Veg Crops — Member and Allies Directory — Larimer County Farmers Alliance

Beau Baker

208-596-9614

A recent transplant to Fort Collins, Beau began his farming trajectory through WWOOF in Quebec back in 2010. He moved to Montana shortly thereafter to take a farm apprenticeship in the Bitterroot Valley. The following season, Beau served as the PEAS (Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society) Farm Caretaker for the Missoula-based non-profit Garden City Harvest. During a two-year stint in Maine, he worked for a number of farms in various capacities and trained as a MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) Journeyperson. He also briefly worked for Johnny's Selected Seeds. Beau returned to Montana in 2015 and started a neighborhood-based micro-farm on less than an acre, experimenting with companion planting, pollinator "engines" and yield potential. Grad School and work in public radio sidelined Beau from farming for the last few years (except for some farmer's market moonlighting and the occasional gig as a contract weeder), but his ultimate goals and principles remain based in small-scale, diversified vegetable production and food security. He is eager to get involved with LCFA.

Behind farming, there's a few other things in life that bring me absolute joy: cooking, riding a bicycle (yay Fort Collins!) and digging through used records.

Tanja Andreas

tanjabluesky@gmail.com

970-221-2213

Bonnie Farm

I should have been born on a farm, but I got there as quick as I could! Ever since graduating high school rather many decades ago, I have been working/volunteering on small family and sustainable farms and volunteering with veterinarians. My primary focus, and greatest interest, has always been on the animal husbandry side of things. I have milked cows and goats, raised hogs and cattle, worked with llamas and sheep, and have been around poultry of all sorts. Professionally, I am a retired RN and Family Nurse Practitioner, and I have a degree in Biology, focusing on Animal Behavior.

I have a 3.3 acre homestead farm in NE Fort Collins, and I have been here for 8 years now. I live in a small 1885 farmhouse, on the remnants of an 160-acre farm, granted under the Homestead Act in 1874. I have various heirloom breeds of chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks and sheep. I also have 4 llamas for fiber, packing and guarding. I have carefully chosen animal varieties that work well on a homestead farm like this. I have a partnership with a market gadener who grows produce in my large garden, and we have a Friday Farmstand here during the growing season.

Larimer County Farmers AllianceAugust 24, 2020Veg Crops, Animal Husbandry, Chickens, Homesteading, Butchery

Farmer Feliz

focomightymicros@gmail.com

FoCO Mighty Micros / www.focomightymicros.com

We are a multi-generational urban farm located in foothills of the Rocky Mountains here in Fort Collins, CO (aka FoCO)! That's right, we grow delicious superfoods in our home basement year round. We are committed to only sourcing non-GMO seed, and we never use any pesticides or synthetics on our microgreens! Ever! We believe in farming with organic practices from the living soil for uncompromising flavor. We have a passion for the next generation and the environment. We do everything we can to be a Green Company by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Our clam-shell containers are 100% plant based and can be composted in a commercial composting facility in 3-4 months time. Our root masses from the microgreens are then fed to our worms for vermicompost to be used in other gardens as fertilizer, making our farm sustainable with a closed loop system.

We are passionate about organic, non-GMO superfoods and we are excited to share that with our community!

LeeAnne Sanders

info@lakehollowhomestead.com

720-299-9265

Lake Hollow Homestead, www.lakehollowhomestead.com

We are a small market farm that specializes in garlic and value-added garlic products such as garlic powder and herbed garlic salts. Previous to specializing in garlic, we grew a wide variety of market produce and still continue to grow most of the produce we eat. We also consider ourselves "homesteaders" working continually to become more self sufficient. We keep backyard poultry, we can, dehydrate, and ferment food for storage, and collaborate with other small farms to supply ourselves with food we don't produce on site.

We live on a acre and a half and produce all of our garlic as well as produce for ourselves on this space. Garlic is our specialty and we grow between 4,000 and 8,000 heads annually.

Larimer County Farmers AllianceJune 26, 2020Veg Crops, Chickens, Homesteading, CSA, Food Preservation

April Shelhon

april.shelhon@gmail.com

970-221-0163

I am currently a horticultural content marketer and outreach coordinator for a nationwide garden seed company where I create branded content, across multiple platforms (web articles, blogs, newsletters, social media, video, and print), for home gardeners of all skill levels. My background is in horticulture, organic CSA and market farming, teaching organic agriculture, as well as wildlife biology and agricultural research.

I grow a decent amount of our own food on a residential lot in Fort Collins.

Veg Crops, Compost/ Soil Health, CSA, Tractoring, Seed Saving, Food Preservation

Andrew 'Drew' McMahan

mcmahanaj@yahoo.com

970-482-4540

Historic Cherry Mill Farm

My partner BT Huntley and I became the latest stewards of the historic Cherry Mill property 6 years ago. We currently operate a medium-sized garden plot (~40x60 feet), with the aim to grow and preserve (we can, freeze, dry) a large proportion of our yearly vegetable needs....lots of tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, brassicas, green beans, etc. We have room to expand and plan to expand as we get our water situation figured out. Although we grow produce essentially just for us, we do sell vegetable seedlings ("starts") in the spring, and have been doing so for longer than we've been here. We have approx. 5 acres of good arable ground, much of it currently in decent smooth brome pasture, on which we raised a couple of beef steers 3 years ago. We raise 4 dozen "head" of poultry and sell eggs. In the late 1980s to 1991, I co-owned one of the first certified organic farms in fort Collins: Inch By Inch Vegetables and Bellwether Farms. We had 5 acres of production in annual veggies, and 1/4 acre "under glass" for year-round production of culinary herbs. I have a BS degree in soil science and an MS in ecology, both from CSU. We have a small home-made hoop-house, and have tentative plans to construct a small "production-level" greenhouse. I am a former beekeeper, currently have no working hives, but have equipment for at least 8 hives. We are open to discussing learning and possible "cooperative employment" opportunities with anyone who might want to help us here develop various aspects of our farm, particularly with respect to : improving our well and irrigation systems; developing bee hives, establishing a hop-growing operation, establishing larger-scales (e.g. 1/2 - 1 acre) vegetable production.

Currently at Historic Cherry Mill Farm, 200 Gregory Rd, Fort Collins, CO 80524. Northeast corner of HWY 1 (Terry Lake Rd.) and Gregory Rd. 6.25 acres including buildings.

Veg Crops, Animal Husbandry, Chickens, Compost/ Soil Health, CSA, Food Preservation, Greenhouse Management

Thomas Hickey

tjhickey32@gmail.com

734-660-5348

I graduated from CSU May 2019 with a degree in landscape architecture. This program led me to focus on urban agriculture, and eventually to research energy efficient specialty crop growing systems. In the fall I will be going back to the grad program at CSU to study horticulture and ecology. I plan to research net-zero growing systems (open-field, high tunnel, greenhouse) by incorporating solar energy, geothermal and thermal mass components into the design.

I am a gardener moving towards homesteading in the Old Town neighborhood. I hope to turn the neighborhood into a food forest one vacant / underutilized plot at a time. I have only been growing in Fort Collins for 4 seasons so I am open to all tips and suggestions. Currently gardening / homesteading in the Old Town neighboirhood (Loomis/Laporte). We have 3 chickens and a small vegetable plot. With permission, we are starting to convert our neighbors underutilized plots to crop production.

Veg Crops, Chickens, Compost/ Soil Health

Larimer County Farmers AllianceApril 20, 2020Veg Crops, Chickens, Compost/ Soil Health

Ryan Ericson

wellfedfarmstead@gmail.com

970-214-9562

Well Fed Farmstead

I have been farming for 6 years, have managed several operations all over the country, and have started my own business at the beginning of 2020. My experience is mostly with veg crops, microgreens, fruit trees, and chickens. Currently active in microgreens, veg crops, at micro scale in Fort Collins.

Veg Crops, Chickens, Compost/ Soil Health, Tractoring, Orchard Care

Bryce Schaetzel

H.U.G.S.theland@gmail.com

970-698-1099

Homeland Urban Gardening Systems LLC: website = hugsfortheland.com: contact H.U.G.S.theland@gmail.com

Hi my name is Bryce, I've lived on the front range most of my life. I have been an active practicing veggie grower for over 30 years now. In 2015 I went professional and started H.U.G.S. LLC while finishing my education at CSU. H.U.G.S. was born out of the concept that a home garden can produce far more than what the household can consume in a season but the home owner is often to busy with life to hit their gardens full potential. Thus I figured, why not co-op a group of like mined homeowners together, give them the support they need to get the potential yield from their yards and sell the excess at local markets or fill in for other community needs (a.k.a. Fort Collins Mission and Food Bank). H.U.G.S. is not a certifiable organic producer but does adhere to organic and permaculture practices. Using only natural fertilizers and low impact integrated pest management techniques. H.U.G.S. LLC grows in 8 northern Fort Collins locations, most are backyards but one is a vacant lot and a few victory gardens on small acreage farms. Generally a jack of all trades but master of none; specialty food crops, fruit, veggies flowers, soil care, composting I've dabbled in all.

Veg Crops, Chickens, Homesteading, Compost/ Soil Health, Seed Saving, Permaculture, Greenhouse Management

Brian Mitchell

brian.mitchell@colostate.edu

Veg Crops, Homesteading, Compost, Soil Health, Seed Saving, Greenhouse Management

Alex Zeidner

info@folksfarmandseed.com

Folks Farm & Seed

Alex Zeidner has been farming in Northern Colorado since the age of 16 with a summer job on a diversified veggie and berry farm. After attending the University of Colorado he pursued farming professionally on scales ranging from a 3/4 high end cut flower to 400 acre vegetable operations. He is passionate about growing great food, saving seeds, and building soil.

Folks Farm and Seed celebrates and mainly grow regionally adapted vegetable and seed crops. We do this to increase genetic diversity, community resilience, and lower inputs such as water. We currently farm on one acre.

Veg Crops, Composting/ Soil Health, Farm mgmt, CSA, Seed Saving

Larimer County Farmers AllianceApril 12, 2020Veg Crops, Composting/ Soil Health, Farm mgmt, CSA, Seed Saving