As more areas become urbanized, Wheat Ridge, Colo., is going back to its roots. Literally.
At the end of the 1960s, Wheat Ridge turned its focus from its agricultural origins to residential and commercial growth. But 50 years later, it realized that farming was the backbone of the town for a reason. So, starting in July 2011, the town amended its comprehensive plan to make urban agriculture a central part, reports CityLab.
Some of the measures include allowing urban gardens (including for-profit farms), farmer’s markets and produce stands in every zoned area, as well as making the process of starting a farm as easy and efficient as possible. One way? Eliminating urban-garden permits.
“We wanted to move the city forward and encourage investment, but we didn’t want to lose its unique charm, which is largely based on our agricultural history,” Ken Johnstone, director of community development for Wheat Ridge, explains to City Lab. “We weren’t the only city getting grassroots interest in local farming and food production. We saw it as an opportunity to brand ourselves.”
And with these changes, the town’s actually seeing a boost in residents as people are coming back to the area to farm. In 2013, Dan Graeve and wife Christa moved to Wheat Ridge with their two friends Adam Slack and Shannon Dils to start True Roots farm. Although they didn’t have business or agriculture experience, it wasn’t a problem as city planners were there to help them every step of the way.
“We contacted the city as a place to start,” Graeve says. “At that point we didn’t even have a model per se. [The city planner] was willing to just sit down with us and talk about whether there was any city-owned property, or other space [for a farm].”
As Wheat Ridge continues to attract residents, its plan could be an inspiration for others.
“We’ve gotten a lot of attention for it, which is a good thing,” Johnstone says. “I don’t know if it’s a fad or not, but it [works for Wheat Ridge.]”
As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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Tag: small farms
How This Group is Cultivating Small Farms in America
Due to high costs of management and competition with corporations, the small farm could soon become an American relic.
But not if FarmLink has anything to say about it. Through funding and resources, this group is connecting generations of farmers to ensure that these modest-sized plots of land don’t go by the wayside.
Currently, the age of the average farmer is 58 years old, and 19 percent of farms are operated by people around 65 years of age. Additionally, there are very few young farmers taking the place of retiring ones. In fact, only six percent of farmers are under the age of 35, and since 2007, the number of new farmers dropped by 20 percent.
Most of these numbers can be attributed to the lack of land access and money, which makes entering the business difficult.
So FarmLink decided to step in. The group has multiple chapters across the country that connect experienced farmers with young novices. These older farmers pass on knowledge and expertise and in some cases, the actual farms themselves.
The group’s website offers a range of practical tips and a guidebook to help owners create succession plans. Most importantly, FarmLink is helping to sprout the next generation of farmers. Carol Ptak and her husband own Blacksmith Ranch in Rochester, Wash., which they’re looking to sell because of Ptak’s husband’s medical condition.
They hadn’t had much luck until they contacted the Washington FarmLink chapter who helped put their ranch on the map. “They have provided the opportunity to get the word out about our farm to a different audience,” Ptak tells Yes! Magazine.
And the Ptaks are just one example. With so much history imbedded into these farms, it’s about time someone started preserving their future.
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How the Small Farmer Feeds the Majority of the World
One hundred years ago, the U.S. farm was drastically different than it is today. In 1900, the average farm was just 147 acres in size. Nowadays, it’s grown to be more than three times that size — 441 acres, to be exact, according to the Ag Council of America. So needless to say, the way a farmer goes about planting and gathering his crops from the fields is quite different in this age of industrialized agriculture than it was when the pioneers originally settled the Great Plains and turned it into the breadbasket of America.
But despite living in this age of factory farming, it’s still the small farmer that feeds the majority of our stomachs. This new video from Food Tank (a think tank) entitled Family Farmers + You = A Well Nourished World, reveals that family farmers are responsible for producing more than half (57 percent, to be exact) of the world’s food.
Not only do these growers put fresh, sustainable food on our plates, but small farmers also help boost local economies and give men and women financial security. Plus, they play a major part in protecting the planet as they are on the front lines of environmental disasters — such as floods, water scarcity, and extreme weather.
As a result, the United Nations designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming to highlight how small farmers play a major role in making the world a better place. As the planet becomes more urbanized and modernized, it’s clear that we can’t allow the family farm to become extinct.
Check out this video and learn how you can be a part of the solution.