"To foster an equitable local food system that restores the health of the people, community, economy and ecosystem."
Learn more about the SLV Local Foods Coalition and Programs!
If you are interested in learning more about the SLV Local Foods Coalition and our programs, we welcome you to join our E-News Mailing Lists. You will receive a bi-weekly newsletter containing information about upcoming events and opportunities for all of our programs you choose to be informed about. Join our mail lists by selecting the "Join Our E-News" above. We look forward to sharing our news with you! Read our current March 4th, 2021 Newsletter »» LFC 2020 - A Year in Review - sharing through photos! View Year in Review Presentation »» Be sure to check out Food Resources at page bottom for Growing the Local Foods Movement in the SLV and Beyond!
Rio Grande Farm Park Seeking New Farmers!
Opportunity for Community Involvement at the Rio Grande Farm Park!
Contact Jesus Flores, our Farm Park Manager, for more details about our farming program and how to be involved. Park space is available to welcome new farmers! Farming guidance, mentoring, training, and support will be provided to help you succeed.
Pre-Order Winter CSA Fresh Boxes for weeks of November 20th & December 18th. Also available is the A-La-Carte Ordering - CSA Online Grocery Market, for individuals and families with open shopping year-round. Pick and choose what local foods you want in your box each time you order. Enjoy a seasonal bounty of Colorado produce including apples, potatoes, beets, carrots, radish, winter squash, garlic, and our signature "cracker-jack" items! Visit Valley Roots Food Hub for Shopping Program Details »»
Come visit us at the Winter Farmer's Markets in Alamosa on Saturday Feb 20 and Feb 27 from 10am-2pm at the North River Greenhouse »» Fresh food and other goods will be available from the Farm Park, MoKi, and Local Vendors!
Good News! Stretch Your P-EBT Dollars with Double Up Food Bucks!
For Colorado families with school-age children, a new food benefit called Pandemic EBT, or P-EBT, is here to help! P-EBT is available for families who qualify for free or reduced meals at school but missed it because of schools closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic; eligible households may receive up to $279 per child that will support the family in creating healthy, wholesome meal options for kids who are now home during the school day. Read More about P-EBT Benefit »»
Virtual Cooking Matters Series 2021 Starting Soon!
Join Us for the Cooking Matters At Home series with Lois Harvie, Tuesdays starting February 9th. Learn More & Register »»
Local Food to People in Need
These grants have allowed us to deliver boxes of fresh, local food to people who really need it:
- Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger's Colorado COVID-19 Emergency Hunger Relief Fund »»
Coming Soon: 4th Edition of the SLV Local Roots Guide!
Do you know any new farmers in the San Luis Valley? Are you producing or selling local foods in the SLV? If so, notify Alley Jean at the Rio Grand Farm Park so we can include the local food business in the new 4th edition guide to be advertised in print and online. Access the 3rd Edition »»
Equity Deep-Dive for Staff, Board, & Farmers
The Local Foods Coalition has conducted a deep process to identify what needs to be done to make our organization more equitable. We hired Gretchen Groenke and Daniel Escalante, who are both equity professionals, to help us with this work.
Our Equity Deep-Dive was a success! The Local Foods Coalition gathered on Zoom to share stories, build trust, and discuss ways to continue striving for equity within our work. We are committed to putting in the work, both as individuals and as a team, to hold ourselves accountable. We thank Daniel Escalante for facilitating this process.
Monthly Radio Show with the Local Foods Coalition featured on KRZA 88.7fm
We are excited to share our new radio show organized by our Show Manager, Abe Rosenberg! Please join us 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.
January 21st, 2021 - LFLP Radio Show by Ally Jean Arnold Highlighting market, its history, sourcing Valley natural local foods and affiliations Featuring Guests David & Laura Kephart - Owners of Simple Foods Market, Del Norte Colorado
Thanks to 61 donors, we raised over $4000!!! This was 2x the amount we raised last year, and we are grateful to be entering the new year with the community's support. We will work hard to make local foods a prominent economic driver in 2021, continue to support the SLV's small-scale organic farmers, and expand education programs related to agriculture, the environment, and business planning. THANK YOU!
Poultry Project Update
On December 15, Dan Waldvogle of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union led a great discussion of poultry processing options in Colorado via Zoom. A Producer who recently built a poultry processing facility was also on the call to share about his experience. This provided helpful information and context to Rio Grande Farm Park and San Luis Valley farmers who are interested in raising meatbirds. We look forward to continuing the discussion of a meatbird producer collaborative in the SLV in the new year!
Thanks to the Main Street Project for training our community in regenerative poultry! From coop design to predators to chicken health to business models, we learned so much. And we are excited to apply what we've learned. Thanks also to all of our participants, and to MoKi; Local Foods Local Places for the delicious meals!
Our 2020 LOCAL Harvest Celebration was a success! - August 30th, 2020 Rio Grande Farm Park
We would like to share the live stream portion of our bi-annual Local! Festival event held at the Rio Grande Farm Park via our Facebook page. View Local! 2020 Event Video »»
The SLV Local Foods Coalition hosted event was a community celebration inspired by the bounty of the agricultural harvest. This event was an opportunity to experience the tastes of the San Luis Valley, connect with farmers, and learn what local groups are doing to support local growers along with live music, food trucks, demonstrations, interviews, farm tour and more! Thank you to all attendees and participants for joining us and for making this Covid Safe event fun!!
COVID 19 - Make a Homemade Mask
Learn how to make a homemade face mask to protect yourself. Watch Video »»
How to Cook Dry Beans and Healthy Bean Recipes
Check out this complementary instructional video "How to Make Beans" from Cooking Matters Nutrition Educator Lois Harvie and Local Foods Local Places Program Director Abe Rosenberg. View here smaller or Picture in a Picture or Visit LFC YouTube »»
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 2 weekly placement times and delivery schedules. - Orders placed by 4pm on Friday will receive Tuesday delivery - Orders placed by 4pm on Tuesday will receive Friday delivery A $250 Order Minimum will receive Complimentary Delivery! View YouTube Video - How to order from the Valley Roots Food Hub »»
In local food we trust,
Nick and staff
The Green Gold of San Luis
Enjoy this historical video shared by the Valley Roots Food Hub. Keep up to date with the Valley Roots Food Hub by visiting the Blog, VRFH Blog »»
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 »»
Adams State University Food Studies Program
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 »»
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 »»
Growing the Local Foods Movement in the SLV and Beyond -Check Out These Resources!
Local Food & Farming Resources. Check out these resources and share them with your networks so that we can build a resilient local food system together. The more people we have invested in the movement, the better to benefit us all.
Apps to accept DUFB benefits now available for food market providers.
COVID Hotline for SLV
Public Health Hotline is available to address COVID 19 Outbreak.
For English call: 719-480-8719 For Spanish call: 719-315-5019
Hotline operates 9am to Noon and 4pm to 7pm with a way to leave a message.
SLV Food Resources Directory
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.
Source local foods weekly from our Southern Colorado Foodshed and thru the Denver Cooperative via:
Pre-Order Winter CSA Fresh Boxes for weeks of November 20th & December 18th. Also available is the A-La-Carte Ordering - CSA Online Grocery Market, for individuals and families with open shopping year-round. Pick and choose what local foods you want in your box each time you order. Enjoy a seasonal bounty of Colorado produce including apples, potatoes, beets, carrots, radish, winter squash, garlic, and our signature "cracker-jack" items!
On December 15, Dan Waldvogle of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union led a great discussion of poultry processing options in Colorado via Zoom. A Producer who recently built a poultry processing facility was also on the call to share about his experience. This provided helpful information and context to Rio Grande Farm Park and San Luis Valley farmers who are interested in raising meatbirds. We look forward to continuing the discussion of a meatbird producer collaborative in the SLV in the new year!
We would like to share the live stream portion of our bi-annual Local! Festival event held at the Rio Grande Farm Park via our Facebook page. 
Enjoy this historical video shared by the Valley Roots Food Hub.
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.
