Weathervane Farm began operation in Chaffee County in March of this year.  Relocating from the Front Range of Colorado near Loveland, the owners Seth and Caitlin Roberts brought with them knowledge of food production and a desire for a sense of community based around food.

The cultural revolution of eating locally has gained national attention lately and is the topic of at least two recent books, Coming Home to Eat, by Gary Paul Nabhan and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  The discussion of what food is best for our families recently gained local attention in the Denver Post.  Be it in opposition or support, the question of food safety and food security is showing up at our dinner tables next to the mashed potatoes and pork chops.  The idea of sustaining ourselves from the land that is immediately around us is truly the predominant story in human history.  This is easily overlooked in a world where produce makes global journeys to provide us with nectarines in February, drowning out our sense of the seasons where we live.  

This region has a rich agricultural history.  Italian immigrants, who settled in Salida, brought with them a rich cultural heritage and knowledge of kitchen gardening.  Of all the garden crops, lettuce turned out to be a profitable endeavor on a larger scale.  Grown in the protected meadows, cooled with ice stored from the winter and shipped in rail cars, success in lettuce production stirred the community to celebrate with Lettuce Days and create a local brand name, “Buena Kist”.  As the railways faded from the area, so did the lettuce, but not the farmers.  Grass recovered the lettuce fields and cattle and hay reclaimed the title of major agricultural products of the region.    

Anticipating a new change in the agricultural climate, perhaps instigated by the wide spread discussion of human impact on the planet, Weathervane Farm is joining in a national movement of small farms to re-localize our food system.  Weathervane Farm, now in the first season of production has ambitions to be one of your sources of local vegetables.  Lettuce will be only a part of the palette that colors the garden landscape; peas, beans, broccoli, cabbage, potatoes, greens, asparagus, strawberries, radishes, onions, cauliflower, carrots, beets, parsnips, and much more will influence the local diet.  Weathervane Farm also offers fresh eggs from our pastured chicken flock.    

Weathervane Farm commits to cultivating far more than garden produce and eggs.  We cultivate connections between land and people through local food production.  We offer shares in the Weathervane Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), represent ourselves at local farmers markets, and our goods will also be available through area natural food stores and restaurants.  These are the modes of marketing that are central to our goal of providing local people with local food.  With ample population to support our endeavors we seek to send our food on a short trip to your dinner table.

Collaboration is also key to the Weathervane Farm model.  Recognizing that folks may have a hankering for that delicious Western Slope peach, we are creating relationships with other small scale Colorado producers, such as Austin Family Farms, that share similar ethics in agriculture to provide apples, cherries, pears and many other Colorado fruits.  Rather than pumping a ridiculous amount of energy, both caloric and fossil fuel, into growing hot season crops like tomatoes and corn in this cool high altitude climate, we will collaborate with Erin Oliver, who operates a greenhouse, heated by geothermal resources, in Nathrop, and growers in Canon City and Paonia who are better equipped to provide these crops for our CSA.    

To take collaboration beyond food production, Weathervane Farm works with Guidestone to cultivate educational opportunities.  Guidestone is a non-profit dedicated to fostering local agriculture and farm based education.  Guidestone sponsors the Farmhands program and utilizes local farms and ranches to give children from all over the community opportunities to build relationships with the land, plants and animals.  Internships, volunteer opportunities, farm celebrations or simply a weekly stop at the farm to pick up produce are other ways to connect with the farm and farmers.      

Weathervane Farm is also working with the Villages at Cottonwood Meadows, a traditional neighborhood development.  In an effort to preserve the historical use of the land, food production will be given a place and a high priority in the planning.  A portion of the open space in the development will be deeded to Guidestone and remain in agricultural use in perpetuity.  Weathervane Farm will then lease land from Guidestone operating on approximately 11 acres.  The Dairy at Cottonwood Creek, producing raw milk and natural meats, will also operate on a portion of the open space.  A beautiful village with many thoughtful design elements will surround these agricultural areas.      

We look forward to the relationships with the land and people that we will build here in the community and to many years of farming in Buena Vista.   Please stay in touch with us through our website at www.weathervanefarmbv.com as we continue to expand our farming operation.