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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…
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The Handshake Diet: Green Junction Farmstead
Above: Dawn Trujillo and Brian Adams run Green Junction Farmstead in Clifton, Colorado. On just one acre of land, Dawn Trujillo and Brian Adams can feed 500 to 700 people per week. Dawn and Brian’s farmstead, Green Junction Farmstead in Clifton, Colorado, is a beacon for all things fresh, local, and delicious. Brian and…
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Swift: From Microgreen Farming to Food Waste Recycling
Above: Reed Youngbar at Swift Microgreens Farm in Billings, Montana. In farming, even if you do everything right, things can go wrong. Access to a sustainable, thriving market is essential for any farmer to succeed. New and first-generation farmers are often forced into the dilemma of either purchasing somewhat affordable land far away from…
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Young Roots Farm: Mindful Food for Mindful People
Above: Farmer Amy Young at Young Roots Farm in Baker City, Oregon. Young Roots Farm is a small, ever-diversifying, woman-owned and operated farm raising food mindfully for family and community. In the hills above Sutton Creek, southeast of Baker City, Oregon, a group of Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs trot over sagebrush and bunchgrass filled…
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Christine Hampshire: The Wyoming Food Freedom Act and Raw Milk
Above: Christine Hampshire at Cross E Dairy. Christine runs Cross E Dairy, a raw milk operation, in Leiter, Wyoming on the family beef cow and calf ranch. Leiter, Wyoming is wide open country nestled along Clear Creek in eastern Sheridan County. Although Wyoming is not known as a major dairy producing state, the openness…
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Landless Farmer: Patrick Certain’s Story
Above: Farmer Patrick Certain at his downtown Billings, Montana apartment. Patrick has been searching for farmland for the last two years. He’s determined to find his own place soon and start planting this summer. Patrick Certain is one of the thousands of new farmers looking for farmland. Patrick sat in his downtown Billings, Montana…
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Wyoming Food Freedom Act Provides Opportunity for Producers
Above: Joe Wesnitzer in his hydroponic greenhouse in Sheridan, Wyoming. Joe Wesnitzer was surrounded by the gentle hum of a heater while working in his greenhouse harvesting fresh lettuce in late October — a rarity in Wyoming. Outside, his herd of Scottish Highland cattle grazed the frosty ground. The sun was just beginning to…
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Local Producers Connect Community to Food: B&G Produce and the Capital City Farmers’ MarketAbove
Above: Matt and Lindy Geraets standing in their greenhouse about 20 miles east of Pierre, South Dakota. Matt and Lindy Geraets never set out to be farmers. Standing in freshly fallen, early-November snow, the Geraets reflected on their missteps, triumphs and journey into farming. Matt and Lindy grew up near Pierre, South Dakota.…