"To foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy and ecosystem."
SLV COVID Food Resource Directory Site Link
The Local Foods Coalition's community task team has compiled a helpful resource page to address food resources available for residents of the San Luis Valley to utilize along with various Colorado State resources. Visit SLV COVID Webpage »»
A note from your GM & Chief Fungi:
Greetings food system stakeholder,
It is not everyday that we as a society are given pause due to some thing that is beyond our control. A pandemic is now upon us and our society has been affected throughout with school closings, event cancellations, and social distancing being encouraged. The state of the economy is profound.
It is during these times that the significance of a local food system is never more clear. If you haven't engaged with us we invite you now to join us in the Colorado cornucopia that is here at your fingertips. It's important to keep a continual investment into those vital social structures no matter the state of the world. In times of need we want these structures and systems to be healthy and fully functional.
We want to share with you some of our Standard Operating Procedures so you can be confident in your local food sourcing:
We follow a USDA Harmonized Good Agricultural Practices Food Safety Plan which is very strict in constant and ubiquitous sanitation and bringing mindfulness to sources of contamination and executing preventative measures.
We routinely wash hands several times throughout the day.
We regularly sanitize work surfaces.
During this time we will also be temperature testing staff, and sending home any symptomatic staff, to ensure there are no emerging symptoms in the work place.
If you have any questions, insights, or concerns please feel free to respond to this newsletter.
On behalf of the Board and Staff of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition and the Valley Roots Food Hub, we hope you and your family are safe and healthy and finding your needs met.
We would like to help your food needs by providing the resource of the Valley Roots Food Hub whereby you can order healthy affordable local sourced foods to be delivered weekly. Please view our YouTube Video to learn more about ordering and deliveries to your area - How to order from the Valley Roots Food Hub »»
For individuals and families for their homes: CSA Market »»
Market Orders are open for placement by 4pm on Sunday for delivery on Tuesday. A $250 Order Minimum will receive Complimentary Delivery!
In local food we trust,
Nick and staff
LFC - Outreach & Engagement VISTA Member Position Available!
Purpose of Position: The Outreach & Engagement VISTA member will increase awareness of the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition's programs through marketing, outreach, event planning, and volunteer engagement. This VISTA member is part of the CRC's Rural Capacity Building VISTA Project, which increases the effectiveness and sustainability of nonprofit organizations across rural Colorado. View Job Description »»
RGFP Now Hiring Farm Manager!
Job Title: Rio Grande Farm Park Farm and Land Manager Organization: San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition Summary: The Farm Manager is responsible for managing food production and the land of the Rio Grande Farm Park, a 38-acre property owned by the SLV Local Foods Coalition. Primary responsibilities are working with the commercial and family farmers, maintenance and security of the Farm Park equipment, buildings, and land projects. View Job Description »»
9th Annual VEGI Kick-Off: Barn Dance!
EVENT CANCELLED due to COVID-19 Join us on Saturday, March 28th from 6-9pm at The Barn at La Manzanilla for a fun filled evening of dance and dinner to support the Boyd Learning Garden Project sponsored by La Puente's Valley Education Gardens Initiative. View Event Info »»Reserve Tickets »»
Monthly Radio Show by Abe Rosenberg featured on KRZA 88.7fm
We are excited to share a new radio show! Please join Abe Rosenberg from 8:30-9am every third Thursday of the month for the Local Food Local Places Radio Show. We will post all shows on our website including past shows for you to listen to at your convenience. Please visit our new Local Foods, Local Places program to learn more about LFC local efforts connecting the San Luis Valley with local initiatives.
November 21st, 2019 - LFLP Radio Show Debut with Abe Rosenberg
Colorado Proud School Meal Day (SLV)
Check out the You Tube Video that the SLV Local Foods Coalition new Local Foods Local Places Director Abe Rosenberg made of the San Luis Valley schools he was able to visit for Colorado Proud School Meal Day!! Abe also wrote an article about Colorado Proud to share this experience. See Article and Photos on News & Events page »»
RSF Social Finance Seed Fund Supports Beginning Farmer & Rancher Resource Guide
The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition is honored to have received a Seed Fund grant from RSF Social Finance »» along with seven other incredible organizations! Check out the recipients here: RSF Seed Fund »». The RSF Seed Fund will be utilized to help construct a bilingual farmer and rancher resource guide geared toward connecting beginning and minority producers to important resources they might otherwise be unaware of.
Welcome to our LFLP Program Director, Abe Rosenberg!
The San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition would like to welcome a new staff member to the team. Abe Rosenberg is a San Luis Valley native that will be supporting the Local Foods Coalition as it enacts some of the strategies outlined in a recent strategic development plan for the SLV. Rosenberg is a young farmer and local foods leader and educator who is committed to developing the San Luis Valley's local food system.
The activities working on were first borne out of the 2017 "Local Foods, Local Places" (LFLP) community planning workshop facilitated by the USDA, EPA, DOT, and others. LFLP planning took place over several months and culminated in a strategic planning workshop on September 18th and 19th, 2017, where a diverse group of over 60 community stakeholders gathered at city hall over a two-day period to create a robust action plan around promoting local food systems and vitalizing the community via local foods, recreation, and art. With a strategic plan in place, funders such as the Colorado Health Foundation, Laura Jane Musser Fund, RSF Social Finance, and community sponsors have stepped up to support the Local Foods Coalition in performing this work. Read the LFLP Community Action Plan for SLV »»
Rosenberg will be serving as the LFLP Program Director to bring equitable local foods access and education to our communities. We warmly welcome Abe to our team and hope you will do the same! Learn More about our LFLP Program »»
Generous Funding Supports the Local Foods Coalition!
The Local Foods Coalition has been blessed with several grants in the past few months to support our ongoing local food system work, so we would like to take the opportunity to recognize their generosity:
THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND Funds from Laura Musser are supporting the refurbishment of the Mobile Kitchen "MoKi" and a MoKi Coordinator as the program serves new roles around the San Luis Valley. These roles include bringing fresh food access to food insecure communities of the region, while continuing to offer cooking demos, recipes, and tastings at the Alamosa and Monte Vista Farmers Markets.
A robust grant from the Colorado Health Foundation are supporting a wide variety of activities from the "Local Foods, Local Place"s community action plan. This includes salary for the LFLP Program Director and Community Advocate, Alamosa Farmers Market infrastructure, SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and Cooking Matters support, sponsorship of Community Listening Sessions around the Valley, and a variety of other activities.
Anschutz Family Foundation General Operating support from the Anschutz Family Foundation will support the LFC as it continues supporting local producers, regenerative practices, healthy local foods access in homes, schools, restaurants, and grocers, and community nutrition and food education. Repeated support from Anschutz has made a tremendous difference in the LFC's capacity from year to year.
Clif Bar Family Foundation For years the Clif Bar Family Foundation has been a vital supporter of the Valley Roots Food Hub by funding important capacity-building and infrastructural development. This most recent grant is being used to support the Food Hub by both growing and stabilizing its transportation capacity as it continues to grow its market reach in the region.
The San Luis Valley Conservation and Connection Initiative is a partnership of Western Rivers Conservancy, Colorado Open Lands and the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust, with support from the LOR Foundation over four years (2016-2019). Grant funding through this partnership is aimed at developing Valley Roots Food Hub marketing of regenerative soil farmers that sell through the hub.
RSF Social Finance Seed Fund The RSF Social Finance Seed Fund supports projects and programs that offer innovative solutions to challenges in the areas of food and agriculture among others. A generous grant from the Seed Fund will be utilized to help construct a bilingual farmer and rancher resource guide geared toward connecting beginning and minority producers to important resources they might otherwise be unaware of.
USDA Rural Business Development Grant The USDA Rural Business Development Grant will help provide technical assistance to the Tap Root Cooperative as it builds governance capacity and prepares to do strong regional business along the Front Range of Colorado.
Alamosa Marketing District A small grant from the Alamosa Marketing District is being used to support marketing for the MoKi during the 2019 season as an anchor for Alamosa and Monte Vista Farmers Markets.
Adams State University Food Studies Program 2019
Join the ASU for participation in their Bachelor of Arts Food Interdisciplinary Studies Program! Exciting and unique career opportunities in learning about food production and marketing through Internships with hands on practice on campus and in the community. Including emphasis in Health & Wellness, Sustainability, Businees & Food Policy, Sociology / Social Justice. View Studies Flyer »»Visit Adams State University Food Studies Program »»
The Green Gold of San Luis
Enjoy this historical video shared by the Valley Roots Food Hub from their recent February 12th newsletter.
Vacuum Cooling in Agriculture The agriculture of the San Luis Valley is old, time tested, and proven. The town of San Luis has the oldest continuously-used water right in the State starting in 1852. Folks have been producing quality products here for a long time and it just keeps getting better.
Check out this old video about the lettuce production during the 1950s. For all of us tasked with keeping produce cool, check out these vacuum cooled lettuce tubes and ice packed rail way cars! Pull a vacuum on lettuce heads and the water boils away which is evaporative cooling!! View Historic Video »»
LFC Coalition Meeting Outcome in Conejos - January 24th, 2019
We are very happy to be coming through with our promise to bring our Coalition meetings around the San Luis Valley! Agricultural producers from Conejos County gathered in La Jara Thursday night, along with the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (LFC), to discuss local agricultural issues. This meeting, hosted by LFC and Cactus Hill Farm, was an opportunity to further foster the relationship between agricultural producers and the work of the Local Foods Coalition. The Local Foods Coalition serves the entire San Luis Valley and works to create an equitable local food system in the San Luis Valley in partnership with producers and consumers. Community ideas, producers' experiences, and challenges inform the strategic direction of the Coalition as it seeks to support community farms, increase farm-to-table practices and educate the public about the advantages of buying local. The many projects of the LFC include Farm to School in partnership with all 14 school districts of the SLV, the Rio Grande Farm Park, the Cooking Matters education program as well as the Valley Roots Food Hub which has helped connect food producers with markets around the San Luis Valley, Salida and other parts of New Mexico and Colorado. View Community Meeting Info »»
Interested in getting more involved with Double Up Food Bucks?
LiveWell Colorado is actively working to transform access to nutritious food in the entire state. One of its major programs, Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), allows SNAP recipients to receive $1 for every $1 spent on SNAP-eligible food, up to $20. These "double up food bucks" can then be used to purchase fresh Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables. DUFB was started in 2016 and has helped people bring home more healthy fruits and vegetables while supporting local farmers. LiveWell Colorado is taking DUFB to the next level and is looking to develop and increase community engagement.
In order to do this, LiveWell will be working with partners across the state to develop the Community Food Advocates program. This program works with local ambassadors to share the DUFB program with community members and organizations to increase participation. View DUFB Program Press Release »»
We are actively seeking current or past recipients of SNAP and DUFB participants as Community Food Advocates. We are currently looking for Advocates in Southwest Colorado (Montezuma and La Plata Counties, with some outreach in Archuleta and Dolores Counties), Denver, Garfield County, Montrose County, and the San Luis Valley.
Community Food Advocates will partner with community members to support the DUFB program. Advocates will promote and increase community participation in the program. Stipends are provided. View DUFB Advocate Info »»
Tierra Vida Farm - High Production Micro Farm Presentation - March 26th, 2018
Daniel Fullmer shares his insightful presentation using raised beds and compost in the Desert Southwest with emphasis on practices of minimal to no tillage, composting, cover cropping, rotational grazing, intercropping, and transplanting. View Tierra Vida Farm Presentation »»
Liza Marron recognized for the 2018 Dr. Virgilio Licona Community Health Leadership Award!
This annual award program seeks to recognize Coloradans who are finding innovative and effective strategies to overcoming community health barriers across the state. Read More about Liza's Award! »»
Julie Mordecai Benefit
Join us in honoring Julie Mordecai for her devoted service to the Rio Grande Farm Park on Friday, February 21st at The Barn at La Manzanilla. There will be a Walk in the Park and Dinner with Julie. Event is free although consideration of becoming a Friend of the Farm Park to support the the building of the Greenhouse is greatly appreciated! View Event Info »»Support RGFP »» Listen to LFLP Interview with Julie »»
9th Annual VEGI Kick-Off
EVENT CANCELLED due to COVID-19 Join us on Saturday, March 28th from 6-9pm at The Barn at La Manzanilla for a fun filled evening of dance and dinner to support the Boyd Learning Garden Project sponsored by La Puente's Valley Education Gardens Initiative. View Event Info »»Reserve Tickets »»
Creating a Compost Plan at RGFP
Join Patrick O'Neill of Soil Health Services for a workshop on community composting for the Rio Grande Farm Park Farmers Cooperative at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, February 26th at SLVLFC office. Spanish translation provided. More info call 719-937-2319.
Appreciation for our many sponsors who have made our work possible especially:
Source local foods weekly from our Southern Colorado Foodshed and thru the Denver Cooperative via:
EVENT CANCELLED due to COVID-19
LiveWell Colorado is actively working to transform access to nutritious food in the entire state. One of its major programs, Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB), allows SNAP recipients to receive $1 for every $1 spent on SNAP-eligible food, up to $20. These "double up food bucks" can then be used to purchase fresh Colorado-grown fruits and vegetables. DUFB was started in 2016 and has helped people bring home more healthy fruits and vegetables while supporting local farmers. LiveWell Colorado is taking DUFB to the next level and is looking to develop and increase community engagement.
