{"id":139161,"date":"2026-07-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-colorado-ranchers-face-triple-whammy-amid-fires-drought-and-high-costs\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T05:04:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:04:20","slug":"southwest-colorado-ranchers-face-triple-whammy-amid-fires-drought-and-high-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/southwest-colorado-ranchers-face-triple-whammy-amid-fires-drought-and-high-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Colorado ranchers face \u2018triple whammy\u2019 amid fires, drought and high costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Several
Several ranchers were forced to move their cattle to higher pastures as the 65,000-acre Ferris Fire breached grazing lands. (Courtesy of Alyssa Wilcox)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

On June 27 after lunchtime, rancher Alyssa Wilcox observed a large plume of smoke looming southwest of the U.S. Forest Service land on the San Juan National Forest where her cows grazed. She recalled a similar sight from last year\u2019s Sharp Canyon Fire near Cahone and watching a cloud of gray build behind her camp.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the Sharp Canyon Fire remained at a safe distance. The Ferris Fire, however, was different.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I got outside, I could tell that it was close,\u201d Wilcox said.<\/p>\n

Soon after, the Forest Service issued evacuation orders as the flames touched the pasture where her horses grazed. She gathered her dogs and horses and tried to round up her 600 cows before evacuating to her home in Blanding, Utah.<\/p>\n

\"Montezuma
Montezuma County Commissioner Gerald Koppenhafer has been doing veterinary work in Utah, treating cattle trapped and injured by the massive Babylon Fire. Based on the cattle he\u2019s treated, he says fire injuries can result in devastating losses to herds and rancher income. (Courtesy of Alyssa Wilcox)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cWe just kicked the gates open, and we grabbed a big bunch, and just shoved them to the next pasture,\u201d Wilcox said. \u201cBecause of the way the fire was moving, we could only ride one day. So we just had to hope that they followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the weeks since, the Ferris Fire has eaten up 65,000 acres and, based on conversations with firefighters and Forest Service officials, Wilcox\u2019s herd avoided the blaze. She\u2019s allowed to return Wednesday to assess the scorched earth and the condition of her scattered herd, which officials and neighbors have told her are mostly intact.<\/p>\n

However, the fire is just one hardship in a list of challenges Southwest Colorado farmers and ranchers are facing this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause how dry it\u2019s been and how little forage there is, there will be a tremendous reduction in the number of cattle in this area,\u201d Gerald Koppenhafer, Montezuma County Commissioner and a rancher himself, said. \u201cThere will be ranchers that will never come back to the amount they have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Due to this year\u2019s mild winter lacking in precipitation, Wilcox had to purchase an extra water truck to haul water from ponds onto the pasture. Most of Montezuma and Dolores counties are in extreme drought.<\/p>\n

\"Alyssa
Alyssa Wilcox is unsure whether the U.S. Forest Service will permit her to graze on the same allotment next year after the Ferris Fire burned the land. (Courtesy of Alyssa Wilcox)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

With less water, those harvesting cattle will likely grow less hay, have less forage on grazing allotments and, ultimately, pay higher prices for hay and feed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ranchers are really going to experience a triple whammy out of that,\u201d Shak Powers, deputy director of Region 9 Economic Development District, said.<\/p>\n

Koppenhafer called it \u201ceconomically devastating\u201d to the ranching community, saying it presents a risk to the region\u2019s economy as a whole with agriculture being one of the key industries in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may take them several years to come back,\u201d Koppenhafer said. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize what an economic driver that is to this community, but it\u2019s millions of dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture census, cattle sales totaled 9.3 million in Montezuma County and 2.4 million in Dolores County that year. There were 1,918 and 471 producers in each county respectively.<\/p>\n

Koppenhafer explained that farmers and ranchers spend a lot of that money in the local economy, purchasing products from farm stores and other producers.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople talk about the tourism and this and that,\u201d Koppenhafer said. \u201cEvery year, those cattle are going out of here, and all that money\u2019s coming back in..\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s worried ranchers will sell off all or part of their herds after battling the stress and cost of drought, fire and lack of hay, shrinking the agriculture sector of the Southwest Colorado economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them have got to reduce their herd size,\u201d Koppenhafer said. \u201cBecause the herd size is going to be reduced, it\u2019s going to affect how much comes back into this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Powers pointed to the USDA Farm Service Agency, the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado State University Montezuma County Extension, all of which provide financial or farm management assistance.<\/p>\n