Participants will meet at the Rogers Mesa Research Station at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, for a short orientation. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy at noon.

“We want to show a broad spectrum of the kind of organic farmers that are in this valley,” Godin said. “We want people to learn what they produce and how they do it.”

The guided tour will be led by Pat Frazier, permaculturist and president of VOGA (Valley Organic Growers Association).

The first stop is Lance’s Garden. Lance Swigart is a subsistence farmer who has been feeding himself for more than 25 years. He grows a little bit extra to sell for the things he can’t grow. Lance has a two-acre parcel. He grows all his food on one acre while letting the other acre rest.

At Abundant Life Farm Jeff and Kaylee Armstrong will give a tour of their vegetable growing operation. They’ll talk about marketing their products through their roadside stand and farmers’ markets in Telluride and Delta. The Armstrongs also have a CSA, or community supported agriculture. In exchange for a subscription, Jeff and Kaylee supply a family with fresh-picked fruits and vegetables from the end of June through the middle of October. Some CSAs include meat, cheese and flowers, as well.

“A lot of new CSAs are cropping up,” Godin said. “We’ve had eight or 10 in the valley; this year there’s an additional seven or eight.

With a subscription, the farmer gets the money up front so they don’t have to go to the bank. The grower knows exactly how much to plant to cover the subscription, plus extra for the farmers’ market.

The farmer can also shift some of his risk. “If something freezes out, the community is taking on the risk also,” Godin said.

The last stop of the morning is at Delicious Orchards. Jeff and Tracey Schwartz sell fruit from their orchards, as well as produce from other organic farmers in the area.

Participants can eat their lunch in the shade of the apple trees while deciding whether they want to pursue the orchard/farm track or the greenhouse track in the afternoon.

The greenhouse track will include stops at TLC Greenhouse and Zephyros Farm & Garden.

On Stewart Mesa, see a unique greenhouse erected by TLC owner Lynn Gillespie with a special crops grant. The greenhouse enables her to grow greens all winter long without petrochemicals. She needs just a little bit of electricity to run fans which bring warm air down from the roof and blow it in below her growing beds. When the outdoor temperature drops, the heat in the gravel beds is released.

At Zephyros Farms, Daphne Yannakakis and Don Lareau raise goats and grow vegetables and cut flowers in hoophouses and fields. “This energetic couple grows an amazing array of products,” Godin said.

A hoophouse is basically a quonset hut. They’re gaining in popularity because they’re inexpensive and give growers an early start.

The first stop on the orchard/farm track is Austin Family Farms. Glen and Toni Austin manage 10 acres and one of the largest CSAs in the valley.  They produce fruits, vegetables and berries, which have the potential to generate high prices. Glen Austin is currently experimenting with blueberries, which are nearly impossible to grow in western Colorado because of the soil.

Ela Family Farms on Rogers Mesa will give people an idea how a large organic farm is operated. Take a peek at their commercial kitchen, which is designed for producing value-added applesauce, fruit butter, jams, and cider. They sell their great-tasting peaches, apples, pears and cherries at farmers’ markets on the Front Range. Their fruit and processed products are also available at Whole Foods, farmstands and markets on the Front Range.

“I picked these growers because they’re ahead of the pack; they’re try new things and are willing to share their experience,” Godin said.

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