2012 SARE Fellows Tour. May 14 17, 2012 Fort Collins, CO

Transcription

1 2012 SARE Fellows Tor May 14 17, 2012 Fort Collins, CO

2 2012 SARE Tor Itinerary Tesday, May 15 - North Tor Day 1 AM 8:00 Depart Armstrong Hotel 8:30 Arrive at La Lna Dairy 10:00 Depart La Lna Dairy 10:15 Arrive Seaworth Farms PM 12:15 Lnch at Seaworth Farms 12:45 Q&A with Troy and Richard Seaworth and others in Seaworth's barn 1:40 Depart Seaworth Farms 2:00 Arrive Qatrix Aqaponics 3:00 Depart Qatrix Aqaponics 3:30 Arrive Sylvan Dale Gest Ranch 4:30 Dinner at Sylvan Dale Gest Ranch 6:00 Leave Sylvan Dale Gest Ranch for the Armstrong Hotel denotes in-depth review of operations 2

3 2012 SARE Tor Itinerary Wednesday, May 16 - Sothern Tor Day 2 AM 7:00 Depart Ft. Collins 8:15 Arrive at Sakata Farms 9:15 Depart to Lafayette 9:45 Arrive at Isabelle Farms 11:45 Depart for Lnch 12:00 Arrive at Lookot Ridge Farm PM 1:00 Depart Lookot Ridge Farm 1:30 Arrive at Herston Hay and Cattle 3:30 Depart Herston s 4:00 Arrive at Hazel Dell Mshrooms 5:00 Leave Hazel Dell Mshrooms for Armstrong Hotel denotes in-depth review of operations 3

4 2012 SARE Tor Itinerary Thrsday, May 17 - Eastern Tor Day 3 AM 7:30 Depart Fort Collins 8:15 Arrive at JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC 9:45 Depart JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC 10:15 Arrive at Fagerberg s PM 12:30 Depart Fagerberg s 12:45 Lnch Eaton Market Place 1:45 Arrive at Croissant Red Angs 3:00 Depart Croissant Red Angs 3:30 Arrive at Shortgrass Steppe 4:45 Depart Shortgrass Steppe 4:30 Arrive at Terry Bison Ranch Dinner 7:30 Leave Terry Bison Ranch for the Armstrong Hotel denotes in-depth review of operations 4

5 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 1 Operation Profiles La Lna Dairy This family farm in Wellington, Colorado is owned and fonded by Jon Sltsky and Ssan Moore. John and Ssan, originally from California, moved to Colorado in 1972 so Ssan cold attend Colorado State University. While Ssan majored in Animal Science, the cople started a hobby farm, raising dairy goats. When they coldn t find loans to spport that bsiness, the cople switched to dairy cows, making a go of it with 64 cows and renting dairy space. The hobby-bsiness qickly grew, and for years later, they fonded La Lna Dairy, a 60-acre farm on the otskirts of Wellington. Today, they rn a sccessfl family farm with nearly 30 employees and 1,200-1,300 dairy cows. Case for CSU research on Livestock Air-Qality Isses in Colorado. Stakeholder of the Month 9003 N Conty Road 9, Wellington Colorado. (970) Seaworth Ag Enterprise, Inc. This 600 acre organic farm is owned and operated by Richard and Troy Seaworth. They also manage 2,000 acres in Nebraska and own and manage Seaworth Transportation, a small trcking fleet. The operation is innovative with strip tillage and irrigation practices. Nominee for Otstanding Yong Farmer award E Conty Road 70, Wellington, Colorado. (970) denotes in-depth review of operations 5

6 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 1 Operation Profiles Qatrix Aqaponics The mission of Qatrix Aqaponics is To tilize the ingenity of aqaponic agricltre to provide fresh and organic vegetables, herbs, and fish to or local economy in an environmentally conscios way. Constrction of the 36 x 130 greenhose and 30 x 80 steel bilding to hose for fish tanks, each containing 1,000 tilapia, began in Qatrix Aqaponics has been in operation for approximately 1.5 years. Plants (red, green and romaine lettce) are grown withot soil in a hydroponic floating raft techniqe where the ntrients for the plants are provided by the fish water. In retrn, the plants filter the water, removing the nitrogen, and it is then retrned to the fish tanks. Aqaponic systems re-circlate water, are very water conservative, and encorage vigoros plant growth. Qatrix crrently markets its prodce at local farmers markets and throgh a distribtor who provides prodce to local restarants. The fish are fileted and sold at farmers markets in Fort Collins. Matthew Westenhaver, Owner/Operator 3430 W. CR 54G, Laporte, CO (970) matthew@qatrix.s Sylvan Dale Prchased in 1946 by Marice and Mayme Jessp, Sylvan Dale has a rich history and a message for all who have ever dared to dream. While keeping pace with the times we preserved the essence of or western heritage, offering yo a meaningfl escape from the pressres of everyday life. Learn more.we've been green since the beginning and we will contine to follow the example or parents set to preserve and protect or little piece of paradise. It's gratifying that the vales we've held for years, doing the right thing, striving for energy efficiency, water conservation, and promoting other sstainable practices has become so poplar and important in today's world. We feel great abot or eco-friendly ranch practices and are confident yo'll notice the difference "green" makes when yo visit s. We invite yo to join s for yor next green getaway or ecotorism lodge experience. In the News: Participation in Conservation Land Easements: N. Conty Road 31D, Loveland, Colorado (877)

7 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 2 Operation Profiles Sakata Farms Located in Brighton, Colo., Sakata Farms grows sweet corn, onions and other vegetables on more than 3,200 acres of farmland. Bob Sakata, who grew p on a 10-acre farm in California, and his wife, Joanna, have bilt this family bsiness with the help of their son, Robert. Sakata Farms is one of the top 100 vegetable growers in the United States. Prodce from the farm is sold from Florida to California, throgh retail otlets sch as Safeway, King Soopers, Albertsons and Wal-Mart. In the News: Bromley Lane, Brighton, Colorado (303) Isabelle Farms is a family-rn, certified organic farm that grows more than 100 varieties of prodce on 80 pls acres in Bolder Conty. The farm provides fresh prodce throgh throgh their CSA, farm stand, and to local restarants. This year they are introdcing the Farm, Garden and Natre Camp in Jly and Agst. From the website marks the forth season we will be offering a CSA program. We have fond the direct link to or Farm Share Members one of the most flfilling aspects of growing organic prodce for a local market. In addition to or Farm Shares, we are also excited to offer Partner Program Shares with Ela Family Farms for Western Slope Organic Frit, Conscios Coffees for Fair-Trade Organic Fresh-Roasted Coffee and Grass-Fed Beef raised by or neighbor and longtime rancher, Jim Roberts. We are interested in partnering with select local restarants, food preservers and manfactrers, as well as catering companies and markets who share or vision and whose consmers vale the benefits of spporting local agricltre that is grown with the health of the environment in mind. Isabelle Farm is crrently partnering with 14 restarants. We are also open to growing hard-to-find crops, if they are sitable to or climate and the qantities are great enogh. Jason Condon Isabelle Rd, Lafayette, CO (303)

8 Lookot Ridge Farm and Bateman Farms SARE 2012 Tor - Day 2 Operation Profiles Lookot Ridge Farm offers horse boarding, training, pastre and a competition facility. Pastres are managed grass first, horse second, with controlled grazing time in paddocks. Bateman Farms is a diversified farming operation, with 1650 acres of dryland crops (mostly winter wheat and fallow) and 2200 acres of srface irrigated crops (corn, alfalfa, small grains and grass hay). Water for irrigation, especially in Jly, is the limiting factor on some acreage. Keith and his son do all the farming themselves. One challenge is moving large eqipment in an area of heavy traffic. Jlie Smith 8750 Lookot Rd., Longmont, CO (303) H 3 Herston Hay and Cattle Herston Hay and Cattle is a family operation, prodcing premim grass hay for the local horse and llama market. There are two pivots on the property and they are installing micro-irrigation systems on the corners for hop and vineyard prodction. Other diversification efforts inclde the prodction of specialty seed. They graze cattle and goats and are installing fences, tanks and pipelines to aid in an intensive grazing management program. Deb Herston 3918 E. Co. Rd. 16, Loveland, CO (303) Hazel Dell Mshrooms Mshrooms is a certified organic prodcer of several varieties of mshrooms, inclding shiitake, oyster, lion s name, portabella, btton and cinnamon cap. They sell to many restarants in Fort Collins, Bolder and Denver, to several large prodce wholesalers in Denver and to Whole Foods and Wild Oats markets. They also sell at the Fort Collins, Bolder, and Longmont Farmer s Markets. Additionally, mshroom compost is sold by bag or pick-p load. Jim Hammond 3925 E Conty Rd 32 (Carpenter Rd)-Fort Collins, CO (970) denotes in-depth review of operations 8

9 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 3 Operation Profiles JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC (Five Rivers) is a wholly owned sbsidiary of JBS. Five Rivers has a combined feeding capacity of more than 900,000 head of cattle with locations in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Idaho. Five Rivers takes pride in its team of over 750 professional, skilled, and dedicated employees. By investing in or team, Five Rivers is assred that or operations remain safe and friendly to the environment. Colorado Ag Hall of Fame 2012: Corporate Headqarters 1770 Promontory Circle, Greeley, CO (970) Fagerberg Prodce was fonded by Carl Fagerberg in The farm consists of 1400 acres, growing onions, beans (pinto and yellow) and wheat. Drip irrigation is sed on 600 acres; this system ses 40% less water, ensres that there is no rn-off from chemical applications, and reqires minimal tillage. Pivot irrigation is sed on 140 acres. Onions are the primary crop, with 400 acres on farm. Fagerberg Prodce also harvests and processes 800 acres of onions from throghot the region. Colorado is centrally located making transportation mch easier to ship east, west, north or soth. Additional information on onion prodction is available at VegNet for Onions ( While onions do well in eastern Colorado, it is sometimes hard to find good grond for onions, as they reqire irrigation early in the season. Ths, a farm with access to well water (and not jst access to ditch water) is needed. Lynn Fagerberg P. O. Box 8, WCR 80, Eaton, CO (970)

10 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 3 Operation Profiles Croissant Red Angs Or goal is to prodce the best possible seedstock in a commercial prodction environment withot excess feeding and pampering. We se proven AI sires, manage or cattle in large single herd contemporary grops, and collect all data from birth to harvest, providing the best described seedstock possible. Balanced trait selection is or genetic progress model. No herd sire regardless of poplarity is perfect. Utilizing a trait leader sally reslts in below breed average performance in some of the other traits. Or genetic selection focses on maintaining most traits above breed average. We are carefl to avoid the generational stacking of below breed average traits. The health plan at Croissant Red Angs was developed to ensre healthy animals, not only here bt at or cstomers ranch. It is or goal to not only provide genetics that work, bt also blls and females that can go directly to work for yo. In 2006, we became a certified BVD PI free herd with the Colorado Veterinary Diagnostics Lab. Continal testing will ensre or cstomers some of the healthiest animals that are in the marketplace. Larry, Jean & Kevin WCR 83, Briggsdale, CO (970) lcroissant@wigginstel.com Shortgrass Steppe The Shortgrass Steppe Research and Interpretation Center sits nder the big sky in northern Colorado, srronded by nbroken vistas. Located near Fort Collins, Greeley, Denver, and Cheyenne, the site has fll-circle views of the rolling grasslands, the Chalk Blffs and Wyoming to the north, and the Rocky Montains to the west. Abndant wildlife pronghorn antelope, meadowlarks, lark bntings, montain plovers, migrating and resident hawks, coyotes, swift fox, badgers, brrowing owls and prairie dogs live in the area. Ecologically sensitive bilding design integrates the site into the rolling hills and short vegetation of the srronding grasslands. The SGS-RIC is ideal for a wide variety of visitors interested in getting away for workshops, small conferences, retreats, and opportnities like bird-watching, viewing wildflowers, and star-gazing. Radio News Report: State.University s.shortgrass.steppe.research.and.interpretation.center.advances.science. and.cltre Reservations Lindsey Hoffner, CSU Conference Services, (970) or via at lindsey.hoffner@colostate.ed

11 SARE 2012 Tor - Day 3 Operation Profiles Terry Bison Ranch Terry Bison Ranch is located on the Wyoming/Colorado state line. Ron Thiel boght the Terry Ranch in 1993 in order to raise bison. The grazing operation is managed holistically. It is a family oriented resort that provides western adventre, food and entertainment and edcates gests abot Wyoming history and cltre. Bison meats are available at the Trading Post. Other activities inclde bison hnts and horseback riding. A new addition to the property is the Chicken Bs, a movable vehicle that will be home to egg-laying hens, with organic eggs available for prchase. In the News for their interesting livestock: In the News for their partnership with Cold Creek Bffalo Company Terry Bison Ranch Resort 51 I-25 Service Road East, Cheyenne WY (307) wesleyammons@terrybisonranch.com - denotes in-depth review of operations 11

12 SARE 2012 Fellows - Bios Marlin Bates Marlin has been a Horticltre Specialist with University of Missori Extension for 4 years. In his work, Marlin focses on increasing the local food spply by working with new and existing prodcers of specialty crops in and arond the Kansas City Metropolitan area. He also works intensively with commnity and neighborhood grops interested in food prodction. Marlin leads several Master Gardener projects that are focsed on demonstrating best practices in Midwest food prodction, inclding several smmer-long yoth gardening programs. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in greenhose management and vegetable prodction, respectively, from Kansas State University. batesma@missori.ed Jack C. Boles, Jr. (Arkansas 4-H Faclty - ATV Safety, Division of Agricltre, Research and Extension) Jack began his career with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in 1987 as the agricltre agent for Independence Conty. He has since worked in a variety of positions dring his time with Extension. Jack has spent the last 14 years as Conty Agent in Newton Conty. Jack left Newton Conty in November 2011 to become a member of Arkansas 4-H Faclty, overseeing the Arkansas 4-H ATV Safety Program. Jack is a lifelong resident of Arkansas. He was born in Little Rock and gradated high school in Cabot. He is a gradate of Arkansas State University having earned a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science and a Master s Degree in Agricltre. jboles@aex.ed Bradley Brbagh Brad serves as the agricltral and natral resorces agent for Dval Conty, Florida. His areas of expertise inclde forage management, direct marketing and small-scale poltry prodction. Brad is a former vocational agricltre teacher and FFA advisor. He received a bachelor s degree in agricltral edcation from the University of Florida and a master s degree in pblic policy from the University of North Florida. Brbagh@coj.net 12

13 SARE 2012 Fellows - Bios Aaron Esser Aaron is a Lincoln-Adams Area Extension Agronomist with Washington State University. His program is focsed on assisting growers in the adaptation of minimm tillage and no-till systems, and more intensive crop rotations that improve overall economic profitability. He grew p on a farm near Genesee, Idaho, and he received his Bachelor s Degree in agricltral economics and Masters Degree in plant science at the University of Idaho. aarons@ws.ed Laren A. Hnter (Program Focs: Crops, Organic and Sstainable Farming, precision agricltre) Laren Hnter is the Crops Extension Edcator for conty and district-wide programming for University of Idaho s Extension. Hnter has been with the University of Idaho since Her edcational programs focs on sstainable and organic farming, with a focs on sstainable soil management. Hnter is a primary investigator and collaborator on a nmber of research projects in sothern Idaho. These inclde dairy compost se for organic soil management, dairy compost soil mineralization, cover crop and green manre variety trials, developing an Idaho Cover Crop Calclator, and geospatial water management. Her programs inclde a Hay and Cereal School, Small Farm Conference, Sstainable Soil Management Workshop, and Geospatial Technology Workshops. Hnter is the conty chair for the Blaine Conty Extension office and oversees 2 employees as well as a Research Assistant. Before her time with the University of Idaho, Hnter worked as the Assistant Director of the Appalachian Center for Montain Winegrowing with Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. As Assistant Director, Hnter primarily worked on grant writing and research development for montain and steep slope vineyards. Since gradating with her M.A. in Geography, Hnter has been working in extension and otreach. lhnter@idaho.ed Thomas R. Maloney (Cornell University) Tom Maloney is a Senior Extension Associate in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. He received his Bachelors and Masters in Agricltral Economics from Cornell University. He began his career as a Cooperative Extension Agent working in Cortland Conty New York. He then joined Cornell University and since 1985 has been responsible for Extension programs in hman resorce management, Hispanic workforce isses, and agricltral labor policy. trm5@cornell.ed 13

14 SARE 2012 Fellows - Bios Szanne Mills-Wasniak Ssanne is an Ohio State University Extension Edcator, Agricltre and Natral Resorces, in Montgomery Conty and a SARE Fellow. Her crrent Extension specialization is sstainable agricltre with an emphasis on rban agricltre, small farms, and local food systems. She is presently working with the City of Dayton on their Welcome Dayton, Immigrant Friendly initiative. Many of the immigrant participants in the initiative were farmers in their native contry. One of the initiative s goals is to establish rban agricltre within the existing food deserts on vacant lots to increase economic opportnity for the immigrants and to increase neighborhood access to fresh, ntritios frits and vegetables. Urban residents, both yoth and adlt, are exposed to sstainable agricltre and the food system throgh field days, stop by conversations at the establishing lots, and programming. Her Masters Degree is in Biological Sciences from Wright State University with a major concentration in Environmental Sciences. Her Bachelor Degree is in Agricltre from The Ohio State University with a major in Animal Science. Prior to Extension she was a licensed grade 7 throgh 12 science teacher, worked on a swine CAFO, and was an elected local pblic official. She is still actively involved with the family farms. mills-wasniak.1@cfaes.os.ed Jim Ochterski (Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario Conty, Agricltre and Natral Resorces Isses Leader) Jim Ochterski has been an Extension agent in the Finger Lakes region of New York for more than 15 years, and crrently leads the Agricltre Team at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario Conty. Jim s academic backgrond incldes a BS in Cell Biology from the University of Rochester and a Master s degree in Natral Resorces from the University of Michigan. Althogh Jim assists farms in many areas of prodction and sales, his areas of expertise inclde farm marketing, bsiness development, sstainable farming, and commnity relations. Jim lives in Farmington, NY, and serves on the Town of Farmington Agricltre Advisory Committee; he also volnteers at Sonnenberg Gardens, at the Finger Lakes Wine Center, and at varios athletic events in the region. Jim and his wife Amy spend many hors otdoors biking, gardening, and birdwatching. jao14@cornell.ed 14

15 SARE 2012 Fellows Tor Planning Team Dennis Lamm, Chair Professor and Extension Specialist, CSU Jerry Alldredge, Weld Co. Extension Agronomist, retired Todd Boldt, NRCS, Larimer Conty Boyd Byelich, NRCS, Bolder Conty Adrian Card, Bolder Conty Extension Agent, CSU Karen Crmbaker, Larimer Conty Extension Agent, CSU Ernie Marx, Natral Resorce Ecology Lab, CSU Jeanine Neskey, Gradate Stdent, CSU Bill Nobles, Extension Regional Director, CSU Gregory Sndstrom, Colorado State Forest Service Dawn Thilmany, Professor and Extension Specialist, CSU Bill Wailes, Professor and Extension Specialist, CSU Deborah Yong, Professor and Extension Specialist, CSU 15