Photo: Brian Wattier of 84 Ranch, the Healthy Archuleta team, Heather Miller, and her class.
To end our time with the Plant Science class at Pagosa Springs High School, Healthy Archuleta (HA) ended their curriculum with a field trip on the local food system, “From Farm to Fork.”
The field trip was a visit through every part of the food system wheel with stops at popular locations like 84 Ranch, Cole’s Meat Processing, Sage Eatery, Healthy Archuleta offices, HA’s Food Distribution Center, and the Transfer Station.
The morning started bright and early with a visit to 84 Ranch to hear from Brian Wattier, a local rancher. There, he talked to the students about the importance of soil health when trying to grow plants or raise animals. He discussed how regenerative agriculture helps his soil and animals as he doesn’t ruin the soil with tilling, but instead uses cover crops and nature to work in his favor. From there, students got a tour of the farm with a visit from his Colorado mountain dogs, goats, pigs, and cattle.
The next stop was Sage Eatery to get an inside look at their food truck and to hear where and how they get their ingredients to address the “Getting & Preparing” part of the food system wheel. Students were able to hear Taylor and Liz’s story of how they started their restaurant in Pagosa and why they left their brick-and-mortar restaurant for the food truck. With an emphasis on community, Sage Eatery creations fulfill the stomach, and its customer service fills the heart. The tour stopped back here for lunch later in the day to savor their burgers and fries. And for those with a craving for Mexican food, there were yummy tacos from Las Princess Taqueria right next door.
Next, the class backtracked down Highway 84 to visit Cole’s Meat Processing to learn how animals go from the farm to the grocery store. With an inside look at the butcher shop, students were shown how meat is butchered, cut, discarded, and then wrapped and sealed for clients who brought in their own meat or prepped for their retail store when they buy USDA meat from ranchers. Getting some fresh air from the smell of the butcher shop, students visited the retail store that features locally raised products.
The afternoon session featured a visit to Healthy Archuleta’s Food Distribution Center (FDC) to see the hydroponic towers and how the lettuce is harvested, as it was harvesting day. The FDC coordinator also made an appearance to tell the student how items from local ranchers and growers and food drives end up at the facility to be distributed to the seven food pantries throughout Archuleta County.
Our last stop day with incoming stormy weather was the transfer station to hear from James about the impact of Archuleta County residents’ trash and where it ends up. He surprised us all by informing us that the transfer station is unique from other counties because they charge a cheap price for trash at $3 a bag, because the transfer station is self-sustaining, so they do not receive tax dollars to run the facility. James went on to show us how the cardboard is pressed into the blocks we see from the side of the road.
The Transfer Station was a two-for-one opportunity as we had Martin Taylor from Table to Farm (T2F) Composting stop by as well, since they have one of their collection bins outside the Transfer Station. Martin is the Director of Operations for T2F Compost. He shared with students how something as simple as composting can help the environment and make a larger impact than they realize.
By the time we returned to school at 3pm, students were tired from a full day of speakers and site visits, but more knowledgeable in the local food system. Thank you to everyone who participated and hosted us on our local food system journey. To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta, please visit our website at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org or send us an email at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com.
Come learn about local meat production at the Growers & Producers Forum
Healthy Archuleta’s Growers and Producers Forum is coming up on Wednesday May 28 at the Library from 4:15 to 5:45pm. The Forum is part of Healthy Archuleta’s dedication to advancing local food production as part of community wellness. It accomplishes the double purpose of supporting the growers and producers while at the same time educating our public to the availability of healthy local products.
This month, the forum will feature local meat producers. These community members will share about the histories of their operations and their ranching and land management practices. The presenters will share different perspectives on ranching including a third generation cattle ranching outfit begun in the 80’s that focuses on cattle production for local beef sales. Another perspective is from a family that moved to Archuleta County about three years ago to start a ranch that focuses on regenerative agriculture, who will share about their specialty pork production. And finally, a third perspective from a generational rancher with a large scale operation, with some beef being sold to the local market and some to markets outside of the County.
Why is all this important to you, the consumer? First, supporting and expanding a local food supply benefits the entire community – wealth stays local also. An abundant local food supply also reduces dependence on long supply lines and the potential consequence of interruption in supply.
Secondly, while the finished product has great taste, more importantly it is better for you. The animals are raised on pasture and grass finished which for beef means increased presence of important nutrients and pigs raised in a natural environment also exhibit a higher nutritional value.
The Forum should be interesting to all who wish to pursue a healthy diet. Show up and discover where local meat can be found. Please join us at the Library on Wednesday May 28 from 4:15-5:45pm for this important conversation. To learn more about the efforts of Healthy Archuleta, please visit our website at www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org or send us an email at fsfearchuleta@gmail.com.