There’s an abundance of financial resources available to farmers and food-related small businesses in Colorado. Some are offered through federal funding such as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), Colorado State University (CSU) related grants, etc. Others are offered through businesses, independent foundations, non-profits, rural development organizations. Some grants are offered an annual, others on a rolling basis and others, and sometimes one-time grants are available.  

I want to apply the word “organic” to this garden project in the expanded sense of “something that happens or develops naturally… something that is real, unforced, and comes from within.” - By Amber Van Cleave

Amber Van Cleave is now working to care for the garden with Sarsa, read about her springtime adventures, and join us for evenings in the garden this summer on Wednesdays from 5 to 7:30 PM.

As Elizabeth moves on from COFFA, Sarsa will be taking over the demonstration garden.

On April 26th Sam Kaup from Zephyros Farm and Wild Plum Nursery presented a workshop on plant propagation at the Coffa demonstration garden and classroom! He spoke about tips and tricks for how to create many plants from a parent plant, including techniques such as: division, suckering, layering, stooling, root cuttings, stem cuttings, semi hardwood cuttings, and hardwood cuttings. Read on to learn more about each of these techniques. 

Winter stirs a quiet inspiration that is kindled by the fireside through stories of what has been and all that can be. As the butterfly garden slumbers, the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance team dreamed up a fire pit for winter gatherings and a warm, cozy space to share stories of our agricultural roots and envision what we can grow. With the help of the Arbol Farm crew, we have installed a southwest-inspired sunken firepit where community members can gather to share stories and inspiration

This Fall we partnered up with The Learning Council and Western Slope Conservation Center to bring regeneration to life on local North Fork Valley farms and at our regenerative gardens and classroom, Mariposa Ascendente.

The butterfly is emerging at Mariposa Ascendente, a new regenerative agriculture demonstration garden and classroom. Designed by Elizabeth Agee, the walking garden features many aspects of regenerative agriculture that can be incorporated into a farm or garden that wishes to become more drought resilient, less fertilizer dependent, pollinator friendly and water wise.