Over the last century, supply chains in the U.S. agricultural sector have experienced extreme concentration as small and mid-sized slaughterhouses, grain mills, and other processing and aggregation businesses closed across the country. This “missing middle” severely limits market access for independent farmers and ranchers, while also hindering opportunities for businesses creating new markets.

WSRF grant builds on successes of the Rye Resurgence Project in San Luis Valley

“The Basin Plan and the Colorado Water Plan acknowledge how vibrant communities and robust agriculture are inextricably linked,” she said. “This project is a great example of the water community stepping alongside our agriculture community and saying we’re not going to expect farmers to absorb all the risk…we are going to help build the supply chain so that farmers can continue to adapt and they can have options.” 

But how long before the water table dries up entirely? Jones, co-owner of Jones Farms Organics, is working to find a solution before the drought drives agriculture out of the valley. She teamed up with Heather Dutton, district manager with the San Luis Valley Water Conservancy District, to launch the Rye Resurgence Project (RRP), an initiative that aims to shift farmers’ focus from water-guzzling crops to a far-less-thirsty plant: rye.