Joint Budget Committee trims Department of Agriculture budget, partially funds animal disease traceability program

The Joint Budget Committee on Friday reduced the Department of Agriculture’s proposed general‑fund appropriations for FY 2025–26, partially approved funding for the department’s animal disease traceability program and advanced a technical reorganization of the long bill.

Phoebe Kanagaraja, JPC staff, told the committee the department originally requested $137,000 and 0.5 FTE for animal disease traceability (ADT) but staff recommended partial, modified approval: $107,000 and 0.5 FTE for FY 2025–26, with $46,300 from the general fund and the remainder from the Agricultural Management Fund (AMF). Kanagaraja said the department’s request was driven by a small federal funding decrease, higher database maintenance costs and operational pressures. "Staff recommendation is partial and modified approval of this department's request," she said.

Why it matters: ADT supports livestock disease control and interstate trade by tracking animal movements and distributing electronic ID tags, Kanagaraja said. She and other staff cited a federal role in ADT and warned that inadequate state funding could affect Colorado livestock producers’ trade. Committee members debated whether general fund dollars should replace federal funding that previously paid personnel costs.

Discussion and key decisions

- Animal disease traceability (R1): Kanagaraja explained the ADT program has about $250,000 in federal funding now and a shortfall of roughly $180,000 after federal support is counted. She described the program as employing three FTE (a veterinarian, a technician and a traceability specialist) and said the department asked to add 0.5 FTE previously funded with federal dollars. Senator Kirkmeyer, Representative Taggart and others questioned supplanting federal funds with general fund appropriations and whether travel/outreach lines were necessary. Senator Amabile said she was "comfortable going with the staff recommendation" because of avian‑flu and other disease risks. Representative Sirota moved the staff recommendation; the motion carried with one objection (Senator Kirkmeyer).

- Soil health program (R2): The department requested $262,000 and 1.8 FTE (annualizing to $295,000 and 2 FTE ongoing) to continue a soil health program that would include a technical coordinator, microgrants and database support. Staff recommended denial because of general fund constraints and the presence of a recently enacted income tax credit (identified in the presentation as HB 24 1249) that staff said would begin in 2026 and target a different producer population. Representative Sirota moved the staff recommendation; there were no objections.

- Long‑bill reorganization (R3): Staff recommended and the committee approved in concept moving existing long‑bill line items to reflect the department’s current internal divisions (for example, splitting the long bill so the animal health division appears separately rather than grouped). Kanagaraja described the change as technical: "This is reorganizing the long bill to match with the department's organizational structure that currently exists." Representative Sirota moved the recommendation; the motion carried with one objection (Senator Kirkmeyer).

- Staff‑initiated adjustments and cuts: The committee approved a set of staff‑initiated technical transfers and cash‑fund changes including: a technical realignment moving remaining appropriations into the Division of Animal Welfare (SI1); a cash fund transfer package to consolidate small cash funds and end an inactive rodent control cash fund (SI2); and a $200,000 ongoing reduction to the agrivoltaic grant line (SI5). All three moved on unanimous votes. The committee also approved a $250,000 ongoing cut to the Noxious Weed Management Fund (staff‑initiated); that motion carried 5–1 with Senator Bridges objecting after members debated the role counties and conservation districts play in managing weeds.

- State Fair and other line items: Staff recommended converting $450,000 in ongoing general fund support to additional State Fair Authority cash‑fund spending authority to keep the fair’s programs funded; the committee approved that staff recommendation. Committee members flagged an interest in reassessing the balance between local (Pueblo) and state funding for the Colorado State Fair and asked staff to provide more detail on local revenue and maintenance costs in a follow‑up. The committee also approved base appropriations and line‑item detail for the commissioner's office, agricultural services, agricultural markets, the Brand Board, the Colorado State Fair, the Conservation Board and the Division of Animal Welfare in procedural votes; most of those motions were unanimous or passed with a single objection as noted in the record.

Contentions and clarifications

Committee members repeatedly raised the budgeting practice of using vacancy savings or federal funds to pay ongoing personnel costs and expressed reluctance to "supplant" general fund spending for what had been federal payroll. Senator Kirkmeyer and others urged the department to reassign existing staff where possible rather than creating ongoing general‑fund obligations. Kanagaraja clarified that the department historically covered some ADT costs by applying federal funds to personnel and by using vacancy savings when available, and that the request would stabilize a portion of those costs.

Staff added a request for information (RFI) asking the department to report annually on November 1 on the Agricultural Management Fund’s use. The RFI passed unanimously.

Ending note

Committee members approved the figure‑setting document with the adjustments above and asked the Department of Agriculture and JBC staff to return with more detailed fund‑balance and program‑specific information where requested, particularly on the AMF, State Fair local revenue, and the distribution of noxious‑weed grants. Several members emphasized the need to preserve core disease‑control functions while finding savings in grant and discretionary lines.