house.” It was determined the birds should not go back to the home, officers said, “because the birds, including doves and cockatiels, suffered from a variety of health issues.”

(Farm Journal)

Colorado Governor Jared Polis surely regrets nominating Kessler to the state veterinary board in 2020. The nomination immediately drew the ire of ranchers and others involved in Colorado agriculture since Kessler was a self-proclaimed animal rights activist, and soon after her appointment posted on her personal social media account that, “4-H clubs teach children that animal lives don’t matter.”

Further alienating ranchers was the fact Kessler was a friend of Polis’ husband, Marlon Reis, also a self-proclaimed animal rights activist. And it was Kessler’s response to a Reis post on Facebook that led to Kessler’s resignation from the state veterinary board.

Reis was commenting on a story in the Missoulian on a new collaboration program with ranchers who deal with grizzly bears.

Referring to recent attacks by wolves on cattle and dogs in northern Colorado, Kessler accused ranchers of using their cows to “bait” wolves in order to receive compensation for the loss of their animals.

“These techniques could easily translate into activism in Colorado for soon-to-be-introduced wolves and other predators already living among us,” Kessler wrote. “Would our lazy and nasty ranchers/cattlemen even raise a finger to make something like this work or is (sic) using a cow to bait the wolves their solution? A living cow doesn’t make money for them. Only a dead cow does. If the slaughterhouse doesn’t pay them for the carcass, they’ll blame the predators so the state will pay them for livestock lost from predators. What a racket. What a scam.”

Admitting she was “unprofessional in my judgement,” Kessler’s resignation from the veterinary board was effective Feb. 11, 2022. Less than a month later she was charged with animal cruelty, and given the alleged conditions under which she kept her birds, her judgement hasn’t improved much.

Under Colorado law, animal cruelty, a class 1 misdemeanor, carries a maximum fine of $5,000 per charge, with a mandatory minimum fine of $500, and could include jail time of up to 18 months.

Related stories:

A Western Governor Is At Odds With Agriculture

Colorado’s Kessler Out At State Vet Board After Calling Ranchers ‘Lazy’

Colorado Gov. Polis Transparently Undercuts Agriculture

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 19:22:13 GMT

Elections have consequences. Nowhere is that more obvious than Colorado where Gov. Jared Polis has been transparent in his efforts to further the cause of animal rights activists.

A governor can effect change through his appointments to various governmental agencies, and by influence on other appointments that are not under his/her direct supervision. In 2020, Polis appointed Ellen Kessler to the State Board of Veterinary Medicine, a move that was widely criticized by ranchers since Kessler is a self-proclaimed vegan/animal rights activist.

Rancher concerns about Kessler proved well-founded. Last month she had to step down after a controversial Facebook post where she called ranchers “lazy” and “nasty” and alleged ranchers would use “a cow to bait” wolves so they could collect compensation from the state. “What a racket. What a scam,” she declared.

Gov. Polis accepted her resignation and issued a statement calling Kessler’s words “hurtful.” He promised to appoint a new board member “that better shares his strong respect for Colorado’s hard-working ranchers and helps builds confidence in the practice of veterinary medicine across our state.”

Stubbing his toe on the Kessler appointment might lead you to think the governor would be inclined to help turn the rhetoric down a notch by making appointments that are less controversial. Such thinking appears to be wrong.

This week Colorado’s Bureau of Animal Protection (BAP) announced its new director, selected, according to The Fence Post , from a pool of candidates that included two animal rights attorneys and a wolf introduction and “humane food choice proponent.”

The BAP’s mission is to “administer and enforce the provisions of the Animal Protection Act to prevent the neglect, mistreatment, or abuse of animals in Colorado.” Which, well, helps underscore why ranchers might be leery when the top candidates are animal rights attorneys and a “humane food choice proponent,” a description that seems code for vegan.

Hiring the director of BAP falls under the scope of Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg. But open records requests by The Fence Post indicate Gov. Polis had a strong influence on the final selection.

Reporting for The Fence Post, Rachel Gabel wrote the ag commissioner’s selection panel put forward four applicants for an interview. “Those included a Colorado county animal control supervisor with BAP experience, a specialist in animal cruelty investigations and prosecutions with a metro District Attorney’s office, a state director for the Humane Society of the United States, and a senior executive of Mercy for Animals.”

That’s when Polis stepped in and put forward three picks of his own, none of whom were on the ag commissioner’s short list. One of those is employed by Los Angeles-based Animal Equity, and as part of a panel on investigating livestock crimes at the Animal Law Conference, he presented “Pasture to Prosecution: Using the Power of Animal Cruelty Laws to Protect Farmed Animals.” Wait, there’s more.

The second on Polis’ list is an attorney who claims he previously filed a class action lawsuit against dairy producers.

The final person on Polis’ list was Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Niemiec (pronounced “Knee-Mick”) an assistant professor in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department at Colorado State University and the director of the Conservation Action Lab, who was announced by Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg as the new director of BAP.

In an introductory press release, Niemiec said, “I look forward to exploring how the BAP Program can use education and outreach as our primary tool to take a proactive approach to prevent animal abuse, rather than a reactive approach once that abuse has occurred.”

But thanks to reporting by Gabel, we also learn Niemiec conducted a study that advocated for the introduction of wolves to Colorado, and is currently leading a half million-dollar National Science Foundation grant in partnership with the City of Boulder and Mercy for Animals focused on promoting plant-based food choices. Mercy for Animals seeks to “construct a compassionate food system by reducing suffering and ending the exploitation of animals for food.”

As one might expect, Colorado ranchers are skeptical on Niemiec’s selection. Terry Fankhauser, executive vice president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, told Gabel at The Fence Post, of the three finalists suggested by Polis, Neimiec is probably the least objectionable. He says he is more concerned about this hire than even Polis’s appointment of Ellen Kessler to the State Board of Veterinary Medicine.

“The message being sent by the governor is agriculture being a mortal enemy of the Department of Agriculture and the state,” Fankhauser said. “That message is being heard loud and clear. We are under attack.”

The sad reality for ranchers in Colorado is that Polis’ attempts to undermine animal agriculture are likely to continue. His blunder in appointing Kessler and his transparent influence on Niemiec’s hiring do not appear to have damaged his political prospects. Recent polling by Cygnal suggests Polis remains popular in Colorado, and The Denver Post says, “The Boulder Democrat has consistently polled well during his first term and is widely favored to win (reelection) this year.”

Colorado’s Kessler Out At State Vet Board After Calling Ranchers ‘Lazy’

Colordao Meat Company Expands Recall

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:37:48 GMT

Source: Associated Press

A Windsor, Colo. meat company is expanding a recall of meat and poultry that was produced in unsanitary conditions.

The U.S. Agriculture Department announced the expanded recall Thursday. There have no reports of illness from the recalled products.

Products subject to this recall and expansion may be identified by the following brand names and bear the establishment number “Est. 20309" or “P-20309" inside the USDA Mark of Inspection. Products that do not bear the establishment number “Est. 20309" or “P-20309" inside the USDA Mark of Inspection would not be included in this recall.

Products subject to the recall expansion include various meat and/or poultry products from the following brands: Four Sisters Farm, Heart Rock Bison, High Point Bison, Luc’s Pizza, Mountain States Poultry & Meats, Rocky Plains Quality Meats, Schmidt’s Bakery & Deli, Wag’s Livestock, Wayne’s Specialty Meats, Windsor Dairy, Wyoming Pure Beef and Yauk’s Specialty Meats.

All products being recalled are packaged in retail-ready packaging of various sizes. The products were produced between April 1, 2013, and Dec. 5, 2013 and can be identified by four-digit Julian dates ranging between 3091 and 3339. The products were sold in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The USDA Food Safety Inspection Service reported unsanitary conditions including rodent activity. FSIS has suspended the assignment of inspectors at the establishment, and the investigation is ongoing. It was discovered during the ongoing investigation that additional products should be removed from commerce.

Carl’s Jr. To Debut Cannabis-Infused Burger

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:24:11 GMT

That headline is not a misprint. Carl’s Jr., the fast-food restaurant with 1,490 locations, will debut a CBD-infused “Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight” at a single location in Denver. The CBD burger will be available for $4.20 during the one-day test, fittingly held on April 20, a weed-filled celebration for many Americans.

With its test of the CBD burger, Carl’s Jr. would become the first major fast-food chain to roll out a cannabis-infused menu item — even if just for a one-location, one-day event.

The CheeseBurger Delight consists of two beef patties, topped with pickled jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, fries, and CBD-infused “Santa Fe Sauce.”

According to Patty Trevino, Carl’s Jr.'s senior vice president of brand marketing, the test is more than a one-day 4/20 stunt. Carl’s Jr. will be monitoring sales and customer and franchisee responses, and if all goes well, Trevino said, expanding the test remains an option — with the possibility of one day rolling out a CBD-infused burger across the US.

“If anyone is going to do it, I would want Carl’s Jr. to do it,” Trevino said of the prospect of launching a CBD-infused menu item nationally.

In total, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, its sister brand that dominates the South and Midwest, have 3,800 locations in 44 states and internationally.

CBD, which has been celebrated for its potential health benefits, is the nonpsychoactive component of marijuana — meaning that eating a CBD burger will not get you high.

McDonald’s Rules Out Beef Patties As Source of E. coli Outbreak

McDonald’s said Sunday that beef patties in its Quarter Pounder burgers aren’t the source of the E. coli outbreak which has killed one and sickened about 75 .

The fast food chain says it’s certain that any contaminated food has been removed from its supply chain, and is no longer in restaurants.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture said all samples of McDonald’s beef patties tested negative for E. coli.

The department of agriculture added that beef testing is done, and they don’t expect more samples.

U.S. fast-food chains have removed fresh onions from their menu after they were identified as the likely source of the outbreak.

E. coli is killed in beef when cooked properly, but the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder includes raw, sliced onions.

Affected restaurants are now serving the burgers without those onions.

Since the incident, McDonald’s has removed the Quarter Pounder from about 20% of its U.S. restaurants.

Previous E. coli outbreaks have hurt sales at big fast-food chains as customers stay away from affected outlets.

McDonald’s said it would soon start serving Quarter Pounders again, and they should be in all restaurants over the coming week.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh; Editing by Nick Zieminski)