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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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Grassroots is Where the Change Happens
Above: Henry Red Cloud poses for a portrait in front of a solar panel array at Red Cloud Renewables, October 2022. When storms on the Pine Ridge reservation, home of the Oglala Nation, in South Dakota begin to build, they can be seen from miles away. Above rolling hills, clouds turn into waves and…
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Black Hills Farmers Market Expands Public Access to Local Foods
The Black Hills Farmers market was chattering with neighbors catching up, live music coming from a mom and pop band playing classic folk songs, and the smell of kettle corn drawing people in from the sidewalk. The Farmers Market Supervisor, Barbara Cromwell and Ann Eads sat at the entrance to greet people and distribute…
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Marielena Vega Returns to her Roots to Protect the People Growing Food in Idaho
In 2020, Marielena Vega met a farmworker with a disturbing story. While he was working in a field one day, he noticed a crop-duster flying close by. When he warned his foreman about it, he was told to just duck down and hold his breath. “When he questioned if that was safe, the foreman…
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Farmworker-led Solutions for Health Equity in the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to sweep across the United States, the term “essential worker” did not hold the same weight and meaning as it does today. As stay-at-home orders were enacted, for the first time farmworkers were deemed essential and required to continue to work in the fields and food processing…
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Wes Davis | A Vision for Tribal Sovereignty through Sustainable Energy
The Turtle Mountain Community College sits in the heart of Turtle Mountain Reservation just a few miles south of the Canadian border. Each morning, Wes Davis, the facilities manager scans a chart he refers to as “the heartbeat of the college.” The sensors that have been installed in the school track when doors open…
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Bison Reintroduction | Nature’s Best Tool
In several locations in the West, bison reintroduction has begun to revitalize indigenous culture, increase food sovereignty, and heal the land. The Fort Peck reservation, in northern Montana, is one such place. The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes are leaders in buffalo restoration and have continued the expansion of their buffalo program since…
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Jill Morrison | 30 Years of Protecting Wyoming’s Land, Water and Air
Jill Morrison grew up on her family’s farm in Western Nebraska. The farm fell victim to the 1980s’ farm crisis, forcing the family to sell off sections of the land, piece by piece. “My connection to the land comes from my heritage. I come from farmers and ranchers on both sides of my family,”…
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Jenna Vanhorne | The Future of North Dakota from Farming to State Senate
Jenna Vanhorne is a North Dakota dairy farmer, a mother, and was one of the first women of color to run for state senate in North Dakota. She operates the homestead with her mother, motivated by the lifestyle of having her kids free roaming in the backyard and the feeling of work outside, at…
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Urban Food Forests Provide Space for Community Connection, Education and Nourishment
The Sheridan Food Forest sits alongside Big Goose Creek, tucked into what was once a BMX Park in the community of Sheridan, Wyoming. The once weedy, hard packed lot is now filled with plants and trees native to Wyoming, and supplemented with fruit trees and common vegetables. The food forest seeks to provide food…