Gov.-elect Phil Weiser has nominated Alamosa rancher and state Sen. Cleave Simpson to lead the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Simpson, a fourth-generation farmer with extensive water-policy experience, would bring both agricultural and regional water-management credentials to the job. The selection is Weiser’s first cabinet pick since winning the election.
Simpson is general manager of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and is described in the nomination announcement as a fourth-generation farmer and rancher, according to Colorado Politics. He has represented his district in the state Senate since the 2021 session and was elected the chamber’s minority leader in June 2025 after Sen. Paul Lundeen of Monument resigned from that post. Simpson graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1984, according to The Gazette.
Groundwater rules relevant to the Valley
Colorado’s groundwater framework relies on permits and water-right priorities. New wells that divert groundwater generally require permits, and wells without priority dates senior enough to divert in priority may be able to operate under a water-court-decreed augmentation plan, according to Colorado’s Division of Water Resources. The division also explains that groundwater pumping can deplete surface water. Its water-right administration can include curtailing junior rights that are out of priority and lack an applicable augmentation plan or administrative approval.
A Deliberate Push to Mend Rural Fences
Agricultural community leaders framed the pick as a calculated move by Weiser to repair relationships with rural Colorado and the agriculture sector, and the same reporting noted that many in those communities had felt overlooked or underserved during Gov. Jared Polis' tenure. The Gazette reported that outgoing commissioner Kate Greenberg's lack of production-agriculture experience helped start a rift between the agriculture community and the Polis administration that, in the paper's words, never healed.
Simpson will succeed Greenberg, who was the first woman to hold the agriculture commissioner post. Under Colorado Revised Statutes Title 35, the commissioner is appointed by the governor with the consent of the state Senate, and per the same Colorado Politics report, that chamber must confirm Simpson's nomination once it convenes in January.
Leaving the Senate — And a District Still in Question
Taking the commissioner job means Simpson will resign from the Senate, where he has two years left in his current term. The report states that a GOP vacancy committee in Senate District 35 will then have to select his replacement. A separate account described Simpson settling into District 6 following redistricting, as reported by The Durango Herald, and the discrepancy between the two district numbers is not resolved in the available reporting.
The vacancy will also leave a leadership opening among Senate Republicans. The caucus is scheduled to hold leadership elections this Saturday, Nov. 14, with Sen. Lisa Frizell of Castle Rock expected to run for minority leader in Simpson’s place.
Echoes of a Past Cross-Party Appointment
Colorado has seen this kind of arrangement before. In 2015, Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, selected Republican Don Brown of Yuma as agriculture commissioner, and Brown served through the end of Hickenlooper's final term, according to Colorado Politics' account. The Denver Post reported at the time that Brown, a business owner and third-generation farmer with a background in water conservation, energy development and agricultural technology, was taking over from John Salazar and would lead the department's roughly 300 employees. Simpson's nomination makes him the second Republican to hold the post in a recent Democratic administration.
Industry Voices Welcome the Pick
Agricultural organizations and rural leaders welcomed the choice. Erin Karney Spaur, executive vice president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, praised Simpson as a friend and advocate for Colorado agriculture and the beef industry, saying his producer experience gives him firsthand knowledge of farmers’ and ranchers’ challenges, according to Colorado Politics. Gaspar Perricone, a Western Slope rancher and former Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner, said Simpson’s appointment and the selection of incoming rural advancement director Jeni James Arndt signal a commitment to bridging the urban-rural divide.
Wade Harle, director of Club 20, called Simpson's nomination a brilliant move. Weiser has made the trip to the Western Slope for Club 20 debate events over the past three election cycles, a history that agricultural leaders tied to his broader rural outreach. John Swartout, who served as director of rural affairs under Hickenlooper and has worked on rural issues for more than 30 years across Democratic and Republican administrations, said collaboration and partnership had returned after eight years without a seat at the table.
Simpson's Own Reaction
Simpson himself said the commissioner job was not on his radar even six months earlier, per the Colorado Politics report. He called representing agriculture as its face and voice humbling, said he was thrilled about the opportunity and honor, and described the appointment as the culmination of his life's work in agriculture. Lisa Frizell said she will continue Simpson's leadership with the Senate caucus as the chamber prepares for its own leadership shakeup.
Simpson has previously pointed to U.S. Department of Agriculture data identifying Colorado as the top state for the loss of farms, underscoring the stakes facing whoever leads the department next. With Senate confirmation still pending after lawmakers convene in January, the full timeline for Simpson taking office remains unresolved.
