Colorado Food Advocates Discover Meaningful Careers in Agriculture
In partnership with: Colorado Department of Agriculture
Young Colorado food advocates take winding paths to satisfying careers in modern agriculture.
Colorado Food Advocates
Peyton Foley apprenticed at small organic farms in three different countries, finding his first paying job in agriculture through one of them. At a permaculture site in the highlands of Guatemala, Foley’s management responsibilities included running a 10-acre farm of bananas, coffee, ducks, chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs, vegetable beds, a greenhouse, fishponds and a food forest.
He says that role taught him the importance of integrity, dignity and balance – values he strives to impart in his current work at Mountain Roots Food Project, which promotes resilient food systems in the Gunnison Valley.
See more: Longstanding Colorado Farmers Credit Willingness to Change for Their Sustainability
As director of food security, Foley oversees all program operations, including a free produce program for those experiencing food insecurity, a cooking course focused on inexpensive homemade meals and five community gardens. He also leads
and mentors a team of AmeriCorps service members.
“I work with everyone from master agriculturists to people dipping their toes in the water for the first time,” Foley says. “I love working with people passionate about food: where it comes from and how to produce it, feeding the soil, and ensuring future generations are blessed to eat the fresh produce they grow.”
See more: Colorado Ranchers and Farmers Teach the Importance of Ag to the Next Generation
Collective Good
San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition (SLVLFC) seeks to restore health for people, the community, economy and ecosystem through fresh, healthy produce from community gardens, grower sales and donations to local food banks. This work is personal for Meg Mercier, who experienced food insecurity as a child and hopes her work as a Colorado food advocate helps the next generation.
“I hold that project close to my heart,” Mercier says of the incubator program that supports families to grow food free of charge on-site at the Rio Grande Farm Park (RGFP).
It’s one of several projects Mercier oversees as director of operations and development for the Farm Park.
“It’s my job to keep all the wheels turning – managing all farming, education and volunteer programs – and ensure that community interests are kept at the heart of everything we do,” Mercier says.
She joined RGFP as an AmeriCorps VISTA member and returned three years later to the Farm Park for the director position. Mercier says she’s most effective in a job with a meaningful mission.
“The Farm Park’s origin story is one of radical community care for the sake of the people as well as the environment,”
she says. “I enjoy the work of keeping that legacy alive for the benefit of future generations.”
See more: Colorado Organizations Address Food Accessibility Issues Created by Food Deserts