Ranching motivations in 2 Colorado Counties

The objectives of this Colorado study were to assess primary reasons ranche rs choose to stay or sell the ranch, compare the motivations for ranching b etween a traditional agriculturally based county and a rapidly developing c ounty, and assess whether factors such as length of tenure, fiscal dependen cy on ranching, and dependency on public lands play roles in decisions to s ell. Personal interviews were conducted with 37 ranchers. While land use co nversion occurs for a wide variety of reasons, lack of heirs and detrimenta l public policy were important reasons given for selling ranches. Responses showed Routt County (a rapidly developing county) ranchers were more likel y to sell due to land use conversion related issues than Moffat County ranc hers (p = 0.056). Ranchers with a longer legacy on their land reported that profitability, having likely heirs, and continuing tradition enhanced thei r reasons to stay. Groups more "at risk" of selling were non-homesteading r anchers close to retirement, larger ranches, and ranchers dependent on ranc hing for income with declining profits. Large ranch owners experiencing lan d use conflicts with non-ranchers and ranchers modestly dependent on public forage experiencing changes in public policy regulations and land use conf licts also indicated a higher proclivity to sell. Noting how groups of ranc hers are impacted by different changes can help refine community efforts re lated to land use conversion and create more thoughtful policy measures.