Agriculture

Reprinted from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. DENVER, CO—Southern Ute Indian Reservation - A historic partnership is forging between the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Through the USDA or NRCS Agency's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the entities have jointly entered an alternative funding arrangement (AFA) to improve rangeland resiliency and health on Tribal lands. This project is funded through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). "This is an exciting partnership", said Clint Evans, NRCS State Conservationist in Colorado. "The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is the first Tribe in the...

Sustaining the legacy of an ancient crop By Anya Kaats. Paul New’s family has been farming in the San Luis Valley (SLV) for more than 100 years, going back to around 1917. Originally the News grew organic wheat, alfalfa, and raised sheep, but in 1984, New’s father Ernie, alongside their friend John McCamant, started experimenting with quinoa. In 1987, White Mountain Farm was incorporated and became the first large-scale quinoa operation in North America, located in Mosca, CO.  Known as “The Mother Grain” of the Incas, quinoa has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, originating from the Andean region of South America, particularly...

By Maria Karahalios. Valley Roots Food Hub Mosca, Colorado—Valley Roots Food Hub (VRFH) launches the Summer 2024 Fresh Box multi-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program on June 20 through September 11. The program runs alongside the fresh harvest season to bring shareholders fresh and local produce from growers across the Colorado bio-region.  Every Thursday, shareholders will receive a box of specially curated produce that aims to supplement a family of two to three people. In addition to the produce, shareholders will receive a weekly newsletter filled with valley happenings, producer bios, creative recipes, warehouse highlights, and how to store produce. For June,...

An interview with Move Mountains Project Executive Director, Shirley Romero Otero By Anna Lee Vargas. Since its official inception in 2014, Move Mountains Project (Move Mountains) has served as an art and entrepreneurship community education program that builds sustainable platforms for the youth leaders of San Luis, Colorado. Move Mountains’ mission is to encourage youth, as heirs to the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant, to develop deeper understandings of art, resource preservation and entrepreneurship in order to empower active community citizens through a focus on local and global social justice issues.  Since lack of employment is a major obstacle for youth of...

By Joanna Dokson. The Atalanta Cooperative Garden has openings for both working and non-working members for the 2024 season. Located on the north bank of Willow Creek, the garden is in its 23rd year of production on the Atalanta project land. The garden produces food for members and the Food Bank each summer with the help of working members and volunteers. All produce is grown with organic methods and products, and our water comes from our solar-powered well. Each year a wide variety of veggies are grown: asparagus, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, beans, peppers, radishes, kale, chard, carrots, beets, garlic, rutabagas,...

Protecting Indigenous foodways, feeding community, and empowering youth By Anya Kaats The Acequia Institute, located in San Luis, CO, has emerged as a beacon of community empowerment in the realm of agriculture and environmental justice. Among the Institute’s many endeavors is a 35-year-old seed sanctuary. The Acequia Institute’s founder, Devon Peña, has collected seeds over the years for the sanctuary — mainly corn, beans, and squash. These three foods are main agricultural crops for various Indigenous peoples in Central and North America and are often referred to by the Haudenosaunee (The Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy) as “The Three Sisters”.  The three crops...

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...

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,...