Last week, our presenter was Dr Stacy Lischka, Executive Director of Poudre Valley Community Farms (PVCF), a local farming and conservation non-profit dedicated to helping Northern Colorado farmers and ranchers raise food for local consumption by connecting them to land and water.
She very successfully “winged it” without slides until the projector arrived a short time after the start of her talk. She described the work as “at the intersection of conservation, food and community”.
Her first slide was a map of Northern Colorado showing a ring around the cities of Ft Collins, Greeley and Loveland indicating the surrounding farmland at risk of becoming “something else”. The latest example of this happening is the 3-acre Bucky’s gas station, which permanently removed 180 acres of rich farmland (in Larimer County we lose 2500 acres of farmland each year to other uses). And we lose the sense of open spaces, separation of our cities and part of our agricultural heritage. We also may lose the farmers!
PVCF was started in 2016 by 2 local farmers after they had to move their farm operation 8 times in 10 years! Instead of farming with conservation and community as their focus they spent their time moving. Out of this experience and with the help from a group of supporters, PCVF was born with its mission to support local farmers as they grow food that is good for people and good for the land.
PCVF does 3 things - provide (local) affordable long-term access to food and water, support “conservation agriculture” and connect people who grow food, care about food and eat food. The process involves:
- Purchasing land (protected with a conservation easement and sold back to farmers at a reduced price)
- Leasing land (primary partner is City of Ft Collins Natural Areas)
- Taking donations of land (from developers to ensure some portion continues for agriculture in the community)
- Working with private landowners (eg, the family farmer who wishes to keep their land for farming even when the family will no longer continue farming)
- There are 4 components to Conservation Agriculture in this context
- Improve soil health (teaching methods to restore carbon to the soil)
- Conserve water (implement efficient irrigation systems that have reduced water use by 70%)
- Protect wildlife and provide habitat (eg, planting flowers next to crops for pollinators)
- Support long-term stability (includes training in agriculture and marketability)
And PCVF’s final role - Building community which includes
- Public access to Natural Areas (eg, school paths that go past growing vegetables)
- Events that connect farmers and eaters
- Support network to connect farmers and ranchers (“isolated” farmers may have more mental health issues than those in other occupations)
- Partnerships to support access to local food (especially for community members of lower socioeconomic status)
The next slide shows how since 2015, 14 farmers have been supported by PVCF on 350+ acres of farmland growing vegetables, fruit, poultry, eggs, beef, pork, goat, dairy, wool and grains. Supported farmers and ranchers include those just starting as well as those experienced from very diverse backgrounds.
Stacy finished by sharing 2 stories from beneficiaries of the program illustrating the many ways PVCF can help develop successful producers. The last slide shows how members can donate to this work. Website:Poudrevalleycommunityfarms.com and email:stacy@poudrevalleyfarms.com. But perhaps most importantly we can share the PVCF story with others who have a heart for community service. This “local” solution to a national problem is unique!