Water Plays Important Role in Weld County Agriculture
K99 has teamed up with LaSalle Oil to “Celebrate Colorado’s Farmers and Ranchers”.
Without water there would be no agriculture in Weld County. It all began with the construction of the No. 3 ditch off the Poudre River in 1870. It was the first ditch in the United States built specifically to grow food.
By the late 1890s and early 1900s, agriculture in Weld County began to blossom as water was brought to fields from the main rivers in the area, including the St. Vrain, Big and Little Thompson, Poudre, Boulder Creek and others all that fed the South Platte River.
The majority of that water came from snowmelt, but it wasn’t long before farmers in the area realized the need to build water storage facilities for irrigation during the later days of the growing season.
While early settlers of the Union Colony had gardens they irrigated, the first major irrigated crops to come into the region were potatoes and sugar beets.
Celebrating Northern Colorado's Farmers and Ranchers is brought to you exclusively by LaSalle Oil Company. Established in 1991 as a provider of bulk oils and fuels in the Northern Colorado area, LaSalle Oil is committed to providing only the highest quality products and services to our customers. For more information about Northern Colorado’s premiere oil and fuel distributor please visit LaSalleOil.com.