Priced out, young farmers partner with Fort Collins to graze open spaces and heal land

The city of Fort Collins and local farmers are teaming up to help produce locally grown foods while also cutting down on emissions and carbon footprints. Thanks to a partnership between Fort Collins and Poudre Valley Community Farms, young farmers have the opportunity to grow their companies and passions while operating on taxpayer-owned land.  

The partnership comes as land prices and access to water in Colorado are becoming more expensive and scarcer, oftentimes pricing out agriculture startups before they can even begin.  

Tyson and Evanne Caviness, owners of Caviness Farms, are among those who have partnered with PVCF and the city of Fort Collins to keep their farm operating.  

"It is important have a connection to the land, that's the way Ev and I both grew up," Tyson said.  

"It is important with our kids, growing up, knowing where their food comes from, and taking care of the land while you're doing it," Evanne said.  

The couple grew up in rural Colorado among cattle. However, when their daughter was born with hearing deficiencies, they had to move closer to Fort Collins for her medical care.  

"There really is no way to just go out and buy land right now," Evanne said.  

Property in Colorado is very expensive, as is gaining access to land with water rights. Farming in and around Fort Collins is very difficult for young farmers who have not inherited property from their parents.  

"Moving to the city, the opportunities for land are few and far between," Evanne said.  

Fortunately, the duo was able to partner with PVCF to find a place to graze their cattle. The city of Fort Collins offered up some of their open space natural area to the Caviness Farms family and other farmers as well.  

Those grazing and working the public land pay a fee to the city in exchange for the right to work the land.  

"Fort Collins and northern Colorado is an area experiencing an incredible amount of population growth and development, and that puts a lot of pressure on farmers who are trying to start farms in this area," said Stacy Lischka, Executive Director of Poudre Valley Community Farms.  

"If we hadn't found this, we were thinking about selling the herd," Evanne said.  

Evanne and Tyson are both able to maintain other jobs while also operating their farm, all in Fort Collins.  

"It has become a way we feel we can raise a product that is feeding our community but is also healing our land," Evanne said.  

Healing the land comes with many meanings to those involved. Not only do the animals on the property naturally mow the grass, but they also help regenerate native species with their hooves and manure.  

"It is a practice that is working toward a more sustainable climate future," Evanne said.  

One of the main reasons the city decided to lease out the land to grazing and farming was to help rejuvenate it while also cutting down on the impact to the climate in doing so.  

"(Animals) are leaving an imprint with their clove and hoof. That little imprint, when we irrigate or it rains, it slows the flow going downhill and traps those pools of water and leaves a little place for seeds to fall and grow new grasses," Tyson explained.  

"That grass can then sequester more carbon, it can survive droughts," Lischka said.  

The team calls it 'conservation agriculture,' and says the efforts also help lessen the likelihood of wildfire as well.  

"We are trying to reduce water use, we are trying to improve soil health, and improve habitats for native birds, butterflies and bees," Lischka said. "And, we provide opportunities for public access all while growing good healthy food for people in our community." 

"We are going to go see the baby goats," Lischka said.

And the Caviness family is not the only one contributing to the efforts. Kristen Maxwell, owner of Cabri Creamy, has goats and more on the property that help her operate her dairy.

"It is a beautiful thing to care for the land for the city as if it is my own," Maxwell said.  

Maxwell's herd lives and grazes on the land, and she milks them to sell milk and cheese.  

"It is definitely a form of meditation for me," Maxwell said. "It is a really neat connection (with the goats). I am very provided to have it." 

Maxwell said the partnership with Fort Collins and Poudre Valley Community Farms has helped her have a dairy that otherwise wouldn't be possible. 

"I don't have the capital to invest in land of my own. Having a dairy requires buildings, I need grazing areas," Maxwell said. "I would not be able to start a goat dairy at this time (without the partnership)."

Matt Parker, who works for the city's natural areas department, said the grazing animals are helping the city maintain the property without contributing to emissions. 

"Mowing uses fossil fuels, and we don't have to do that," Parker said. 

Standing dead matter is also eliminated through the grazing, helping reduce fire risks. 

"There's a lot of room for this program to grow, and we are learning how to best accomplish that," Parker said. 

Owning land is still a goal for many young farmers participating in the program. But, for now, this outlet helps them keep their farming dreams alive in a major city. 

"I don't see land prices going down anytime soon. But, I do see the creativity and hard work of the city of Fort Collins and producers like us coalescing and being the path forward to keep feeding our communities into the future," Evans said. 

In the end, those participating said it's a team effort to not only create food for the community, but to maintain the land. 

"Lots of people from different backgrounds working toward one goal of farm preservation and land access," Maxwell said. 

The partnership between the farmers, city and organization is helping create food, heal the land, reduce on emissions and develop the next generations of farmers. 

"It is a creative way that we are able to sustain a family business. We are helping the city meet it's conservation goals, and really I see creative partnerships like this as the path forward for land access," Evanne said. "It can be hard, but I think it is also kind of beautiful, And, it is part of (my children's) story. What more can I give them as a mom?"