Check out Day 2 of our agenda and read more below for an overview of the three field trip options at the GFRAS Annual Meeting.
Farm Field Trip A
Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting
A fifth-generation family farm in Loveland, Colorado, Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting supplies barley, wheat, rye, and non-GMO corn to craft brewers and distillers. Through land conservation and regenerative agriculture practices, the farm and malting operation raises awareness about the importance of farmland and keeping “farmers on farms.” Watch “100 Year Lease” to better understand the importance of family farming and land conservation to Olander Farms and Root Shoot Malting.
Elk Run Farm
From bare degraded land, with little topsoil, and close to zero biodiversity, Elk Run Farms turned a typical desertified southwest plot of land into a thriving farm that produces staple crops including blue corn, dry beans, amaranth, and grain sorghum. With passive water harvesting and irrigation-free planting, they achieved a 79% survival rate for 1,000 trees and shrubs, now sustaining a thriving community reliant on integrated systems for 90% of their annual diet. A first-generation farm, founded in 2015, Elk Run Farms is in Boulder County.
Farm Field Trip B
Hungenberg Farms
For more than 100 years, Hungenberg Farms has been providing Coloradans with fresh produce from Greeley, Colorado. Today, Hungenberg is recognized as one of the largest carrot growers and processors in the Rocky Mountain Region. Through crop rotation and healthy soil practices, Hungenberg Farms ensures that the carrots have the proper nutrients to grow year after year.
Arnusch Farms
Since 1952 – for four generations – Arnusch Farms has been working the land in Prospect Valley, Colorado. Their certified seed barley, seed wheat, and wheat and barley grows with the help of conservation strategies that decrease the amount of tillage all while increasing moisture retention from rain and snowfall, supporting micro-biotic life, and building better soil health. In 2018, Arnusch Farms was awarded as the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts Conservationist of the year.
Farm Field Trip C
Kalcevic Farms
Kalcevic Farms is a multi-generation family farm specializing in cultivating dry-land wheat, corn, millet, soybean, and sorghum on 65,000 acres while also expertly managing a herd of Red Angus cattle. Their agricultural heritage and diverse agricultural practices make them a cornerstone of their community’s farming landscape.
Emerald Gardens
Established in 2017, Dave Demerling and Roberto Meza founded Emerald Gardens to cultivate, engage, and transform communities through the Denver and Boulder area with year-round access to delicious and nutritious microgreens and mushrooms. Micro greens, shoots of fresh herbs and vegetables, have more vitamins and minerals than mature vegetables. Emeral Garden’s uses fresh water and passive solar power in their greenhouses to grow their produce.