Mad Agriculture Proposal

Fellowship Program (Boulder County Bean Trials / The Grain Revival Program)

Project Leads:

Jane Cavagnero, Creative Director
Tanner Starbard, Director of Operations

Executive Summary:
Across Boulder County and the Northern High Plains of Colorado, Mad Agriculture has partnered on trials and projects meant to decommoditize regional farmland. There are two projects in particular that are in need of market development: our Boulder County Bean Trials and our Grain Revival Program.

The Boulder County Bean Trials are a part of our larger Boulder County GMO transition project. This work began at the start of 2020, with a mission to find viable alternatives to GE corn and GE sugar beets on public land. This project is meant to give support to transitioning farmers as they work to uphold the new GMO regulations going into effect through the Boulder County Cropland Policy. In this effort, Mad Ag has been testing crops such as dry beans, milo sorghum, non-GE corn, buckwheat, and heritage wheat, while also assessing infrastructure capability and market demand. Long-term market demand and access is one of the most important factors in motivating farmers and ensuring trial success. For this reason, the MENV fellows would be focusing on developing and solidifying markets for dry beans in the region. In determining the right partners, we will be able to estimate potential acreage capacity and farmer needs.

The second piece of this project is part of the The Grain Revival Program, a community-based effort to bring heritage and ancient grains back to our landscapes and shelves. Across the world, we are witnessing a revival in ancient, heritage and whole grains. They are delicious, nutritious, and speak of the families and places they come from. They carry story. In the Front Range of Colorado, we are beginning to see a radical shift in grain markets, from soil to consumer and back again. Mad Agriculture is playing a role in figuring out what varieties grow well in the Front Range of Colorado, how they can be grown regeneratively, and what different grains are best suited for. Across the regional grain trials happening in the Front Range, we are observing growth habits, plant health, yield and baking qualities. We’re examining agronomic performance in parallel with market potential. We are working closely with MASA Seed Foundation, Lewis Family Farm, Jones Farms Organics, Moxie Bread Company, Noble Grain Alliance, Pastificio, Root Shoot Malting and many others to explore fit between grain and product, farmer and market, seed and regeneration of soil and soul.

As we enter year three in our grain trials, we are moving from small and highly diversified trials in year one, to increased acreage and variety specification in year two, to market-oriented growth in year three. As we continue to partner with Lewis Family Farms, Black Cat Organic Farms, MASA Seed Foundation, Dave Asbury and Dan Lisco, we are looking to hone our variety selection, seed sourcing, cultivation and harvest techniques, supply chain logistics, and market-offtake. Fellows will again be asked to focus on developing longer-term market partners across the regional foodshed.

Key words:
Regenerative agriculture, local/regional food systems, GMO transition, supply chains/webs

Links:
View full proposal
Watch partner video
Access networking event Zoom link