Colorado consumers should have deep concern over the impending confirmation of Nicole Rosmarino as executive director of the Colorado State Land Board, a decision set for Thursday that jeopardizes the state’s agricultural lifeline.

Rosmarino’s history of bold anti-agriculture stances clashes starkly with the Land Board’s mission to “strengthen and advance Colorado agriculture” and its vision of a “strong and vibrant” industry driving the economy with a safe, abundant food supply.

Any appointment threatening food production is an assault on farmers, ranchers, rural communities and humanity’s sustenance — a risk we cannot afford, especially as Colorado agriculture, valued at $47 billion annually, remains our state’s most critical export and economic driver.

This appointment poses more regulatory excess that imposes direct and disproportionate harm on poor minority households that can’t afford higher food costs.

Rosmarino’s activism raises alarming red flags. As founder of the Southern Plains Land Trust, she spent 30 years advocating to restore 60,000 acres in Bent and Prowers counties to shortgrass prairie, off limits for conventional farming. On an Instagram video, Rosmarino boasts of chasing cattle around with drones.

Her 2018 Rewilding Institute report declared, “We cannot depend on public lands in the southern Great Plains to preserve biodiversity, as they are broadly utilized for livestock grazing and energy development,” pushing for private farms to halt crop production for the sake of wildlife.

Rosmarino’s 2024 Southern Plains Land Trust Instagram post, “Cows be gone! We only allow native grazers,” signals outright hostility to cattle, a cornerstone of Colorado’s $4.6 billion beef industry.

In her past role as wildlife coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Animal Defense, Rosmarino hailed the 1998 Vail arson as “one of the most beautiful acts of economic sabotage” and called the perpetrators “heroes.” No one who praises arson belongs in public office.

This history and more suggests Rosmarino harbors malice toward Colorado’s 23,000 farms and ranches that provide 171,000 jobs statewide.

Her tenure as Gov. Jared Polis’ policy adviser for Wildlife, Agriculture, and Rural Economic Development — where she assured the rural caucus of supporting agriculture — rings hollow against her actions. The Southern Plains Land Trust removes cattle corrals and power poles, deeming them unnatural, while her Rewilding Institute connections advocate letting nature “run its course,” and convert productive land into wildlife reservations.

The Land Board oversees 2.8 million acres, 98% leased for agriculture, generating $2 billion for schools via the Building Excellent Schools Today program. Rosmarino’s agenda risks disrupting public education funded by generational ranch leases — with nearly 200 set to expire by early 2026 — threatening rural stability.

The agricultural community’s unease is palpable. Carlye Currier of the Colorado Farm Bureau warns of an agenda “not protecting agriculture.” Erin Karney of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association notes lease uncertainty could dismantle livelihoods.

Rosmarino’s ties to wolf reintroduction and eco-sabotage provide another signal that Colorado’s executive branch favors ideology over practicality. A 2023 University of Colorado study projects a 15% economic hit to rural counties if grazing lands shrink.

Colorado farmers, ranchers and average consumers deserve a leader aligned with their needs — not one poised to regulate a reduction in food production. The Land Board should reconsider this perilous choice and protect Colorado’s agricultural heritage.

The Gazette Editorial Board