Why climate change is a big worry for farmers in this Colorado county - Investigate Midwest (2025)

Less than half of residents in farming-dependent counties say they are worried about climate change, well below the 63% national average.

However, in Costilla County in south-central Colorado, more than 70% of residents said they are either somewhat or very worried about climate change, according to the 2024 Climate Opinion survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Farming-dependent counties, as well as those with economies centered around mining and manufacturing, reported lower levels of concern for climate change in the survey compared to counties with economies tied to recreation and government agencies.

But the high level of concern in Costilla County highlights how extreme weather can impact the outlook of farmers.

Part of the San Luis Valley, Costilla County is in the midst of an extended drought that has led to a shortage of water for the region’s crops and cattle.

“Extremes in weather in this Massachusetts-sized area are bringing farmers to their knees like nearly no place else in the United States,” a National Geographic reporter wrote in 2021.

Jennifer Marlon, who created the Yale Climate Opinion Maps, said residents in counties tied to farming, mining and manufacturing might be more resistant to climate change because they see proposed environmental policies as a threat to their livelihood.

“People have called that solution aversion; it’s not that they don’t think climate change isn’t happening, but they really don’t like the solutions,” Marlon said. “I think that was starting to change under the Biden administration because a lot of those communities were starting to get financial benefits for alternative energy and investing in solar and building plants that provide jobs.

“Now there is really concerted pushback against that, which is starting to take us more in the other direction.”

Farming-dependent counties are defined by the USDA as counties where 25% or more of average annual earnings were derived from farming, or 16% or more of jobs were in farming.

There are 444 counties labeled as farming-dependent, although hundreds more have strong agricultural economic ties. Most of these counties are in rural areas that lean politically conservative, which may be why most reported lower levels of concern for climate change than other counties.

Data Harvest(formerly Graphic of the Week) is Investigate Midwest’s way of making complex agricultural data easy to understand. Through engaging graphics, charts, and maps, we break down key trends to help readers quickly grasp the forces shaping farming, food systems, and rural communities. Want us to explore other data trends?Let us know here.