Where Does Colorado Rank When it Comes to Hobby Farming?

When spring emerges in Colorado, you see plenty of residents buying and planting fruits, vegetables, and flowers, including myself. I like to garden and the satisfaction of growing my own food feels amazing.

Colorado does have a lot of great gardeners and hobby farmers, but is the state good for hobby farming? This topic can be polarizing as some would say yes and others would be prone to say no way. Why would Colorado be a bad place to have a hobby farm? Well, I can tell you from experience, it is gut-wrenching to see all of your hard work and care get pummeled in a matter of seconds in a Colorado hailstorm.

What exactly is a hobby farm?

Lawn Love classifies a hobby farm as a farm for pleasure; the main income source is produced by other means. Think of a 9 to 5 job, but you also sell some fruits and vegetables you grow. Hobby farms are also less than 50 acres in size.

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Is Colorado a good place to hobby farm?

If you want to try your hand at hobby farming in 2025, location is key. Lawn Love released a list of the best states for hobby farming in 2025. Colorado is on that list, however, it's at the bottom.

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Overall, Colorado ranked 44th place. One of the worst states for hobby farms. Why? There are a lot of factors that come into play when talking about a hobby farm. Lawn Love has four categories that rank each state. Land and environmental conditions, livestock and agricultural resources, legal and policy factors, and economic and market access. These are Colorado's rankings in each of those categories:

Land and environmental conditions - 36
Livestock and agricultural resources - 17
Legal and policy factors - 42
Economic and market access - 18

Colorado has a relatively short growing season in most areas and even shorter in the Rocky Mountains. Combine the short growing season with severe spring and summer weather, and you can see why Colorado has ranked so low on the list of states that would be the best for hobby farmers.

To learn more about the best states for hobby farming, visit lawnlove.com.