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How Sandy Seed Farm is Cultivating a New Future for Urban Agriculture
It started with a small plot of land, barely a 1/16th of an acre, nestled near Old City Park in Moab, Utah. The soil was dry, the space was limited, but for Dyan Fadgen and Nicole Kreiser, it was enough. Enough to plant seeds—both into the ground and about what’s possible when you rethink…
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Garnet Mesa Solar Project: Driving Local Economic Growth, Sustainable Land Use, and Job Creation
On a sunny day in Delta County, Colorado, the Delta Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Garnet Mesa Solar Project, signaling a significant step toward a future powered by renewable energy. Delta County is nestled between the Grand Mesa, the West Elk Mountains, and the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado.…
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Western Colorado Alliance leaders host first of its kind grant-writing workshop for farmers
Above: Participants networked and shared experiences during the dinner break, which a local farm provided. Mastering grant writing has emerged as a vital skill for farmers and ranchers, nearly as crucial as comprehending soil health or navigating deals with processors. Through WCA’s workshops, individuals gain the expertise needed to strengthen their operations and expand…
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More Small Scale Farms can benefit Farmers, the Environment, and the Consumer
When Michael Lobato and his wife Sara bought their five-acre farm back in 2020, it would be hard to imagine the plot would be viable for growing food. Today, there is a half-acre garden, a field of western native grasses, and the potential to grow much more. Before it’s transformation, the land had been…
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Water saving practices make CSAs stronger and bring people closer to their food
Outside of Fruita, Colorado, the flatlands are speckled with small farms. Most of them are mere fragments of the size that farms once were. Wendy and Nevin Troyers’s farm is a handful of acres off of a country road. Since the turn of the century, Colorado has seen several years of drought, 2022 included.…
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Starting a Conversation about Food Justice
“Coffee is a conversation about justice,” said Jana Joramo, co-owner of Copeka Coffee. “The people who are growing food in our fields right now, in the United States, come from the areas that prepare the coffee in your cup. We need to remember it and protect each other.” From sourcing the product, to respecting…
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Holding on to the Ranch: Don Lumbardy
Don Lumbardy was born in 1948 in Mesa County, just 20 miles west of the ranch he stands on today. Lumbardy Ranch is nestled north of the Gunnison River, several miles north of the 209,610-acre Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area, and at the western foot of the Grand Mesa National Forest. Looking out across…
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Growing in Tandem:Diamond G Poultry
Above: Ben (left) and Jacob (right) at Gray Acres Farm. Jacob Gray and Ben Gillespie are not only business partners, they’re friends who share the same values for healthy food systems. Ben and Jacob met six years ago when Jacob was in an internship program with Ben’s family farm, The Living Farm in Delta…
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The Importance of Community Supported Agriculture: The Produce Peddler
Zay & Leah López are first-generation farmers. Together, they own and operate The Produce Peddler. On 26 acres at the west end of the Grand Valley, they grow a large variety of vegetables, melons, and raise chickens and sheep for eggs and meat. Zay and Leah believe that healthy food begins with healthy soil.…
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The Role of a Rancher:Kathryn Bedell
Above: Kathryn Bedell at her ranch in Fruita, Colorado. Ranchers today find themselves needing to do more than ranching to be successful. Ranchers often take on extra roles as stewards of the land, business people, and advocates. Dr. Kathryn Bedell finds herself taking on all of these roles and then some to make her…