The San Luis Valley is searching for ways to use less water without shrinking agriculture.

One local effort believes rye could help. But turning the grain into part of the valley’s future will require more than convincing farmers to plant it.

Read the full article by Hayley Sanchez (Colorado Public Radio).

Moxie Bread Co. is featured as one of the best bakeries in Colorado. Read the full list.

Denver Bake Fest is a community baking competition and festival celebrating the best of Denver's baking scene. Bakers of all skill levels compete, locals come to taste, and everyone leaves with something new to love about baking. Learn more.

Eat Pizza & Do Good. Link to learn more.

It is the earliest harvest Henry Astor can remember. But walking through the scorched wheatfields of his Cotswolds farm, signs of life are everywhere – swarms of insects, kaleidoscopic wildflower meadows, bushy hedgerows several metres wide. A yellowhammer perches on a nearby tree.

There are 18 other red-listed birds on the farm, says Astor, who this year ringed 23 barn owls, three kestrels, two little owls as well as goshawk chicks. “Last winter we had clouds of goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch,” he says. Britain has lost 73 million birds since 1970; but at Bruern Farms, a small but welcome reversal is taking shape.

Read the full article here.

The Regenerative Plate Experience is centered around a newly developed food-based dietary guideline tool that links regenerative, organic agriculture with nutrition and health in a plate model. Food-based dietary guidelines are common around the world and are often depicted as plate, multiple plates, pyramids and other visuals. Their intention is to help users/eaters visually to make sound dietary choices in a non-prescriptive but rather intuitive way. Learn more.

Summit to Shelf is a two-part program designed to support agriculture, food, and beverage entrepreneurs across the West Slope, from early-stage ideas to growth-ready value-added agricultural and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. This program combines a hands-on business workshop and a live founder showcase. Learn more.

Colorado Proud and ROOT Marketing & PR have partnered to offer a free Trade Show Workshop series (online,) and then in person, an optional International Business 101 workshop, and a Pitch Competition, where two winner receive financial support to attend the trade show of their choice. Online workshops are Tuesdays 12–1pm MT: "Is a Trade Show Right for My Business?" (Sept 15), "Win Them Fast" (Sept 22), and "Making the Most of Your Investment" (Sept 29.) The optional International Business 101 workshop is Oct 13 9am-3pm at the Colorado Dept of Agriculture offices in Broomfield.

Registration closes this Friday, September 4 — email Barb Howe at [barb.howe@state.co.us] to request the form or complete here. Complete all three Zoom workshops to be eligible for the Trade Show Pitch Competition Oct 20th 9am-1pm, also at the CDA. 

Kate Stevens, a beloved member of Colorado's grain community (Garden of Oz, Brew Bites, and Nomad Mill), was recently diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (PMBCL), a rare and aggressive form of cancer, after an emergency room visit revealed a large tumor near her heart and lung.

She is now undergoing intensive chemotherapy that will require repeated hospital stays over the coming months. During treatment, Kate and her partner, Sam, will face significant medical expenses and a substantial loss of income as they step away from work and their Colorado grain business.

If you're able, please consider supporting Kate and Sam during this difficult time. Your generosity will help cover medical costs, travel to treatment, essential living expenses, and allow Sam to serve as Kate's full-time caregiver. Every contribution helps lighten the burden as they navigate the months ahead. [Link to Go Fund Me]