Dear Friends of Food and Ag,
As many of you are well aware, it's been a tough year for local agriculture. From early freezes to record heat, pests, and water woes, farmers and ranchers have faced challenge after challenge. We missed many of our favorite fruits, tomatoes were a miracle, and basil, on the other hand, was exceptional. Thankfully, pumpkins and squash are looking good too.
It's always important to support our local farmers and ranchers, but this year, we hope you'll join us in showing appreciation for the hardworking individuals who persevere through it all to put delicious, nutritious food on our tables.
Speaking of hard work, we've been quite busy ourselves here at Valley Food Partnership. This year has brought some changes for us. For one, we moved back to Montrose and we'd love it if you stopped by to see us! We're located at 238 E. Main St., between Eatery 66's lunch and dinner locations. If you open the door and find a large flight of stairs, you're in the right place.
We've also been busy behind the scenes transitioning administrative systems to create efficiencies so we can invest more of our time and resources where they matter most: connecting local food and agriculture. All the while, we've continued to operate a thriving farmers market, host farm tours, provide an incubator plot for beginning farmers, offer education and technical assistance to producers, and strengthen access to local food for all members of our community, regardless of income.
Lastly, it is my pleasure to announce that we were awarded a USDA-NIFA Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program grant for 2026-2029. This program will infuse Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive with resources to again offer a robust beginning farmer, rancher program. Similarly to previous years, we will offer education in partnership with Holistic Management International, Colorado State University Extension, local Conservation Districts, and Region 10 Small Business Development Center. We will also continue to offer an incubator plot in partnership with the Montrose Botanical Gardens, and kick back off peer and mentor gatherings to build social networks, internship support, technical assistance, and resource navigation. Stay tuned for more!
Since it's been a while, we'll keep this email brief to highlight our 2025 Annual Impact Report (yeah, yeah, yeah, we know it's a little late, but hey, better late than never!) and share some upcoming events, because we've got a lot happening.
We have a busy month ahead, full of opportunities to connect with VFP and our mission of connecting local agriculture and local people. If you see us out and about, please stop by, say hello, and tell us what you enjoy most about local food! And remember, follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay more abreast of our happenings.
Warmly,
Penelope Powell
Executive Director
