Cultivating the Future of Agriculture in Colorado
In partnership with: Colorado Department of Agriculture
Several programs across the state look to grow interest and ensure the future of agriculture through different programs offering hands-on experience to all ages.
A century ago, about 30% of the U.S. population lived on farms. Today, direct on-farm employment accounts for less than 2% of U.S. jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The average American farmer is 58 years old, with one-third over the age of 65.
These numbers were “a huge flashing light” to the Quivira Coalition, a group of ranchers and environmentalists working to preserve the future of agriculture in the West.
“There is a diminishing number of people who have the knowledge of how to produce food and how to read, interpret and manage land, and there is a finite period of time to transfer that knowledge to someone else,” says Sarah Wentzel-Fisher, Quivira Coalition executive director.
To address the issue, Quivira is creating several opportunities to develop new agriculturists, including their New Agrarian Program (NAP), which allows skilled ranchers and farmers to offer paid, eight-month apprenticeships in full-immersion settings.
Founding NAP mentor George Whitten is a third-generation San Luis Valley rancher and a member of the Colorado Agricultural Commission. Whitten runs San Juan Ranch with his wife Julie Sullivan and two former apprentices, Sam Schmidt and Noelle McDonough, who now work as managers. This success story is mirrored throughout NAP, Wentzel-Fisher says. More than 80% of the NAP apprentices completing the program are still working in agriculture.
See more: Big Green Connects Kids to Fresh Food and Farming
Funding the Future of Agriculture
Through the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Workforce Development Program (AWDP), qualified agricultural businesses may be reimbursed for up to 50% of the cost of hiring an intern in exchange for providing an educational experience with hands-on training. Since the program was created in 2018, a total of 50 internships have been funded, with 28 different businesses hosting interns, some of them every year. Over 90% of interns who have completed the program say they would like to pursue a career in agriculture.
The program also helps ag-related businesses obtain a trained workforce.
“We get well over double the number of applications we have the ability to fund, so the need is out there,” says Jennifer Benson, AWDP lead.
See more: How Colorado’s Southern Ute Community Is Working to Ensure Access to Healthy Foods
Modern Management
Growing up dryland farming on the Navajo Nation, Brandon Francis’ longtime goal was to work in agriculture, but his life took some occupational turns before the opportunity arose. Through Fort Lewis College, Francis completed an internship and apprenticeship in sustainable agriculture at the Old Fort at Hesperus, a growing and multifaceted answer to farmer training in the Four Corners region. After graduating with a degree in environmental studies, Francis joined the Old Fort Incubator Program, which provides access to land, water and infrastructure in addition to classes and marketing assistance.
“I grew traditional crops like corn, beans and squash and built up a seed bank,” Francis says of his experience. “[I had firsthand experience with] the ins and outs of running a modern farm, especially learning about modern irrigation, which we didn’t have access to as dryland farmers.”
Francis now shares his knowledge as the educational resources coordinator at New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Farmington. Managing a project called Yéego Gardening, he’s working with Navajo third through fifth graders to cultivate a school garden, which helps teach them about healthy eating and how to grow their own food.
“A lot of what I’m doing now is related to what I learned at the Fort, especially when it comes to water efficiency, which is very important in the Four Corners area,” Francis says.
See more: Labors of Love: Colorado’s Agriculture Industry Boasts Diverse Talent
Hand-On Training
Not everyone interested in food has the capacity to grow it themselves. But everyone who wants to work with food should understand the process of planting, growing and harvesting. That’s part of the premise of a new Food Studies program at Adams State University. Courses in the interdisciplinary program draw from agribusiness, health and nutrition, environmental impact and social justice, says Nikki Kasper, an assistant professor who helped develop the program. The Adams State initiative differs from other food studies programs by emphasizing hands-on skills.
“We teach cooking skills in our commercial kitchen,” Kasper explains. “We also learn through hands-on work with the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition. We harvested in the fall and will be helping with soil prep and planting in the spring. Such experiences help students understand the cycle of raising local food.”
Programs like this help make the connection between the food on the table and the fields where it grows.
“Food touches every part of our lives, so we need to look more at the food system as a whole,” she says.
