Poudre Valley Community Farms

Commissioner of Agriculture Visits PVCF Farms

On August 16th, PVCF hosted Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Kate Greenburg, and members of her staff to showcase our innovative conservation agriculture collaboration with the Natural Areas Department of the City of Fort Collins. Also in attendance were Larimer County Commissioners John Kefalas and Jody Shadduck-McNally, as well as Jeni Arndt, Mayor of Fort Collins, and a number of city, county, and state staff members. As participants gathered for coffee and pastries, our Executive Director, Stacy Lischka, delivered brief remarks about the essential nature of these partnerships to both preserve land access for farmers and help the city meet its commitment to improve conservation outcomes and resident access to local foods.

Nic Koontz from Native Hill Farm gave the group a tour of Kestrel Fields before a delicious farm to table lunch provided by The Regional, after which the group moved to Flores Del Sol. There, Val Sumner of NoCo Cattle Company led a tour of the site, which included her operation and Colorado Fresh Farms’s vegetable crops and farmstand. After that, the group heard from Dennis Lacerte of Belafonte Farms about his experience with the Foodshed Project’s Farm Accelerator Project, which is also housed on the site. Finally, Commissioner Greenberg spoke about the state’s commitment to helping farmers build successful operations in Colorado.  

This event was a wonderful opportunity to share the important outcomes of our partnership with the Fort Collins Natural Areas Department in supporting small, local agricultural businesses. Our innovative approaches to jointly achieving these goals while also meeting the conservation goals of the Natural Areas Department are truly cutting edge, and we were thankful to demonstrate the value of this partnership to state, county, and city representatives.  This visit has spurred continuing conversations with state, county and city partners on how to increase our impact and support even more farmers and producers.

We’d like to thank the following partners for their support in making this event such a success: Fortified Collaborations, The Pig and The Plow, The Regional, Native Hill Farm, Belafonte Farm, Colorado Fresh Farm, St. Michael’s Farm, Maxwell Beef, and City of Fort Collins Natural Areas.

Support Local

Now more than ever before, it is so important to support our local farmers and ranchers. Below are some ideas for how you can help:

JODAR FARMS

Jodar Farms’ online store is a convenient way to purchase your eggs, pork, and lamb with weekly pickups in Fort Collins, Wellington, Boulder, Longmont, and Denver.  Summer CSA shares are also still available! This program helps fund the season early and support the farm through the current crisis.  Half and whole hog orders are also available for May and June, with limited availability.

NATIVE HILL FARM

Secure your summer CSA share from Native Hill today! The farm is full steam ahead and excited to be growing fresh, nutrient-dense food for our community. Read more about their commitment to health and safety here.

eFARMERS.org

Missing the farmers market and looking to support multiple local farmers and vendors at once? Check out the new eFarmers.org market featuring farm bundles full of local food and produce! Deliveries are on Sunday in the Front Range and Larimer County.

SHOP LOCAL

Don’t forget to support the restaurants and businesses that support our farmers! This is a very challenging time for the service industry,  so please considering buying a gift card to use in the future.  A little like a CSA for restaurants! Many of you know and love The  Regional, who is an amazing supporter of local food.  Click here to purchase a gift card from their website. Two-for-one idea: Jodar Farms’ eggs are carried at local favorites like Little On Mountain, Little Bird Bakeshop, and Pig & Plow. Get your pastries, lunch, or dinner and a dozen eggs all in one-stop (or delivery, in some cases!)