An innovative land trust funding Colorado schools since 1876.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2025
Colorado State Land Board Strengthens Agricultural Stewardship At September Board Meeting
Tour of Chico Basin Ranch highlights innovation in grazing and conservation, followed by key board actions to support ranching families statewide.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – The Colorado State Land Board convened in Colorado Springs on September 11, 2025, following a full-day tour of Chico Basin Ranch, which spans El Paso and Pueblo Counties. Commissioners, staff, and partners explored the ranch’s diverse operations, including a new bird banding station, adaptive grazing practices implemented by Flying Diamond Ranch, water management at key reservoirs, and potential biodiversity projects.
During the tour, commissioners learned from lessees and conservation partners about sustainable land management strategies, opportunities for grassland carbon programs, and potential reintroduction of the endangered black-footed ferret. The visit reinforced the Land Board’s dual mission of generating revenue for Colorado’s public schools while stewarding state trust lands.
"Our September meeting highlighted the vital role agriculture plays in our trust portfolio, and the multitude of ways that the State Land Board and the Colorado Department of Agriculture can team up,” Dr. Nicole J. Rosmarino, Director of the State Land Board. “From the resilience of Colorado’s agricultural producers to the innovation of carbon and conservation programs, the Board’s decisions support both the health of Colorado’s trust lands and the schools that depend on them."
At the following day’s public meeting, the Board welcomed a presentation from Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg, who emphasized the importance of resilience in Colorado agriculture and highlighted programs that could help support the State Land board lessees.
"A collaborative partnership between the State Land Board and agricultural producers helps Colorado advance its conservation goals while ensuring a prosperous future for agriculture in our state,” said Commissioner Greenberg. “State trust lands provide a unique opportunity to showcase Colorado’s commitment to conservation: through demonstrations of soil health principles, thoughtful planning, and showcasing how to diversify the use of ag land while preserving agricultural production."
The Board unanimously approved updates to its approach to setting grazing rates, ensuring transparency and predictability for ranching families who lease state trust lands. The Board voted to replace the old regional system with a single statewide grazing rate, simplifying how lease rates are applied across Colorado trust lands. Rates will now be adjusted annually, beginning July 1, 2026, using a transparent commodity-based formula that tracks cattle and corn prices. This replaces the previous reliance on private lease surveys, which had increasingly limited participation. To protect lessees from volatile price swings, the new policy uses a three-year rolling average and includes a 15 percent cap on annual increases or decreases, with any adjustment above that amount carried forward into the next year’s adjustment. The Board also streamlined its pricing tiers, eliminating special categories for “captive” leases and large contiguous properties, while maintaining the distinction between whether improvements are owned by the State Land Board (Tier One) or the lessee (Tier Two). These changes mean ranchers can more easily predict and plan for annual lease costs, while the Land Board ensures fair and consistent revenue for Colorado’s public schools. The unanimous decision reflects the Board’s ongoing commitment to balance fair market returns with long-term stewardship.
Additional approvals included significant lease actions that will strengthen agricultural operations across the state. Staff reported that 91 lease actions were finalized in September under delegated authority, supporting agricultural production, recreation, and stewardship efforts statewide.
The Board’s actions build on a legacy of responsible stewardship, ensuring that the State Land Board’s assets continue to provide both financial returns and ecological benefits. Commissioners emphasized the historic and current importance to agriculture for the State Land Board’s operations, as it explores new opportunities for trust lands.
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About the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners:
The Colorado State Land Board is a constitutionally created agency that manages a $6 billion endowment of assets for the intergenerational benefit of Colorado’s K-12 schoolchildren and public institutions. The agency is the second-largest landowner in Colorado and generates revenue for beneficiaries by leasing three million surface acres and four million subsurface acres for agriculture, grazing, recreation, commercial real estate, rights-of-way, renewable energy, oil, gas, and solid minerals. The agency is entirely self-funded and receives no tax dollars.
Contact:
Emily Barbo
Public Information Officer
Colorado State Land Board
emily.barbo@state.co.us
720-854-3330