Monday, March 18

The Crestone Eagle is a nonprofit monthly newspaper serving Crestone and the San Luis Valley

Agriculture

Cactus Hill Farm: Upholding a six-generation sheep farming legacy

By Anya Kaats. Elena Miller-ter Kuile was studying International Agricultural Development (IAD) at Cornell when she had a life-altering realization: “I thought working in IAD was going to help save the world, but then I realized, wait a second, the United States isn’t great when it comes to agriculture. Why would I go to other countries to tell them how to live when my own country also needs help figuring out how to do things better?” After her realization, Kuile returned home, determined to continue her family’s legacy of sheep farming, which stretches back six generations. Kuile’s ancestors were some of...

Nourishing the Valley: The SLV’s food system

By Ameille Warner. For over 10,000 years, the people of the San Luis Valley (SLV) have been sustained by the bounties of this land — hunting, foraging, and cultivating all they needed thanks to the fertile soil and abundant water. Agriculture in the Valley continues to play a vital role in Colorado’s economy, ranging from the mighty SLV potato to diverse crops and livestock, contributing nearly $490 million and standing as the region’s largest private employer. Despite this rich agricultural heritage, modern times have created complex obstacles within the SLV food system. Barriers to local producers include the growing export model,...

Culture, community, and sustainable agriculture  

By Kim Black. Photo: Matt Lit. Nestled along the Rio Grande in Alamosa, CO, is a special opportunity to meet the farmers who grow your food, participate in the local food movement, and build community. The event is the Mercadillo en el Rio Farmer’s Market, hosted by the Rio Grande Farm Park (RGFP). The Mercadillo brings people together from a variety of backgrounds and is an inclusive venue for celebrating the rich diversity and heritage of the Valley.   Visitors to the Mercadillo can enjoy storytelling and crafts from local vendors and access to the river and a playground. Food...

History, food, and renewable energy: Mosca’s Dune Valley Distillery 

By Daniel Hart. Not far from the Great Sand Dunes National Park, a small group of highly motivated people are working quickly and efficiently, wrapping up food aggregation as the setting sun casts its sangria hue on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  This small group isn’t who you might think. It’s not a Paleolithic hunting party butchering a mammoth and gathering what plants they can carry for the uncertain road ahead like in times past. It’s a new generation of hunter-gatherers, known as the Valley Roots Food Hub and the Dune Valley Distillery.  While the Food Hub has been working to build...

Jones Farms Organics: Sustainability leads at Hooper’s fourth-generation potato farm

By Anya Kaats Photo by Matt Lit Michael Jones, his wife Sarah, and their daughters Opal and Juliette arrived in the San Luis Valley (SLV) at the golden hour after a rainstorm. It was August 7, 2017. They were greeted by a double rainbow. “My favorite number is seven,” explained Sarah, “so it was perfect. We knew we were doing the right thing.”  Michael had grown up in Hooper on his family’s potato farm, moving to Seattle for college to pursue a career in biotech. Sarah, a San Diego native with a degree in communications, always knew they’d move back to...

Blue Range Ranch: Chop wood, carry water & raise cattle

By Anya Kaats As I sat down to interview George Whitten, founder of Blue Range Ranch on County Road U in Saguache, he told me that we were only 100 feet away from where his grandfather first built a homestead in 1893. George’s grandfather was a pastoralist who ran a herd of sheep above Creede into the Baldies and around Lake City every summer, circling back down into the San Luis Valley (SLV) in the fall. They initially acquired both the herding operation and the sheep from a Hispanic family who lived there before. George’s father inherited the operation but lost...

San Luis Valley Seed Exchange becomes a non-profit

Since 2010, the annual San Luis Valley Seed Exchange (SLVSE) has been organized and supported by its founder and many volunteers, and during the last 8 years, facilitated by Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa. The organization’s annual spring event has always been generously supported by individual contributions from the local community as well as sponsored by many local businesses. Jae Sanders and Bob Pedersen are co-presidents of the new non-profit organization. The SLV Seed Exchange’s main event will continue to be the Spring Seed Exchange, and this will always be at the organization’s core. The Seed Exchange’s mission is to develop...

Ginny Ducale’s  PermaFest talk on ‘The Living Soil’

My talk is about many things, mainly green manures or cover crops and building good soil.  Soil is so important in the growing of food for the stomach or even the soul.  The hunger that we talk about around the globe is not only in the stomachs of the world but also in the hearts and minds to find that which really fulfills us. So, about soil. It is the offspring of the Earth, the Earth is the mother, soil is the offspring and we are the offspring of the soil. We are truly a part of this middle earth...

Nourishing the Valley: The SLV’s food system

By Ameille Warner. For over 10,000 years, the people of the San Luis Valley (SLV)...

Culture, community, and sustainable agriculture  

By Kim Black. Photo: Matt Lit. Nestled along the Rio Grande in Alamosa, CO,...

History, food, and renewable energy: Mosca’s Dune Valley Distillery 

By Daniel Hart. Not far from the Great Sand Dunes National Park, a small group...

Jones Farms Organics: Sustainability leads at Hooper’s fourth-generation potato farm

By Anya Kaats Photo by Matt Lit Michael Jones, his wife Sarah, and their daughters...

Blue Range Ranch: Chop wood, carry water & raise cattle

By Anya Kaats As I sat down to interview George Whitten, founder of Blue Range...

San Luis Valley Seed Exchange becomes a non-profit

Since 2010, the annual San Luis Valley Seed Exchange (SLVSE) has been organized and...

Ginny Ducale’s  PermaFest talk on ‘The Living Soil’

My talk is about many things, mainly green manures or cover crops and building...

Creating a sustainable local food supply

Once upon a time families and communities grew their own food. They ate with...
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