Candace Krebs
The Ag Journal
Nathan Mudd farms at Brighton and runs what could be one of the earliest online farmers markets.
“When we started in 2012, the thing we heard from all over the country is people will never buy food online,” he recalled. “In fact, the timing really worked out for us with what happened in 2020.”
With the arrival of the pandemic, demand for local food increased, while consumers also started shopping differently. Online sales became critical.
“If anything has become clear about food marketing in the COVID-19 era, it’s how central online shopping has become for direct marketers,” he said.
Candace Krebs
The Ag Journal
When Jessica Larriva moved to Monte Vista to provide full-time caregiving to her mother, she needed a home-based enterprise that offered flexibility.
She found the solution through Colorado’s Cottage Food Act, which allows her to sell artisan-style breads made in her own home kitchen.
Larriva talked about her business and her interest in heritage grains during a monthly webinar series hosted by the Sangre de Cristo chapter of SOIL, which stands for Slow Opportunities for Investing Locally, a nonprofit set up to provide peer-to-peer lending.
The chapter uses tax-deductible donations to provide interest-free loans to area farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs. When the loan is repaid, the money goes back into a revolving fund to support other food entrepreneurs, as determined by the members.
Candace Krebs
The Ag Journal
Forty former members of the National Organic Standards Board sent an open letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently, which was also circulated to members of the House and Senate agriculture committees, demanding reforms to insure the integrity of the federal organic label. We are writing to share with you our concern that the integrity of the National Organic Standards has eroded significantly over the years,” the letter states. “In some cases, the Standards have devolved from the original intention, as in the example of enclosed poultry porches substituting for outdoor access. In other cases, a lack of strong enforcement of existing standards has led to well-documented cases of fraud and an economic burden on organic operators who follow the rules, versus those who do not.”
Compiled by Candace Krebs
Lower Ark Valley basin tour announced
Registration is now open for the June 3 annual tour of the Lower Arkansas River Basin tour, hosted by Water Education Colorado. This year’s tour will be held via Zoom, expanding the accessibility among water professionals, ag producers, educators, elected officials and interested community members who regularly attend. The tour will take in sites between Pueblo Reservoir and John Martin Reservoir, giving participants an up-close look at regional water-related activities. The itinerary will showcase water quality projects, agricultural operations, alternative transfer methods (ATMs), interstate compact considerations, the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, municipal, environmental and recreational priorities, and more. There will also be an interactive Q&A opportunity with tour speakers, and a post-tour networking event. The cost is $125 for members and $150 for non-members, with a limited number of scholarships available ba
Compiled by Candace Krebs
Colorado program offers free marketing webinars
Colorado Proud is teaming up with ROOT Marketing & PR to offer six free marketing webinars covering the basics of what you need to give your business a lift. Learn how to leverage PR, social media, branding and marketing in six lunchtime webinars scheduled for 12 Noon to 1p.m. every other Thursday starting April 8 (includes live Q&A time). Sign up for one, some or all by going online to the Colorado Proud Markets page.
Water law intro offered online
The Colorado Ag Water Alliance is hosting an introduction to water law on April 13 starting at 5:30 p.m. The online event will feature Rob Pierce, a water attorney with Dufford Waldeck Law. This seminar has been approved for 1 hour of continuing legal education credit and 1 hour of real estate continuing education credit.