Leland Swenson on the Value of Land Link Programs

*This is the first in a series of posts written by Guidestone’s AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA member Gunnar Paulsen about Guidestone’s Colorado Land Link events forthcoming in March - the 2^nd Annual Land Link Forum and Certified Farm Succession Training. Stay tuned to learn more about Farm Succession, Conservation Tools for Farm Succession Planning, and a Colorado Land Link success story.

I recently had a chance to speak with Leland Swenson, keynote speaker for Guidestone’s 2^nd Annual Land Link Forum, and ask him a few questions about the role of Land Link programs in the farmland access puzzle in Colorado and across the country. A lifelong agricultural advocate, Leland has held positions including Executive Vice President of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, President of the National Farmers Union, and is currently the State Executive Director of the Colorado Farm Service Agency.

In addition to that impressive list of leadership positions, Leland has held tenure on the California FarmLink board of directors. Established in 1999, California FarmLink is one of the most accomplished Land Link programs in the country, assisting with upwards of “125 successful leases, partnerships, and other arrangements tailored to the needs of the landowners and growers.” Leland said of his time there that “we were the only program out there helping with younger producers” and that “California FarmLink became “the program that gained the support of the banking interests and the Farm Service Agency and all its programs.” California FarmLink now holds direct lender status from the Department of Corporations, and provided 23 direct loans between $5,000 and $25,000 to small-scale farmers.

Leland Swenson

I asked Leland for his perspective on the role of Land Link considering the statistic widely publicized by the University of Vermont’s FarmLASTS Project that 70% of farmland, or approximately 400 million acres, is set to change hands within the next 15 years: “Its exciting to see the Colorado Land Link Program continue to grow and make connections with CSU Extension, and this growth comes at a very important time when the age of farmers continues to climb.” Leland emphasized how Land Link supports the core of rural communities, farmers, by helping them find access to land and technical resources that will help them succeed. “It really is an exciting time,” said Leland, citing national trends to support the next generation, including USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s creation of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, increased access to community banks, and rural development assistance for agriculture.

When asked about the Colorado Farm Service Agency’s role in assisting with farm transfer issues, Leland highlighted that there are offices across the state where “producers can go close to home to get advice and services they need from real people – from people who live in those communities.” These services include farm loans, commodity programs, and conservations. For a list of county offices, click here; and for a detailed list of CO FSA programs click here.

If you’d like to hear more from Leland, the 2^nd Annual Land Link Forum presents a few opportunities: join us for the whole event and hear Leland’s keynote address “Preserving Colorado Agriculture” on Friday over dinner, then on Saturday join the breakout session Leland will be leading, “Financing Opportunities for New and Existing Farmers and Ranchers.” If you aren't able to join us for the entire Forum, there are also registration options for either Friday or Saturday. To learn more about the event and to register, please click here.

Guidestone to Celebrate National Food Day Oct. 24th

Longfellow Elementary 3rd Graders harvesting carrots for the Healthy Foods Party on Food Day Oct. 24th.

October is National Farm to school month, with October 24, 2013 being the official National Food Day.   Food Day is a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced food and a grassroots campaign for better food policies. 

In honor of Food Day, Guidestone is celebrating with some special events for students in the Salida School District, by offering healthy food parties for classrooms, which will include information about local produce grown in the Salida School Gardens and being incorporated into the District School Lunch program, a “How Much Sugar’s In Your Snack” demo, and healthy treats to share.  In addition to a fun, engaging and delicious opportunity for students, a goal of these parties will be to develop a template for the District Wellness Policy on hosting healthy food parties in the classroom.  

In regards to healthy, locally produced foods in the schools, our community has a lot to celebrate.  Already this Fall, the Salida School Gardens has produced 1111lbs of fresh produce, 879lbs of which have gone to the school, 122lbs has been sold to the Hospital and 78lbs to other venues. Danny Quinto, and the entire cafeteria staff, has transformed this fresh food into healthy and delicious meals served daily for our children.  Food Day is a chance to celebrate this accomplishment with students and teachers in their classrooms.

To learn more about the national organization, Foodday.org has developed an extensive list of resources including a curriculum guide focused on teaching children the importance of eating real, fresh food, cutting back on processed foods, and advocating for a healthier community. You will also find reading lists for a wide variety of Farm to Table appropriate topics. 

Another exciting opportunity to bring healthy food to kids in our community is the Healthy Meals for Kids (HM4K) Chaffee County Program, which is helping ensure that all children in Chaffee County have access to healthy meals when school is not in session.  Amica’s, the Salida Boys & Girls Club and LiveWell Chaffee County have partnered over the past two years to provide healthy meals to Chaffee County children over the summer, and they anticipate reaching over 10,000 meals served by the end of next summer.  

Local Salida restaurants are donating a portion of their sales to the Healthy Meals 4 Kids Program during a “dine out” event October 24-27th, including Amica’s, The Fritz, Benson’s and Rivers Edge. In addition, Moonlight Pizza’s Moonlight Monday on Monday, October 28th will benefit HM4K.  Salida area coffee shops and bakeries are also showing their support by having donation jars where you can donate your change to a worthy cause. You can donate at Sacred Ground Coffee, Rise and Shine Bakery and Café Dawn during the same dates. Café Dawn will also donate a portion of their sales on Thursday, October 24th.

For more information about the Healthy Meals 4 Kids program or LiveWell Chaffee County, please contact Lisa Malde, Director of LiveWell Chaffee County, at lmalde@chaffeecounty.org or 530-2569.

Pumpkin Patch Thank You

On behalf of Guidestone’s Staff and Board of Directors, we would like to extend a resounding thank you to everyone in the community who participated in our 7th Annual Pumpkin Patch & Harvest Festival, held again this year at the Hutchinson Ranch. It was a wonderful weekend of festivities and we are grateful to all the attendees, volunteers, sponsors and partners that helped make the weekend a success!

We would like to specifically thank the following individuals and organizations for helping make the Pumpkin Patch such a great event: Art & Abby Hutchinson and the staff and animals of the Hutchinson Ranch, Ralph Ogden of Mt. Princeton Riding Stables and his team of wranglers, draft horses and ponies, Dennis Fischer and his ’44 John Deere tractor, Ryan O’Brien for this year’s festive poster, Michelle Gap and Jeff Yoder of the Hey Bird Food Truck by Kalamatapit Catering, members of 4-H for pony rides, Dave Ward & CCFA for their cider press, Seth Roberts of Weathervane Farm, Mark Rittman from The Maverick Potter, Steph Perko & Terrie Brewer from Kaleidoscope Toys, Tami Deal and her African pygmy goats, and all of our hard-working and positive volunteers: Tom LeBaron, Carol McIlvaine, Samantha Lane, Katy Grether, Kathi Wardlow, Leisa Glass, Charis Cheeseman, Ann Colbert, Karen Lacy, Karen Fortier, Mark Zander,  Becky Nelson, Angie Jensen, Josh Visitacion, Anne Oliver, Jennifer Veazey, Dennis Gage, Danielle Riggio, Andrea Carlstrom, Reece, Ison, Monica and Andy White, Hazel Rittman, Leslie Champ, Kristine Smock, Sheli James, Ross Kontz, the Vineyards Youth Group, members of the SHS cross-country team, Deb Bass & her SHS students, George Mossman’s SMS 6th grade class, Christi Delaney & members of the SHS Key Club, Robin Lewis & the SCC AgriCorps crew, Talmadge Trujillo and students from Horizons Exploratory Academy.

Thanks as well to the following musicians for sharing their talent and creating such a festive atmosphere! Simpler Times Bluegrass, Scott Adams, Dave Tipton, Dan Woodbird, Stephen Smalzel, Salida Brass and Chris Nasca.

We also would like to thank the following businesses for their generous sponsorships: LiveWell Chaffee County, Natural Habitats Design/Build, Boathouse Cantina, Landmark Survey & Mapping, Rebound Physical Therapy, Brady’s West, Moonstone Farm, Nordstrom Design LLC, Flynn, Wright & Fredman LLC, Pinto Barn, Assurance Partners, and to the following businesses for their donations and contributions: Amicas, Chip Peddler, City on a Hill Coffee & Espresso, Fringe, Izze, Kaleidoscope Toys, Moonlight Pizza, Mountain Phoenix Coffee Roasters, Murdoch’s, Ploughboy, Salida Bread Co., The Salty Wench, Simple Foods, Sunshine Market, Sweeties and Vino Salida.

All of the proceeds from the Pumpkin Patch go to support Guidestone’s Farmhands Education Program, which provides hands-on, experiential farm & ranch education programs to school groups, children and families. Guidestone is a Chaffee County-based non-profit dedicated to strengthening the local food economy through the preservation of agricultural resources and education.

Community support is invaluable to the success of these programs, and we are grateful to be part of such an enthusiastic community that supports local food and local agriculture. Thanks again, and best wishes for a cozy winter.  

Warm regards,

Guidestone Staff: Jennifer Tucker Visitacion, Andrea Earley Coen, David Lynch, Margaret Fitch, & OSM/VISTA Gunnar Paulsen

Guidestone Board: Tom Pokorny, Jane Fredman, Benjamin Kahn, Brian England, Natalie Amaroso, Erin Oliver, and Derald Brady.

For more information about Guidestone, visit www.guidestonecolorado.org

ps. to see more photos from the 7th Annual Pumpkin Patch & Harvest Festival, visit Guidestone's Facebook page!

Pumpkin Patch 2013!

What is that I sense on the horizon... starlit horse-drawn wagon rides, straw-bale mazes, fresh-pressed apple cider?... it can only mean one thing...

Guidestone’s 7th Annual Pumpkin Patch and Harvest Festival 

October 11-13, 2013

It is fast approaching and there are plenty of reasons to be excited for this year’s Pumpkin Patch! Kicking off the weekend on Friday will be our programs for school and youth groups, allowing them to experience all the excitement of the Pumpkin Patch before the gates open to the public. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

Friday evening will be a first for the Pumpkin Patch, featuring a Gala Dinner. Local foods will be a highlight with dinner provided by Salida’s own Kalamatapit Catering. The night will also feature live music by Simpler Times Bluegrass, moonlit rides on a horse-drawn wagon to the twinkle-lit pumpkin patch, and a nice warm bonfire to round out the evening. Tickets for Friday night are $35 and sure to sell out, so get yours here!

On Saturday and Sunday we’ll have all the staples you’ve come to expect - horse-drawn wagon rides to the pumpkin patch, tractor rides, crafts and children’s activities, face painting, pony rides, chicken bingo, great food and live music - and some new activities to keep the harvest fresh - a storytelling station for younguns, field games for the older kids, a family photo booth on Saturday to capture the moment (proceeds to support the Two’s Program) - all culminating in a one-of-a-kind family festival on the historic Hutchinson Ranch. Get your tickets here: $5/day in advance, or $7 at the door. 

All entrance fees and bake sale proceeds go towards supporting Guidestone's Farmhands Youth Education Programs. And it really does take a village to make it all come together, so if you want to have a great time and support a good cause, please volunteer! You can find a detailed list of volunteer shifts here, indicate your preference and we’ll get right back to you. 

The Pumpkin Patch also welcomes sponsorships, of which there are various levels suitable for any business looking to support wellness, local agriculture, or place-based education for youth. If you are interested in being a sponsor for the event, please click here for more information. Thanks!

Special thanks to our sponsors Mt. Princeton Riding Stables, LiveWell Chaffee County, Boathouse Cantina, & Landmark Surveying and Mapping.

For more information go to www.guidestonecolorado.org or contact gunnar@guidestonecolorado.org

We hope to see you there!

Back to School

As the school year starts, Guidestone’s education programs expand to include both field experiences and classroom-based work, partnering with teachers in the Salida School District, and this year we’ll be building on some of the exciting work we began last year.

Guidestone had the privilege to partner with with an amazing team during the second semester of last school year to bring the “Food for Thought” curriculum, developed by Cathy Schmelter of An Ounce of Nutrition, to Salida High School. “Food for Thought” highlights the value of eating healthy in all aspects from personal health to the economic and environmental benefits of local foods. The idea for the curriculum emerged when Schmelter realized the dearth of nutrition education materials for youth, and that some real physical consequences of this were manifesting as diseases, like diabetes, in children that had previously only been seen in adults.

After a successful pilot year in Denver schools in 2012, LiveWell Colorado recognized the need for nutrition education in rural parts of the state, such as Chaffee County where childhood obesity rates are 6% above state average, and funded the pilot of “Food for Thought” in 5 high schools across Colorado, which included Salida High School. Education Director Andrea Earley Coen and Farm to School Program Manager Margaret Fitch worked every week with Deb Bass’ senior English course English through Sustainability both in the classroom and the Salida School Garden on Holman Ave. Guidestone is thrilled to have been a part of this opportunity to work with Cathy, Deb and her students, and to have this unique, comprehensive curriculum for  use in future youth education programs. 

While “Food for Thought” won’t be taught this semester in English through Sustainability our partnership with Bass’ class will continue. Gunnar Paulsen, Guidestone’s AmeriCorps VISTA, will work with students to market the Garden to Cafeteria Project through news pieces, radio stories, video blogs, and social media. So keep your eyes and ears peeled! The purpose of that work will be to help high school students learn about sustainability and environmental stewardship while honing communication skills that will serve them well throughout their professional lives. 

What is a "VISTA"? Let me explain!

Poverty. That’s what I’m here to address. Ridiculous, right?

My name is Gunnar Paulsen and I am Guidestone’s AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA member from July ’13 to ’14. AmeriCorps VISTA. What is a “VISTA” you ask? Well, it stands for Volunteers in Service to America and is a national program that places individuals in year-long, full-time volunteer positions with non-profits and government organizations across the country. The mission of a VISTA member is to build the capacity of his or her host site - to increase what that particular organization can do, whether it is through community outreach and volunteer coordination, fundraising, or improving organizational operations. To be awarded a VISTA from the National Corporation for Community Service, which lasts for three years, a host site must address some aspect of poverty in its mission. 

Poverty is obviously a large and daunting problem, and rather than existing as a single “problem,” it might more accurately be described as a complicated matrix of social, economic, racial and geographic factors. See, even defining it is hard. To learn about its multifaceted causes and cycles, VISTA sends each incoming member to a Pre-Service Orientation. Last month I attended mine. It was held at a hotel on the outskirts of Denver, and was comprised of over 200 other new VISTAs who were also starting service terms all across the country. I met folks who would be serving in Washington D.C.; Austin, TX; New Orleans; the Navajo Nation; Baltimore, MD; and even a few others serving in rural Colorado. 

When I first heard what many of these folks would be doing with their service term - working with organizations that mentor the children of incarcerated parents, teaching financial literacy to new immigrants, and providing free legal advice to disadvantaged persons, and all mostly in urban centers - I was intimidated and felt pretty out of place. It seemed like they would be combating poverty in a very direct way, and it was hard to see how Guidestone fit into the particular VISTA paradigm. Then I got to thinking.

Guidestone’s mission is “dedicated to strengthening the local food economy through preserving agricultural resources and educating for ecological literacy,” and while at first glance that doesn’t seem to directly address poverty - the connections certainly aren’t as apparent as my fellow VISTAs’ missions, right? - Guidestone’s mission does address poverty at a root level. 

Guidestone works towards its mission through three main programs. Through the Garden to Cafeteria program - which delivers fresh produce from the Salida School Gardens on Holman Ave. to all three Salida School District cafeterias for incorporation into meals - we vigorously combating Chaffee County’s above average obesity rates (26% of residents are obese, thats 6% above state average) by working with the most vulnerable among us, children. A result of food insecurity and lack of proper nutrition, obesity has been declared a national epidemic by health-care professionals nationwide, and childhood obesity - which has increased three-fold in the last three decades - is even more damaging because it is often a lifelong sentence to ill health and socioeconomic disadvantage. Directly, produce from the garden reaches 1,085 students, 180 staff, and hundreds of families. As the garden expands to reach its 4 acre capacity, it will supply 99.9% of the School District’s vegetables and 10% of its fruit, totaling 5,190lbs. By working with key community partners to incorporate the garden and nutritional education into school curriculum we believe that we can have a strong impact on obesity rates long term in Salida. 

The next facet of Guidestone, our Farmhands Youth Education Program, while it doesn’t explicitly frame its mission as such, also takes a long view towards combating poverty. Farmhands seek to re-connect children with their natural environment, to show them where healthy food comes from and how it is grown or raised. In addition to combating the spiritual poverty that is rife within contemporary mainstream culture - which has little to no value for nature, reflection, history, or community - these programs increase regional access to quality educational programming. We hope these programs foster a lifelong curiosity and facilitate positive connections to the natural world for each child that experiences them. Such a goal is hard to measure quantitatively, but after spending a summer co-teaching the kids at Guidestone’s immersive 4-day camps I truly believe that they will hold onto the creativity and wonder of childhood throughout their lives, and that that positive energy will guide them through meaningful, successful lives.

The Farmhands in action.

Lastly, Guidestone’s Colorado Land Link program, which is designed to make connections between retiring farmers, ranchers, and landowners and connect them with aspiring agricultural producers, guiding both parties through this delicate process. This service is greatly needed in a time when the financial viability of ranching and farming is diminishing, rendering offers of cash buyouts from developers seeking land and water all too tempting. By having strong agricultural producers in the region, the local economy is strengthened, community access to high-quality foods increases, alternative and entrepreneurial business models thrive, and the unique character and history of the state and region are preserved. If we fail to preserve our agricultural lands for agricultural purposes, we will continue to depend on a fossil fuel based food economy, which is unhealthy for our planet and our bodies.

And that is how I’ve come to see Guidestone’s mission and how it relates to VISTA’s. During my time here, I’ll work for Guidestone to develop a master operations calendar, write grants for funds and services, write case-studies of successes in our Land Link program, handle most communications and social media, and recruit and manage volunteers.

While my time here won’t immediately raise anyone above the federal poverty line, which at $11,490 for an individual or $23,550 for a family of four annually is hardly a bar worth shooting for, I do hope that I can help Guidestone serve its mission and continue to expand the reach of its programs. In turn I hope that leads to more self-reliant, food-rich, and inter-connected communities across the Upper Arkansas River Valley and Colorado. At the end of my term, I will be just one small part of VISTA’s 48 year, 180,000 member legacy of serving throughout America to expand the capacity of homegrown efforts to address poverty in communities. And thats a legacy of which I’ll be proud to be a part. 

Gunnar Paulsen, Guidestone's first OSM/VISTA, looking fondly over his new home.

Wrap up for Farmhands summer programs

Sunflowers are in the last stage of their bloom, hay is being cut and bailed, and school is already back in session. These are all indicators that Fall is approaching all too quickly in the Upper Arkansas Valley, but here at Guidestone the most surefire indicator that the seasons are changing is that we’ve wrapped up the last of our 2013 Summer Farmhands programming. Our office at the Hutchinson Homestead Ranch & Learning Center is quiet - the constant cries of elation have moved on to other pastures.

With the change of seasons comes a time for reflection, and this Farmhands season provides

Spending time with favorite chicks in the coop at Farm Camp

Guidestone ample material for that. By all measures it has been our most successful season yet! We debuted our new 4-day camp model, hosting 10 differently themed camps throughout the summer at three sites: Moonstone Farm, the Hutchinson Homestead, and Salida School Gardens - Holman Ave. site. These camps attracted over 90 students throughout the summer, many of whom were committed repeat campers. The diversity of sites where we held programs also contributed to the breadth of our summer programs. We partnered with the Morgan Center for Earth Literacy in Poncha Springs for the first time this season, which hosted our Little Sprouts, Garden Explorers, and Junior Farmers programs, which afforded the Farmhands kids the opportunity to get good and garden dirty while participating in food production firsthand.

As we reflect on what went well this summer, we will also be thinking hard on how to make our programs even better for next season. An essential part of that is the feedback we get from the Farmhands’ parents, our instructors, and the kids themselves. 

That said, we’re ready to let summer go here at Guidestone and welcome the crisp mornings and warm colors that fall will bring, because with them comes our annual Pumpkin Patch Event! Save the date for the fun filled weekend of October 11-13 when there will be horse-drawn carriage rides with the wranglers from Arkansas Valley Trail Rides, a steak dinner and live-auction, music, children’s activities, pony rides, food, and of course... pumpkins! All at the Hutchinson Ranch.