BFRDP Projects

The Regenerative Poultry and Vegetable Farming in the San Luis Valley for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers project built on Rio Grande Farm Park (RGFP)'s existing Farmer Incubator program. This program supports farmers in starting their own small farming enterprises, generate economic return from farming, and attend workshops on regenerative farming and business development practices. The majority of RGFP’s incubator farmers are immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala and operate as a cooperative. 

The goals of this project were to 1) introduce poultry farming as a new income pathway for farmers in the San Luis Valley, improving their economic health; 2) ensure that farmers have the knowledge and skills to launch successful food-related enterprises; and 3) increase farmer income and consumer access to fresh local produce by creating a direct-to-consumer farm stand model selling fresh, local, organic goods.  Through this project, RGFP increased local farmers' capacity to generate income and offer local food to the community. 

The project focused on three key elements:

1. Poultry Farming. RGFP introduced a new poultry farming model based on Minnesota's Main Street Project. This model uses poultry as the centerpiece of production while integrating diverse regenerative agricultural farming practices.
2. Enhanced Education. In conjunction with partners, RGFP offer in-depth education on   new markets, financial management, regenerative agriculture, and poultry farming. Additionally, incubator farmers convened regular meetings with support staff to plan, and evaluate the season and programming. 
3. Farm Stand Pilot. Incubator participants started a farm stand pilot run by the cooperative that they created and operate. The farm stand was set up in Alamosa, CO and operated for three days/week for seven weeks.  It provided a new market channel while gauging capacity for and community interest in a permanent stand that could sell chickens and produce.