November 2024 || Newsletter Edition 171

Carley Rohrbaugh

Agriculture and Natural Resources Specialist for CSU Extension in Adams County

Carley received her Master of Science degree in Horticulture from CSU where she researched plant-soil-nutrient relationships. Her work with Extension includes small acreage site visits, noxious weed management, pesticide applicator classes, and curricula-writing for the Rocky Mountain Naturalist program. She hopes to bring program development in her county on soil health and support for women in agriculture. Carley enjoys plant identification and tending to her veggie garden and honeybees outside of work.

Lily Lake

Staff Director

Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council

Lily Lake grew up in the Northeast, where her passion for agriculture was sparked while working on fruit and vegetable farms throughout high school and college. After graduation, her love for growing led her to work on farms and urban gardens in and around Boston. Lily’s interest in food systems eventually brought her to Colorado, where she recently completed a master’s degree studying Sustainable Food Systems at CU Boulder. Over the past several years, Lily has gained valuable experience working for Colorado organizations including Metro Caring and Nourish Colorado.

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. Click each date below to register and learn more about the program. For additional dates, check here.

CSU Extension Cottage Food Safety Trainings:

November 13, 1:00-4:30pm, online

November 14, 12:00-3:30pm, online

December 14, 12:00-3:30pm, online

Artisan Grains Marketing Solutions Roundtable

November 6, 2024

Growing markets for climate-resilient artisan grains requires working together — growers, processors, distributors, buyers. It can also mean building support and investment in processing, infrastructure, product development, marketing, and other things that could involve other partners—financial institutions, individual investors, economic developers, nonprofits, community groups, local governments and others.

The Marketing Solutions Roundtable is designed to help explore what is possible across Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming by exchanging ideas, learning together and cultivating new connections for creating, expanding and diversifying markets for these crops, looking at what is working across the region and elsewhere that could be implemented, adapted and innovated to expand markets locally and regionally.

The Marketing Solutions Roundtable will include:

• A keynote by Dan Hobbs, long-time cooperative development specialist, organic farmer and entrepreneur, collaborative leader and ag innovator from Montezuma County, Colorado.
• A slate of firsthand “solution stories” from our region and across the country, highlighting successful efforts involving different partners and market-building approaches, including Brett Stevensen, Hillside Grain in Idaho; Teddy Bensen, The Grain Shed in Washington; Angela Kora, Ethos Bakery and Jessica Moon, Moon Family Farm in Washington; and Halee Wepking, Meadowlark Organics and Community Mill in Wisconsin.
• Breakout rooms for peer exchange and networking, deeper dives into how to implement or adapt different approaches, and opportunities to connect with others in your state.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

8am-11:30 am PT/9am-12:30 pm MT

Live via Zoom (or register even if you cannot attend and want to know when a recording is posted). Register here.

For more information, contact Tayler Reinman at treinman@uidaho.edu.

Farm 2 Local Biz Networking Event

November 12, 2024

Are you curious about purchasing local food for your food business in Northern Colorado? Join the Larimer County Extension Office and the Northwest Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center for the Farm2LocalBiz Networking Event!

This gathering will include a Purchasing Local Panel where chefs and business owners will discuss their experience purchasing locally. There will also be time to connect with Northern Colorado producers while enjoying local wine, beer, and appetizers featuring ingredients from the event's producers. Businesses that attend the networking session are eligible for a financial incentive to purchase local products for their businesses.

The Farm2LocalBiz Networking Event will be hosted at the CSU Durrell Center Tuesday, November 12 from 4-7pm. This event is free, but space is limited.

Click here to register. The registration deadline is November 5.

Negotiations in Agriculture: Agricultural Leases Workshop

November 13-14, 2024

Extension educators and agents, as well as individuals involved in educational programming for the agricultural community, are invited to the Agricultural Leases Workshop. This workshop will provide practical strategies for the agricultural community, giving participants the opportunity to enhance their negotiation skills and deepen their understanding of agricultural leases.

Participants from Western SARE states and protectorates (Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) are eligible for full reimbursement of airfare.

When: November 13th, 12-5pm and November 14, 8-11am

Where: Las Vegas, NV (Embassy Suites 4315 University Center Drive)

Click here to register

Only 30 spots are available. For additional information, please contact Pat Hatzenbuehler at phatzenbeuhler@uidaho.com or (208) 736-3607.

Northern Colorado Foodshed Project Farm Business Accelerator

Northern Colorado Foodshed Project has opened applications for its 2025 Farm Business Accelerator Program. This three-year program is designed to guide aspiring farmers through the process of starting their own farm business by providing affordable access to land, water, and infrastructure at the Accelerator Program farm site in South Fort Collins. Additionally, local organizations and CSU will offer business development and marketing training, as well as networking opportunities. The deadline to apply is December 16, 2024.

To learn more, visit the Farm Business Accelerator Program website. If you have any questions, contact ed@foodshedproject.org.

The USDA AMS Local and Regional Foods Resources and Research Webinar Series

The USDA AMS Local and Regional Foods Division has launched the Local and Regional Foods Resources & Research webinar series, a monthly webinar series highlighting local and regional foods research projects, resources, partnerships, and programs. 

Upcoming Webinars: 

The webinars will be held on the third Thursday of each month from 11am to 12pm MT. 

• Nov. 21, 2024 - The Local and Regional Food Systems Resilience Playbook
• Dec. 19, 2024 - Visualizing Food Systems Data: Examples from Consumer Food Insights, Food and Agriculture Mapper and Explorer (FAME) and the Local Food Economics Data Visualization Challenge
• Jan. 16, 2025 -The Promise of Urban Agriculture: Courses for Grower and Planners 



Click here to register.

2025 Colorado Building Farmers and Ranchers Course

The Colorado Building Farmers and Ranchers program builds community and capacity in agriculture for beginning farmers and ranchers around the state. From January 14 to March 4, 2025, course facilitators and instructors will guide new and beginning farmers (those with less than 10 years of experience) through a series of eight online evening classes designed to explore agriculture as a business, including the principles of business management, developing a marketing plan, managing risk, obtaining financing, and more. The program also provides more experienced farmers and ranchers with tools and ideas to refine and enhance their business management and marketing skills. Participants are supported with group and individual exercises and coaching, which result in participants creating a business plan and presenting it to a group of peers. 

When: Tuesdays evenings, 6pm-8:30pm from January 14-March 4, 2025

Where: Online, via Zoom

Who: Agricultural producers with less than 10 years of farming experience

Cost: $250 per participant, and $125 for each additional participant from the same farm business

Learn more here

Preregister here

Farm Resilience Online Course

Asynchronous, self-paced course now open for enrollment! 

Learn practical strategies and tools to boost your farm’s resilience amidst the challenges of climate change. This self-paced, online course is designed specifically for farmers and ranchers in the West, focusing on real-world solutions and hands-on techniques. Join a community of like-minded individuals and gain the knowledge you need to secure your farm's future.

Enroll today and deepen your journey towards climate resilience and sustainability.  

Western SARE offering grants for projects that communicate local issues related to adoption of sustainable agricultural practices

Western SARE is replacing its Research to Grassroots grants program with a newly-developed Local Education and Demonstration (LED) grants program.

The LED grant program is founded on the understanding that adopting sustainable agricultural practices entails change and managing potential financial, environmental, and social risks. The implementation of demonstration and/or education events can address local issues related to adopting sustainable agricultural practices, bolstering confidence in adoption, and reducing risks.

Successful proposals are required to integrate findings from previously-funded SARE research projects, translate those results into practical demonstrations of application, and bring those results into the field through demonstration and/or educational activities for agricultural professionals and producers.

Proposals are due November 6, 2024

Download the call for proposals here.

Call for Proposals from the Western Extension Risk Management Education Center

The Western Extension Risk Management Education Center (ERME) is announcing a competitive funding opportunity for educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies.  

All applications are due by 5 PM PDT, Thursday,

November 14, 2024

Eligibility: The ERME seek applications from qualified public and private groups, organizations, and institutions; including land grant colleges and universities, Cooperative Extension, community colleges, Tribal organizations, Hispanic serving institutions, and public and private entities with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver impact-based risk management education projects for agricultural producers and their families.

ERME is soliciting applications under the following program areas:

Education Projects: designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies.  

Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Projects: specifically designated for the delivery of risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program, with proposed educational programming that aligns with one or more of the five areas of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal or human. 

Exploratory Projects: a unique opportunity to initiate new ideas and/or explore emerging risk topic areas to better address farmer/rancher risk management education needs.

Click here to start your application now.

Many on the CSU Food Systems team have managed these grants in the past, so if you need a partner or guidance, please reach out with any questions to Dawn Thilmany.

Questions or comments regarding the RFA may be directed to Jo Ann Warner, 509-477-2168,warnerj@wsu.edu or Shannon Neibergs, 509-335-6360, sneibergs@wsu.edu.

Small Business Builder Grants for Colorado Farm and Food Businesses

The Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center is offering grants of up to $10,000 to support small and mid-scale Colorado farms, ranches, and value-added businesses. This program is specifically for businesses that are producing in, sourcing from, and focused on local and regional markets, or serving multiple small- and mid-scale food and farm businesses.

Grant funds are intended to be used to improve business skills, strengthen the viability of your business, expand your access to markets, or strengthen local and regional food and agriculture supply chains.

Applications are due January 10, 2025. Awardees will be announced in February 2025.

Visit the website to learn more.

Ongoing Assistance for Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program

USDA's Farm Service Agency is offering the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) again this year. The FSCSC program provides financial assistance for specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification.

For calendar year 2024 this assistance starts July 1st and goes through the end of the year. This will also be available for calendar year 2025. 

Rural Development Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loans Available

As part of the American Rescue Plan, the USDA Rural Development Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program is offering loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders to finance food systems projects.

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 here.

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.

USDA Announces an Additional $1.7 Billion in Funding for Local Food Purchases

Coloradans were instrumental in fighting for continuation of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA).

Colorado Rep. Caraveo and Sen. Bennet co-led letters from the House and Senate to the USDA urging for continued funding for these pandemic-era programs. All Colorado Democrats (Reps Crow, Neguse, DeGette, Pettersen and Sen. Hickenlooper) signed on. Also, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition led a country-wide organizational sign-on letter in support of LFPA and out of 580 national signatures — 101 were from Colorado.

Here are more details: 

Secretary Vilsack and USDA announced an additional $1.7 billion in funding for local food purchases. Specifically,

• $500 million for Local Food Purchase Assistance Program
• $500 million for Local Food in Schools
• $200 million for a new, local food in childcare facilities initiative
• $500 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program

You can read the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's press release here. You can read USDA’s press release here. 

List Your Business in USDA AMS Local Foods Directories

The USDA Local Foods Directories allow you to market your local food business to a wider nationwide audience. In particular, make sure your fall-season agritourism venture is featured on the USDA Local Food Directories! To create a new listing, answer quick and easy questions about the status of your business so consumers can learn more about you.

Click here to sign up for the directory.

Manager Fellowship Available for Mid-Career Agrarians

The New Agrarian Program has launched its first-ever Manager Fellowship, a year-long training program to develop business, finance, and leadership skills in aspiring ranch managers and entrepreneurs. While the program was initially designed with our apprenticeship alumni in mind, we are excited to now offer limited spots to additional mid-career agrarians who are interested in joining us!

The Manager Fellowship will begin with a kick-off event on November 21-24 at Paicines Ranch in California, but will continue virtually as fellows attend Zoom workshops, chat with experienced mentor-coaches, and participate in cohort discussions. Ideal candidates have at least two years of production experience in agriculture, a serious drive for either entrepreneurship or higher-level ranch management, and a commitment to the program for the upcoming year.

Applications are currently open and are accepted on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply soon! Feel free to contact us with any questions at newagrarian@quiviracoalition.org.

Promise of Urban Agriculture Courses Now Available



USDA AMS, in partnership with the Cornell Small Farms Program and Rooted, is offering the Promise of Urban Agriculture courses. The courses represent an innovative and holistic approach to support urban farming businesses and communities. This project is informed by The Promise of Urban Agriculture, a 2019 national study of commercial farming in urban areas conducted by AMS and the Cornell Small Farms Program. With information from this study, the project team created The Promise of Urban Agriculture courses designed to educate both growers and planners on urban agriculture and the impact of city plans and policies.

The Promise of Urban Agriculture courses are available online and are free to those who register for the courses by January 31, 2025.



Click here to access the courses.

New Data Guidelines for Produce Markets in Regional Food Systems

The USDA AMS and the International Center for Food Ontology Operability Data and Semantics (IC-FOODS) developed a template for utilizing data guidelines that will increase the consistency of fresh produce product data across the local foods sector.

Through this project a collaborative group of growers, aggregators, and buyers identified a "voluntary consensus data standard" for fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Click here to learn more.

Farm to Loading Dock Report

This report from the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council explores the partnerships, training, and resources needed to move food from Colorado’s agricultural producers to wholesale institutional markets. The report highlights big and little policy recommendations to expand institutional markets in Colorado.

Check Out a Podcast by the North American Food Systems Network!

Check out the "Finding Your Future in Food Systems" Podcast Hosted by Vivian Le of the North American Food Systems Network! Episodes feature guest speakers who have carved out their own unique niche in the local food systems space. You can click here to listen to episodes.

New Consumer Food Insights Series Available

A new series of Consumer Food Insights is now available. The survey, conducted in Winter 2023, captured current food shopping trends as well as changes in U.S. consumer food behaviors since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Click here to access the new series, and in November, they will start posting regional data on market usage.

Want to learn more?

Attend the December 19, 2024 USDA Ag Marketing Service webinar on Visualizing Food Systems Data.

Webinar registration

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.

Read our latest newsletter here.

AND, the Colorado Biz Builder grant program is now live (see above for all the details), and stay tuned for more funding opportunities in the future.

Learn more about the Center's educational and technical support programs for small- and mid-sized food and farm businesses, and sign up for updates here: https://nwrockymountainregionalfoodbusiness.com/.