Regional farm cooperative receives $70,000 grant
The Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative has received a grant for $70,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Promotion Program.
The cooperative will use the grant to purchase refrigeration equipment to be used in the distribution of local farm products.
The grant will fund three refrigerated cargo trailers that will be parked strategically throughout the cooperative’s collection and distribution area and will function as drop sites for member farms.
The refrigerated delivery truck will collect the products from these trailers instead of collecting at individual farms.
The result will be a more efficient distribution system and new access to refrigerated space by more than half of co-op members who currently lack on-farm refrigeration.
Another outcome of the grant will be the purchase of a modular office trailer for the coop’s operational base. The strategy of this grant proposal is to create a distribution system with decentralized or ‘cloud-based’ infrastructure that can be moved or reconfigured as local food distribution evolves in Southwest Colorado.
The cooperative consists of 20 member farms in Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma, and Dolores counties, and primarily serves the wholesale restaurant market.
For more information, call 882-8807 or email SWFFcoop@gmail.com.
Dolores River partnership receives state award
The Dolores River Restoration Partnership has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Colorado Collaboration Award, a $50,000 prize that recognizes excellence and innovation in nonprofit partnerships.
The partnership is a coalition of federal land management agencies, county and state governments, landowners, nonprofit organizations, students, conservation groups, volunteers and other stakeholders.
The group’s goal is a Dolores River system that is ecologically, socially and economically sustainable.
The partnership intends to use the award money to leverage additional contributions and establish a fund that will support restoration work and long-term stewardship of the Dolores River.
The Colorado Collaboration Award is a prize offered annually by a group of foundations and corporate funders to an outstanding nonprofit collaboration.
For more information, visit http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/drrp.
Nature Studies offers fly-fishing workshop
Durango Nature Studies will host a fly-fishing workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Durango Nature Center.
The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members.
All workshop participants receive free entry to the Nature Center, which is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fly fisherman Jake West will lead the workshop. He will talk about bugs, fly-tying and fly-fishing tips. Casting lessons will take place in the meadow.
To register, email sally@durangonaturestudies.org, call 769-1800, or visit www.durangonaturestudies.org/wildwords.htm.
Herald Staff
