Top 10 Colorado Agricultural Products

Did you know Colorado ranks among the top states in the nation for production of several commodities, including winter wheat, potatoes and sorghum? From cattle and calves to hay, corn, eggs and more, learn about the top Colorado agricultural products based on annual cash receipts. Defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, cash receipts refer to the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year.

1. Cattle and Calves

$5.1 billion

Cattle and calves are Colorado’s leading agricultural commodity in terms of cash receipts. The state ranks No. 10 in the nation for cattle and calf inventory, which totaled more than 2.5 million, including 595,000 beef cattle, as of Jan. 1, 2025.

2. Dairy Products & Milk

$1.1 billion

Colorado dairy farms produced more than 5.2 billion pounds of milk from 203,000 dairy cattle in 2024, equivalent to approximately 25,892 pounds (more than 3,000 gallons) of milk per cow. Colorado ranks No. 13 in the nation for milk production.

See more: Colorado Dairy Farmers Embrace Ag Tech

3. Corn

$737.5 million

In 2024, Colorado farms harvested 1.18 million acres of corn for grain and 200,000 acres of corn for silage, yielding more than 136 million bushels of corn for grain and 4.5 million tons of corn silage. In 2023, Colorado farmers harvested 1,517 acres of sweet corn.

4. Hay

$423.7 million

In 2024, Colorado’s hay harvest totaled more than 1.29 million acres, including 675,000 acres of alfalfa, and yielded over 3.4 million tons of hay in total, including nearly 2.5 million tons of alfalfa.

5. Wheat

$335.5 million

Colorado ranks sixth in the nation for winter wheat production. The state’s 2024 winter wheat harvest encompassed 1.84 million acres, producing 64.4 million bushels of the crop.

See more: Colorado Grain Chain Seeks to Increase Market Demand and Awareness for Locally Grown Grains

6. Potatoes

$266.7 million

Ranking No. 6 for potato production and No. 2 in fresh potato exports in the U.S., Colorado produced more than 21.7 million hundredweight of the crop in 2024 from harvests spanning 53,700 acres.

7. Floriculture

$129.4 million

Colorado’s floriculture industry includes the production of everything from bedding and garden plants to cut flowers, potted flowering plants, perennials and more. In 2023, Colorado was home to 103 floriculture operations with combined sales totaling more than $129 million. Bedding plant sales totaled more than $85.7 million, while flower sales totaled more than $3.8 million.

8. Hogs

$119.8 million

Hogs are a top Colorado agriculture product. With an inventory of 540,000 hogs as of Dec. 1, 2024, Colorado ranks 15th in the nation for hog production.

9. Chicken Eggs

$109.2 million

In 2024, Colorado farms produced 1.03 billion eggs from nearly 3.4 million laying hens.

See more: Top Colorado Agriculture Facts From the Census of Agriculture

10. Sorghum

$60.8 million

Colorado ranks fifth in the nation for production of sorghum for silage and fifth for production of sorghum for grain. In 2024, Colorado farms harvested 17,000 acres of sorghum for silage and 460,000 acres of sorghum for grain.