Guidestone Colorado- Spring Newsletter

We Grow Farmers!

Growing a vibrant agricultural future through education, community building, and partnerships.

www.GuidestoneColorado.org

Spring 2017 Newsletter

Celebrating 10 Years of Growing Farmers!

Greening pastures, calves with their mamas, baby chicks, prepping soil and irrigation ditches, planting early season crops - all of these signs and milestones of Spring carry hope and excitement for a bountiful agricultural year. This Spring is particularly momentous for Guidestone, as April 2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of our inception. Through this time, countless volunteers, partners and community members have dedicated their passion and energy to build capacity, convene conversations, provide engaging education programs, and celebrate agriculture through festivals and community events.

In celebration, Guidestone is hosting a 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner the evening of Friday, April 21st, as the culmination of the 2nd Annual AgriSummit: Local Foods & Agritourism in the Heart of the Rockies. Held at the Salida SteamPlant, the Dinner will include a silent auction, live music, awards, and a delicious meal provided by KalamataPit Catering. We hope you will join us for this festive event!

Tickets are available now for the 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner and AgriSummit. For more information and to register, click HERE.

Calendar

Visioning & Scaling Up Farmer Workshops

Friday, March 31 & Saturday, April 1

Excelsior Food Hub
Boone, CO

Saturday, April 8 & Sunday, April 9

Valley Roots Food Hub
Mosca, CO

Guidestone Colorado, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Colorado Tourism Office, Arkansas Valley Organic Growers, Excelsior Food Hub, Valley Roots Food Hub and San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition are offering these Visioning and Scaling Up Workshop opportunities to aspiring farmers and ranchers or current producers who are exploring the possibility of starting or expanding an agricultural business.

While Pre-Registration is required, both opportunities are free to participants. These workshops are supported by Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program Grant no. 2016-70017-25501 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

For more information and to register for the March 31-April 1, Boone workshops, click HERE.

For more information and to register for the April 8-9, Mosca workshops, click HERE.

AgriSummit 2017

Friday, April 21st

Salida Steamplant & Event Center

AgriSummit is a community event highlighting opportunities for learning, discussion and networking focused on local agriculture and agritourism in the Heart of the Rockies region. AgriSummit will include a catered luncheon featuring local foods, an early season Farmers Market and a Community Open House. Guidestone's 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner and silent auction will follow in the evening!

Through three session tracks, topics are designed for established farmer & ranchers, next generation producers, backyard gardeners, local food enthusiasts and community members alike. The Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center will be hosting a community session panel focused on agritourism opportunities in our area. We hope you will join us!

For more information and to register for the event, please click HERE.

Guidestone's 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner

Friday, April 21

6-10pm

Help celebrate 10 years of growing farmers and ranchers for a vibrant agricultural future at Guidestone's 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner! Held at the Salida SteamPlant, the Dinner will include a silent auction, live music, awards, and a delicious meal provided by KalamataPit Catering. We hope you will join us for this festive event!

Tickets are available now! For more information and to register, click HERE .

Savor Chaffee County

April 21st - 23rd

Please join Guidestone Colorado and the 2nd Annual AgriSummit in celebrating the bounty of the valley by participating in Savor Chaffee County!

Savor Chaffee County is a celebration of local food, local stories and local business. It's an opportunity for restaurants, breweries and wineries to represent the best of the valley by showcasing a local producer or product in their menu over Earth Day Weekend. Throughout the weekend, local residents and area visitors alike are invited to visit these establishments in support of local agriculture.

Savor Chaffee County will come on the heels of the 2nd Annual AgriSummit, an educational and networking event focused on agriculture, food systems, sustainability and community. In its inaugural year, AgriSummit 2016 drew 100 attendees from through the region and the state. AgriSummit 2017 is shaping up to be even bigger!

To learn more about becoming a participating venue and to register, click HERE.

Farmhands Summer Youth Program Registration is open!

REGISTER NOW! There is a great line-up of summer programs this year! Sign up now for single and multi-day camps for kids ages 5-11 through Guidestone's Farmhands Youth Education Program. Each camp day incorporates fun and instructive, experiential activities focused on agriculture and history. Campers should be prepared to get dirty and have fun!

For program descriptions, details and to register: click HERE.

Guidestone Welcomes New Board Members

& Americorps VISTA Member in 2017!

We are thrilled to welcome Michael McGovern, Beatrice Price, and Kristofer-Sackett Williams to Guidestone's Board of Directors! All from Chaffee County, these new members bring rich insights into the local foods system and economic development. We also welcome Ronni Vitullo, our new Americorps/VISTA member. Ronni will be working with Guidestone through January of 2018. She is a great addition to the team!

Call for Volunteers!

Do you have a skill you'd like to share, a love of agriculture, teaching, or history and

would like to get more involved with Guidestone?

Volunteers are at the heart of Guidestone's events and programming! Volunteers play a significant role in providing farming support at the Salida School Gardens, and engaging opportunities for youth, families, area visitors, and our local community to experience the Hutchinson Homestead firsthand.

Time commitments vary by location. W hether you enjoy working in the garden, sharing history with visitors, working with kids, or supporting programs behind-the-scenes, there's a role for you!

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Andrea Coen at 719-239-0955 or email andrea@guidestonecolorado.org.

Special Thanks!

Thank you to Natalie Amoroso for serving as a member of Guidestone's Board of Directors from 2012-2016. Natalie brought her passion and worked tirelessly to support Guidestone in building our capacity in Chaffee County and throughout Colorado.

Many thanks to High Country Bank for providing a matching grant to Guidestone's 2016 end of the year annual fundraising campaign!

Special thanks to the following individuals, families and businesses who helped us exceed our goal:

Celia Ademac, Paul Alexander, Natalie Amoroso, Judie Anders, Brian Beaulieu, Pete Bond, Richard Breitling, Ed & Anita Cooper, Jennifer Dempsey, Judy Earley, Karen Fortier, Janine Frazee, Diane French, Erika Gelgand-Kanar, Bob & Katy Grether, Judy Haines, Henderson Land Surveying, Gary Higgins & Jackie Powell, Andy Hutchinson, Art & Kathy Hutchinson, Susan Jesuroga, Kathy Kerrigan, Shannon Kindle, Karen Lacy, Elizabeth Laesecke, Svata Louda, Jason Morrow, Dan Murray, Greg & Ruth Phillips, The Pinto Family, Diana Porter, Greg & Julia Powell, Beatrice Price, Michael Rand, Donna & John Rhoads, Chrissy Roll, Amy Sandeen, Wayne Sawyer, Barbara Snyder, Harold & Judy Starbuck, Ann Thomas, Sherry Thomas, and an Anonymous donor.