April 2024 || Newsletter Edition 165 |
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In this issue:
CSU Food Systems Spotlight
Mark Your Calendar
Funding Opportunities
News, Resources, and Reading
From Our Communities
About Us
Stay Connected
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CSU Food Systems Spotlight |
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Jessica Callen,
Ag and Natural Resource Specialist,
Larimer County
Jess has a Masters in Soil and Crop Science from Colorado State University where her graduate research focused on soil health in ecosystems across Colorado. In her current role she focuses on addressing the challenges of local producers by working with CSU, the county, and local organizations to create events and resources. She is the champion of the soil health action for Larimer County’s Climate Smart Future Ready Initiative where her main goal is to help producers increase their soil health practices across the county.
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Food Safety Training for
Colorado Cottage Foods Producers
Learn how to safely produce food from home as a cottage food business. This online course covers a variety of topics, including: basic food safety, foods that are permissible under the updated Colorado Cottage Foods Act, ingredient labeling, special considerations for food preparation at high altitudes, and safe food sampling best practices.
Registration is $50; times are all in Mountain Standard or Daylight.
Courses will be offered online on the following dates. Click each date below to register and learn more about the program. For additional dates, check here.
CSU Extension Cottage Food Safety Training Online:
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April 4, 10:30 am - 2:00 pm, in-person El Paso County
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April 5, 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm, in-person Montrose County
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April 12, 9:00 am - 12:30 pm, online
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April 18, 10:30 am - 2 pm, online
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April 22, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm, in-person Delta County
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April 24, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm, online
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April 25, 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm, online
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April 29, 9:00 am -12:30 pm, online in SPANISH
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May 1, 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm, online (includes a 30-minute business basics section)
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CSU's Libby Christensen Presenting a NACDEP webinar on the Colorado Food Summit
On April 17th, CSU's own Libby Christensen will present a webinar for the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals. Participation is open to anyone, not just NACDEP members.
Libby's webinar is titled "Colorado Food Summit, Inspiring Diverse Colorado Food Systems", and she will be discussing important outputs from the 2023 Colorado Food Summit.
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Upcoming USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Webinar Discussing Grant Eligibility and Application Process
Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program New Applicant Webinar
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Consumer Food Insights Series 3.0 Webinar
April 25, 2024
USDA AMS and Colorado State University are hosting a webinar to present new findings from their third nationwide survey of food purchasing and consumer behavior since the COVID-19 pandemic, covering changes through Fall 2023. These findings are intended to help guide Local and Regional Food Systems (LRFS) business, policy makers, and community organizations.
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Time: 10 AM Mountain Time (12 PM Eastern Time)
Register in advance here.
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Join the 2024 Archuleta Food Summit
Strengthen connections with food system stakeholders and the community at the 2024 Archuleta County Regional Food Summit on May 11th, 2024 from 8:30am to 1:00pm at the Pagosa Springs High School.
Learn more about growing and eating locally.
More information and registration information can be found here. |
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Mountain Meat Summit
Bozeman, MT
The Annual Mountain Meat Summit will take place on May 21-23, 2024 in Bozeman MT. Registration is now open- click here for more information on educational tours, technical sessions, quick consulting, and more.
Additionally, Colorado State University Extension, with support through Western SARE, is offering 12 scholarships to help cover travel expenses for producers.
Preference will be given to those who are actively involved in meat supply chains in Colorado.
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Crop Wild Relatives and Wild Utilized Plants Symposium
Please join this symposium to assess progress toward conserving North American crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants. We invite the unique perspectives of botanic gardens, Indigenous groups, land managers, researchers, breeders, and seed and gene banks as we discuss future conservation priorities for this important group of plants.
When: September 17-19, 2024 at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Colorado.
Interested in attending? Sign up to receive symposium notifications here. |
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The LOR Foundation's Field Work Initiative is in search of innovative water-related solutions from farmers and ranchers in the Mountain West!
The LOR foundation is accepting proposals for research projects between March 20 and April 10, 2024.
This year, the initiative will provide funding for approximately 10 farmers and ranchers to implement innovative approaches to using water in agriculture. Farmers and ranchers in rural parts of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming are eligible for up to $10,000.
Who can apply and what can be funded: LOR’s Field Work initiative is open to farmers and ranchers in rural areas and on tribal lands in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Applicants must have independent authority to make changes to water use on the land. Novel projects that improve outcomes in the following areas are eligible: water efficiency, water reliability, water quality, crop yield or crop diversification, and labor efficiency. Projects must be completed in 2024 and must include a commitment and plan for reporting learnings.
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Regenerative Practices Grant Funding Available
Restore Grants has announced another round of funding for farmers and ranchers in California and Colorado who are using regenerative practices that sequester carbon. This may include cover cropping, prescribed grazing, hedgerow establishment, and more.
The deadline to apply is April 20th, 2024. For more information, click here.
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USDA Announces 2024 Farmers Market Promotion Program Funding
The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets to help develop local and regional food systems.
The FY 2024 grant application period is open through May 14, 2024.
For more information on the FMPP grant program, click here. |
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USDA Announces 2024 Local Food Promotion Program Funding
The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.
The FY 2024 grant application period is open through May 14, 2024.
For more information on the LFPP grant program, click here.
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USDA Announces 2024 Regional Food System Partnerships Funding
The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program supports partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. The program focuses on building and strengthening the viability and resilience of local or regional food economies through collaboration and coordination. RFSP supports public-private partnerships that plan and develop relationships between local and regional producers, processors, intermediaries, and institutional markets or institutional food service operations through local and regional producers and local and regional food systems.
The FY 2024 grant application period is open through May 14, 2024.
For more information on the RFSP grant program, click here. |
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USDA Announces Funding for the 2024 GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program
The GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program presents the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from various parts of the food and healthcare systems to foster understanding of how they might improve the health and nutrition status of participating households.
NIFA requests applications for the GusNIP Nutrition Incentive Program to support and evaluate projects intended to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives at the point of purchase among income eligible consumers participating in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the United States Virgin Islands, in addition to income-eligible consumers participating in the USDA Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.
Applications are due May 14, 2024.
To apply, download the RFA, or to register for the informational webinar, click here.
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Rural Development Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loans Available
These loans will be available to projects that are starting or expanding activities in the middle of the food supply chain. For example, the program will support new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution. Applications will be accepted until funds are exhausted.
Colorado contact information for Rural Development and its regional offices can be found at:
Robert McElroy, the Rural Business & Cooperative Services Program Director with the Colorado State Office is eager to discuss this opportunity with anyone who has a potential project. His email is: robert.mcelroy@usda.gov. |
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News, Resources & Reading |
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USDA AMS launches newly refined LAMP Navigator tool
The LAMP Navigator is a tool that allows you to explore LAMP grant inputs, activities, and project details. This data can show how LAMP grants impact local and regional food systems. It includes the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), and Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP). These are the programs listed above, and the navigator may improve your understanding of eligible projects.
The navigator includes:
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Grant Activities Dashboard: shows all activities reported by grant recipients for AMS-funded LAMP projects from 2006 to 2023. Click on the “activities” word cloud to see where specific grant activities are being implemented in grant projects, as well as the breakdown of activities and/or grant funds by grant program.
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Grant Awards Detail Dashboard: sort funded projects from 2006 to 2023 counts by grant program, fiscal year, organization or entity type, and project types.
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Description of Funded Projects Dashboard: provides more in-depth narrative detail on projects such as activities, timelines, titles, and abstracts for all projects from 2006 to 2023.
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Nourish Colorado launches New Website with Resources for Local Producers in Colorado and Beyond
The Colorado Local Food Program Guidebook, provided by Nourish Colorado, is an online resource for school meal operators, agricultural producers, and school and community members. The Guidebook provides insights and tools for launching, implementing, and sustaining farm to school programs. It is full of custom-designed resources based off of a decade plus of working side-by-side with school meal operators, listening to their needs, leading trainings to support their efforts, and now, turning that training content into tangible and digestible resources.
Nourish CO spent years working closely with agricultural producers around the state to better understand their needs when it comes to accessing school market channels. Check out their website here.
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Colorado Agrivoltaics Survey Seeks Your Input!
With grant funding from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, American Farmland Trust, Colorado Open Lands, AgriSolar Consulting, and Colorado State University are partnering to engage Colorado farmers and ranchers on agriculturally compatible solar development, a key strategy for and accelerating Colorado’s renewable energy transition and implementing Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Road Map.
If you are a Colorado farmer, rancher, or landowner, please fill out this 15-minute Colorado Agrivoltaics Survey for a chance to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards. This is intended for Colorado's agricultural community and is designed to identify opportunities and challenges for integrating solar energy with farming practices in Colorado. The survey consists of 33 questions across 5 sections: 1) Intro & Verification; 2) Solar on Agricultural Land; 3) Solar on Your Agricultural Land; 4) Solar & Agriculture Information; and 5) About Your Operation.
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2024 National Agritourism Survey Now Accepting Responses
The 2024 National Agritourism Survey is now collecting responses, and you are invited to participate! All agricultural operations that welcome visitors – whether for on-farm education, direct sales, entertainment, recreation, special events, and more – are invited to complete the survey. So, if you offer education or rent event space on your farm, have a farmstand, a petting zoo, offer pick-your-own, farm stays, or other on-farm experiences, your insights are crucial.
By participating in this survey, you'll help us pinpoint the types of support farmers like you require – whether it's business assistance, developing networks, applying for grants, or navigating zoning and liability issues. Our goal is to help build the resources you need, improve your access to critical information and opportunities, and shape policy decisions that impact your industry.
This survey is part of a collaborative project led by Penn State with the University of Vermont, Oklahoma State University, the University of Maine, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, and other partners across the country.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact Claudia Schmidt from Penn State Extension at cschmidt@psu.edu or ask a Colorado local partner with that organization, Dawn Thilmany at dawn.thilmany@colostate.edu.
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CSU Survey on Estate Planning for Service Providers and Producers
Colorado State University is conducting a research study on the critical issue of estate planning and succession (transition) planning. The title of the project is "Demographics and Educational Needs of Colorado Farm and Ranch Families about Estate and Succession Planning".
CSU is looking for service providers and producers to complete the survey. Participation will take approximately ten (10) minutes. Your participation in this research is voluntary, but essential. If you decide to participate in the study, you may withdraw your consent and stop participation at any time without penalty.
If you share this with your producer network, please share this invitation:
If you have any questions about the research, please contact Jeffrey Tranel, CSU Ag and Business Management Economist, at jtranel@colostate.edu. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact the CSU IRB at: CSU_IRB@mail.colostate.edu; 970-491-1553.
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College Students get $5 in Market Bucks at Last Day of Winter Farmers Market in Fort Collins
On the last day (April 6) of the Winter Farmers Market at the Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, any college student (CSU or otherwise!) can enjoy free $5 in market bucks (to be used like cash). Just bring a valid student ID to the Info Booth on the market day. The market takes place from 10am to 2pm, at 215 E. Foothills Pkwy. in Fort Collins.
For more information on the Winter Market, click here.
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Connect with the Northwest and Rocky Mountain USDA Regional Food Business Center
The Northwest and Rocky Mountain USDA Regional Food Business Center (RFBC) is one of 12 Regional Food Business Centers funded by USDA, with the goal of improving local and regional food systems and better serving underinvested farm and food businesses. The Northwest and Rocky Mountain RFBC serves Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Recent updates include:
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ABOUT FOOD SYSTEMS
at Colorado State University
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Food systems are the connections between natural resources, the agricultural and food industries, and the buyers, consumers, and communities to which they contribute. Research, extension and education identify and inform opportunities to bridge how production, supply chains, and eaters respond to changing markets, policy, and the environment. At CSU, we focus on these key areas to train, influence, and communicate ways to connect food-related roles and foster healthy communities, economies, and individuals. |
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Find us on social media, get farm or food systems related questions answered via email, forward to a friend, or submit your contributions to our newsletter! |
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