As a renter millennial, I wanted to start farming. But as Charlotte says in Pride and Prejudice, “I’ve no money and no prospects.” This is a common sentiment among many student-loan-saddled millennials and Gen Z-ers who want to work with the land but don’t have land that they own to start gardening or farming.

It’s no secret that the agricultural industry is facing multiple converging challenges including an urgently looming generational shift. According to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, the average age of a farmer is 58, with organic farmers coming in slightly younger at 52. Only 8 percent of the United States’ 3.3 million farmers are under the age of 35, whereas 14 percent are over the age of 75.

What happens when they retire? 

The other confounding factor is that many young people do not have the financial capital to buy a farm outright. Seventy-two percent of millennials, most in their 30s and early 40s, have non-mortgage debt averaging $117,000. 

Maybe a better question is: How can the next generation afford to farm? 

I was able to find a family on Nextdoor who wanted their backyard to be used, and I now have a mini flower farm in Boulder, Colorado there. It turns out my experience is becoming an increasingly common way to start getting your footing as a young or beginning farmer. I spoke to several first-generation farmers based in Denver and Boulder, Colorado who all had different approaches.

Relationship-Based Land Stewardship 

Amy Scanes-Wolfe runs the 1.4-acre Niwot Homestead in a suburban yard that belongs to a family she found through Nextdoor. “We have never written an agreement or signed documents; no money has ever changed hands,” says Scanes-Wolfe. “We truly have been doing this in a relational way.” The Homestead grows vegetables, herbs, grains, and animals such as ducks, pigs, and chickens. Any farm expenses such as seedlings and irrigation setup are paid for by Scanes-Wolfe, but infrastructure investments that add to property value are paid for by the homeowners. 

Scanes-Wolfe volunteered and worked on farms for several years before posting on Nextdoor and connecting with the landowners. She started small, getting to know the family and just growing a personal vegetable garden. “They wanted the property used, but [they] didn’t have a strong driving vision,” says Scanes-Wolfe. She has been able to take the lead on the vision and growth of the farm. Whenever issues arise, such as the roaming habits of free-range chickens, they all sit down “as humans” to talk them through and come to a solution together. Now, four years later, the Niwot Homestead bloomed from a vegetable garden to a permaculture-inspired and volunteer-run farm, complete with vegetables, perennials, fruit trees, pigs, and chickens. 

Scanes-Wolfe says these types of relational agreements must be centered in mutual respect—for everyone involved and the space itself. However, some people may want a more formal structure. For my own backyard farm, I have a contract with the homeowners that outlines which spaces I can use, who covers expenses, what protections are in place for liability, and other pertinent details.

Speedwell Farm & Gardens started growing in neighbors’ backyards in Boulder as well. It had contracts in place, and it would pay homeowners for city water use by comparing bills to previous years. Backyard farms may need infrastructure for things ranging from drip lines and irrigation systems to hoop houses or greenhouses. Be sure to discuss any infrastructure needs before starting, and be clear on whether you (the farmer) or the homeowner is responsible for costs and installation.

Investing in Real Estate as a Means to Farm 

Jamie and Doug Wickler were engineers, but the 2008 crash made them reconsider career paths. For a few seasons, Jamie Wickler worked at Denver Botanic Gardens farm. “I had aspirations of farming and knew I wanted it to be a family thing; I just wasn’t sure how,” she says , noting that most of the farms she saw had a million dollars of debt or unstable land leases. 

Coincidentally, the Wicklers decided to invest in a rental property as a retirement plan. They had bought their home in 2013, and they secured their first rental property in 2017 (when real estate was more affordable) with help from family and friends. Then came the aha moment—tenants wouldn’t want to maintain a yard, and the Wicklers wanted to farm. 

Wild Wick’s Farm was born, turning the yards at their own home and rentals into a diverse urban farm that grows more than 70 varieties of vegetables and cut flowers. They worked with banks to get a second rental property in 2018 and a third in 2020—all within a mile of each other. 

Tenants agree to not use any pesticides and allow the Wicklers access to the yard. “Most of the tenants really like that we maintain the properties,” says Wickler. “They see it as an eco model that is very interesting.” Plus, having multiple plots is great for their farm management strategy as they rotate crops seasonally to reduce pest pressure and replenish soil nutrients. 

When the Wicklers bought their properties in 2017-2020, real estate was significantly cheaper. Now, real estate prices have risen drastically, so Wickler’s advice for future farmers is to think outside the box. “With different industries that do make money,” she says, “how can it blend with land to make it more lucrative to farm?” 

Leasing Farmland as a Collective

In Longmont, Colorado, Helen Skiba and Nelson Esseveld run Artemis Flower Farm, while Cody Jurbala and Melissa Ogilvie run Speedwell Farm & Gardens. In 2020, the two farms came together to form the Treehouse Farm Collective, a separate LLC that enabled them to put forward a strong proposal for a farmland lease and get approved. Luckily, they complimented each other—flowers and vegetables —and both farms had existing customer bases. 

Skiba started farming in the Peace Corps, coming back and working a small local farm in Colorado where she was introduced to growing and designing with flowers. She moved on to manage a two-acre cut flower parcel at a large market farm for a couple of years. 

Jurbala fell in love with vegetables through cooking, interning at a local farm in 2014, then taking an online urban farming course. That’s where he learned “that land access was the hardest part of somebody starting the farming journey,” and where he realized people’s unmaintained yards were the easiest access point. He used Google maps to scope, cold-called people and eventually found three yards in the same neighborhood to start farming with very little overhead.

However, both farms were on the hunt for a more permanent situation in 2020. “I knew I was going to continue farming, it was just a question of land access,” says Skiba. “So, what can I do? Can me and my husband buy land or afford land?”

After looking at several properties that didn’t work out, she came across a gem of a lease that had everything a farmer would need to get started on the right foot—17 acres with six suitable for farming, a greenhouse, and irrigation pond. But she needed a stronger proposal than just her farm could support. A mutual friend connected her to Jurbala, and the Treehouse Collective was born. Together, they were approved for the lease. 

The collective houses their two farms, and they sublease portions of the property to other businesses, currently a vermicompost venture (creating high-quality compost with worm castings) and a tool library for local farmers. 

They contribute their success to aligned land management philosophies and great communication. Monthly meetings allow for problem solving, but day-to-day conversations keep it harmonious. 

Jurbala highlights that the collective model is great for young farmers. “If you can take away some of the financial burden upfront and have community, that’s a big thing,” he says. 

Ranching on Public Lands 

André Houssney runs Jacob Springs Farm, a regenerative ranch that produces dairy, beef, lamb, pork, chickens, and wheat in East Boulder. Houssney came to the US as a refugee from the Middle East at age nine, growing up in Boulder and working on his neighbor’s farm. 

After college, Houssney worked for nonprofits and started successful agricultural businesses supporting farmers in Africa. When he returned to Colorado, he was able to buy six starter acres, but he knew Boulder offered a unique opportunity—the city leases public Open Space land (undeveloped natural areas) to farmers and were looking for the next generation. He steadily grew his business and leased 800 private mountainous acres to graze dry cattle that don’t produce milk. For years, he applied for Open Space leases. 

“It wasn’t adding up,” he says, explaining that after each losing bid, he’d ask how to improve and get contradictory advice. “They continued to give land to the big guys, the old guys, the white guys,” he says, “even though I had the style of regenerative farming that they said they wanted.” 

When asked, Boulder County officials say they do not collect ethnicity or gender data in their proposals, but a representative did say that “a majority of our tenants are what you would likely consider your typical white and male farmer/rancher for the region.”

After years of rejections, Houssney appealed the decision citing inconsistencies in scoring. It was reversed, and he was selected for a 170-acre parcel with a milking parlor—a crucial element for his business to thrive. That was four years ago, but his struggle with bureaucracy is ongoing. 

Houssney’s story is not unique. Farmers of color and land stewards have been subject to discriminatory practices and land dispossession since this country’s inception, and it’s never stopped. In 1920, Black farmers owned 14 percent of US farms, but now, they own only one percent, as the number of Black farmers decreased by 98 percent over the past century. This is largely due to Jim Crow-era policy, the exploitation of heir’s property, which is passed down generationally without wills or titles, and the USDA’s discriminatory lending practices, which harmed BIPOC and women farmers, spurring massive land loss. 

If you’re interested in ranching on public lands, reach out to your city or county to see if they offer public land leases for agriculture. Ranching on public lands is common throughout the West, with the Bureau of Land Management administering 18,000 permits for ranchers to graze on public land, although it is less common to have a city or county lease land. Apply for a BLM lease if you’re in a state with a large amount of federally owned land.

The post How the Next Generation of Farmers is Getting Creative with Land Access appeared first on Modern Farmer.

How to start farming if you have access to land

First you need to figure out the logistics:  

How much usable space you have

Determine the scale it can support and if that’s enough for your goal. Will you need to scale? How might you do that in a way that you can afford? 

Figure out your water access/irrigation

Look up whether your area has water usage laws (common in drier climates) and if it’s enough to support your needs. Experiment with water catchment systems such as rainwater harvesting or creating swales to reduce your costs and reliance on city water.

Will you need to work around a job?

Think about what you need to have in place to integrate a farming job into your lifestyle. 

How profitable do you need to be to continue farming?

Brainstorm ways to get there—through farm stands, markets, specialty crops, workshops, alternative farm-based income streams, etc. 

Determine if you will need labor support for tasks or markets.

If you want someone else to farm your land

Alternatively, you may have a large yard and want it to be used for agricultural activity, but you are unable to run a farm yourself. You can offer it up to be used by someone else, and in return get an abundance of vegetables or flowers! 

Use community and social networks to your advantage

Ask around to find the right person to tend your land. Nextdoor, Facebook, your local farming community, or local National Young Farmers Coalition chapter are great places to start. You may even contact your city to see if there are organizations promoting urban agriculture that you could connect with to find a land tender. 

Discuss the following questions with anyone who might farm on your property: 

• What are their land management practices? Do you feel comfortable with how they will be using your property? (For example, will they use chemicals, tillers, etc.) 
• How often will they be there? Oftentimes, some farm work needs to be done in the wee hours of the morning when it’s cool. Have a conversation about what that might look like for it to feel good for everyone involved. 
• What areas of your property will they be able to access? 
• Will they be able to use city water or is there another water source available such as a well? 
• Will you create a contract? Will you charge a rental fee or payment for water? Or will you allow everything to be used in exchange for some of what they’re growing? 

How to start farming when you don’t have access to land

Lean on your community, first and foremost. There are a lot of people out there who want to support local agriculture, and also don’t want to do yard work! Be sure to discuss upfront, in as much detail as possible, your vision for the space and anything you need to be successful. And just like with any relationship, this will take work! Practice clear and compassionate communication, and learn how to properly address and work through conflict. 

First, gain some experience

Apply for positions at local farms, start volunteering in community gardens—anything to help you understand what a successful farm needs. You’ll learn so much about seedling care, planting, caring for crops, harvesting, and marketing without having any personal risk involved. 

Use community and social networks to your advantage

Ask around to find someone who is willing to share their land. Nextdoor and Facebook are great places to start. 

Use Google maps and “cold call” neighbors with large yards

Write a nice letter and drop it in their mailbox, leaving your contact information so they can reach out if interested. 

Figure out what funding you need

Realistically, how much capital do you have or can you access to start farming? While you can do it in a lower-cost way, you will still need supplies, tools, seeds, and more. Can you use savings, or will you need to borrow or raise money? Costs will vary with scale, but having a good understanding of this before diving in is crucial. 

Discuss your land management plan with the land owners

• How long do you expect to use the space? What are your expectations or desires for scaling over time, and will that affect your use of the land? 
• Are you willing to sign contracts or come to other forms of agreement? 
• Will you use chemicals, or grow organically? If using synthetic chemicals, which ones? This is especially important if they have children or pets. 
• Will you need to till or implement any infrastructure? 
• Who will pay for what? For example, investing in things that will stay onsite permanently may be a shared expense. But infrastructure such as irrigation systems or drip lines that will only be used for farming may need to be an expense covered by you. 
• Will it just be you on the property, or will others be involved (such as volunteers or paid labor)? 
• Do you need liability insurance to cover your business and avoid personal risk? 
• What boundaries (physical or relational) need to be in place to ensure that your crops are not damaged by kids, pets, visitors, toys, etc.?

Do you have other tips to share?  Let us know in the comments!

The post Backyard and Urban Farming: How to Start—Whether You Own Land or Not appeared first on Modern Farmer.

“Our vision is a strong, resilient, environmentally sustainable and equitable local food system,” says Virginia Ortiz, GoFarms executive director.

Ortiz sees GoFarm’s role as a hub that takes care of the logistics of supporting small farms and feeding the community. 

Building community partnerships is a crucial element, and GoFarm works with other food access organizations such as Hunger Free Golden and JeffCo Food Policy Council to reach more people and create a broader base of resources.

Founded in 2014, GoFarm started with its local food share program (essentially a CSA curated from multiple farms). More than a decade later, it has become an organization that trains and develops beginning farmers and creatively tackles the problem of how to get affordable, fresh food to the community. As a nonprofit, it is able to fundraise for grants and donations to support its programming and supplement that with revenue generated through produce sales. 

GoFarm’s incubator farmer program gives beginning farmers access to a quarter acre of land for the two-year duration of the program. The farmers receive all the training they need to plan, plant and manage a farm—regardless of their background. 

“The average age of current farmers is 55 to 59, and we know that, over the next 10 years, half of current farmers are going to retire, which means that we need to develop a new base,” says Ortiz. But she points out that there is a “tremendous need” for agricultural education.

“Part of our goal is to change the paradigm of farm ownership. Currently, in Colorado, there are approximately 34,000 farms and only one percent are owned by people of color. Yet, 95 to 98 percent of farm workers are people of color, primarily Latinos,” says Ortiz, who shares that she comes from a long line of farmers and farm workers. She says she is proud that, in the farmer development program, 50 percent of participants are people of color, 65 percent are women and 40 percent self-identify as LGBTQ+.

Moses Smith of Full Fillment Farms was an engineer who had gardened before taking GoFarm’s 20-week course and joining the incubator program. “The important thing was the Whole Farm Planning course that really focused on what it takes to actually grow food,” says Smith.

“One of the biggest benefits is that they not only provide us with land access, which is very hard as a starting farmer, but they also give us a market avenue,” says Ann Poteet of Three Owls Farm. As incubator farmers are establishing their businesses and learning how to generate their own markets, they sell produce back to GoFarm. 

GoFarm’s local food share program feeds anywhere from 500 to 800 members each summer. Members come every week to pick up their share from a few different locations where GoFarm has refrigerated shipping containers to store food after it’s delivered by farmers. Plus, GoFarm takes Chuck out and about in Denver and Jefferson counties every week to ensure they can reach underserved populations that are challenged with food insecurity, disability, transportation and other barriers, such as the communities living in designated food deserts in south Golden. 

“I have an interest in nutritional insecurity,” says Poteet, who was a nurse practitioner before starting her farm. 

“It’s been really inspiring,” says Smith about being able to see his food nourish the community through GoFarm. 

But farmer’s market prices can be high, as producers need to be fairly compensated for their labor and costs. “Customers were clear to us that having access to healthy food was critical to them and affordability was a barrier,” says Ortiz. So, in 2022, GoFarm found the funding it needed to implement a new solution that goes even further to improve accessibility for the 2,600+ households it reaches. 

Customers at its mobile markets can choose from one of three price tiers to shop that day, depending on their needs. For example, bags of mixed greens have three prices listed: $2 (purple), $3 (green) and $4 (orange). And the microgreens are even cheaper, at $1, $2 or $3 for a box. Pasture-raised eggs can be $3, $5 or $7 a carton. 

“You are what you eat,” says Kaylee Clinton, a first-time GoFarm mobile market shopper. “I just feel better about myself when I eat fresher.” As inflation has hit grocery stores, she says that SNAP has helped make food more affordable and she appreciates that GoFarm lets shoppers pick their price point. “I really love it. I think it’s great for everybody.” 

“Typically, I either buy green or orange. I like buying orange when I can. It’s good to have the flexible pricing,” says Ed Gazvoda, who has been shopping at GoFarm for years. “I want to live a good, long, healthy life, so it’s a personal thing, but I just love the food.”

Jess Soulis, director of the Community Food Access program, highlights that accepting SNAP’s DoubleUp Food Bucks—where shoppers essentially get a 50-percent discount—is just one way to make food more affordable. The group also partners with WIC’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program, where participants get a credit to shop. Through its market locations at Littleton Advent Hospital and Juanita Nolasco Senior Residences, the program offers shoppers $10 worth of produce for free. SNAP/DUFB account for 13 percent of its mobile market sales, but all of these incentives combined are closer to two-thirds.

“We’re building this beautiful, vibrant, local food system and we don’t want to replicate the injustices and inequities that are so prevalent in the existing food system,” says Soulis.

The vision continues to grow. The only limitation? “Infrastructure,” says Ortiz. GoFarm is currently seeking out refrigerated warehouse space along the I-70 corridor between Golden and Montbello. 

“That area is important because we need to make it accessible to farmers along the Front Range,” says Ortiz. “With that refrigerated warehouse space, we could easily source from more farmers, distribute more food and serve more communities.”

The post Meet the Nonprofit Training Farmers and Feeding a Whole Community appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Getting funding to transition to regenerative organic practices can be a challenge for farms of all sizes, but it’s a necessity if we want to have abundant harvests for generations to come. 

Fitzgerald says that while the farm  mainly works with a community bank, the lenders don’t understand its  operations to accurately assess risk of organic and regenerative farming operations. Plus, Fitzgerald explains that the typical bank is looking to lend only a 12- to 18-month credit. This can put regenerative farmers in a bind as it takes multiple years to transition land or reach profitability with new processes. 

There is never a silver bullet solution to any environmental issue. Regenerative agriculture in practice looks different depending on the unique situation of the farm, and so does the funding for it. 

Multi-year credit helps established farms 

Recently, Fitzgerald Organics acquired 140 acres of farmland, and needed financing to transition the plots to organic, as well as implement cover crops and plant pollinator strips. In the first year, the farm grew yellow peas as a transition crop and had a hail event that wasn’t covered by crop insurance in Minnesota. Then it grew winter wheat in the second year, which isn’t as profitable as other crop types.

“Historically, when we’ve transitioned farms, we’ve just eaten those losses annually,” says Fitzgerald. But the farm  developed a partnership with Mad Agriculture, which  helps farmers get access to the resources and knowledge they need to implement regenerative practices. One of four branches of the MAD! ecosystem is Mad Capital, a private investment firm that finances regenerative farmers. 

Fitzgerald emphasized that Mad Capital’s model of lending multi-year credit with the choice of interest-only or revenue-based repayment relieved pressure and enabled him to keep going despite challenges. 

“All we do is work with organic farmers. We understand the risk. We understand the challenges and the types of capital it takes to facilitate [a regenerative] transition,” says Brandon Welch, co-founder and CEO of Mad Capital. “We know on the other side of that, there’s a positive return.”

To date, Mad Capital has supplied more than  30 farmers across 15 states growing on more than  79,000 acres with $25 million in loans for operating expenses, new equipment, real estate and expansion and regenerative transition expenses.

“We really listen to the needs of the land and the farmer in a way that most companies just don’t,” says Philip Taylor, co-founder and executive director of Mad Agriculture. 

He highlights that they seek to accelerate the process for farmers who already care about sustainability. “Somewhere between 10 million and 20 million acres is, we believe, possibly a tipping point where regenerative organic ag could become inevitable,” says Taylor. 

And they’re ready to fund more farmers. Mad Capital recently announced a $50-million investment round for its  Perennial Fund II, with investor commitments from the likes of the Rockefeller Foundation, Builders Vision, Lacebark Investments and nearly a dozen others.

But not every farm is the right candidate for a loan. Luckily, more avenues for funding exist. 

Using corporate dollars 

“Food and even fashion companies who source from agriculture have realized that, to meet their environmental and social commitments, they need to work with their farmers,” says  Lauren Dunteman, senior associate of Regenerative Supply at Terra Genesis, a consultancy helping brands source from regenerative agriculture. 

Sourcing can significantly impact sustainability outcomes for brands. But for this approach to work,  there must be transparency, says Dunteman. “Farmers don’t always know where their crops go, and brands don’t know what farms their crops come from.” That issue prompts brands to fund regenerative practices either directly or indirectly.

If a brand can’t trace ingredients to the farm level, it  may pick any farm or group of farmers and fund their regenerative practices. But if it  knows its  farmers and can directly invest in regenerative practices, it has  options, such as: 

• Paying upfront for farmers to adopt regenerative practices
• Agreeing to purchase at a premium once producers have aligned with intended regenerative practices or outcomes
• Signing multi-year contracts to give farmers income stability needed to invest in new initiatives and de-risk transition years

Including producers from the beginning and honoring traditional knowledge is key to the success of initiatives like this. “There needs to be a shift in power dynamics,” says Dunteman. “Less dictating to producers and more collaboration.” 

Timberland, Vans and The North Face are able to support and source regenerative rubber through partnering with Terra Genesis. These brands now pay a premium to rubber farmers who grow using traditional methods that include diverse agroforestry systems and ecological management practices, which incentivizes other farmers to return to growing in this way. 

Dunteman highlights another avenue that exists to support farmers who make the effort to adopt regenerative practices: paying to license their climate and environmental outcome data. Farmers gain an additional revenue stream, and brands are able to prove their environmental progress. 

This approach to data sovereignty is being used by Ethos, which Dunteman’s team uses to verify regenerative outcomes. Consumers can look for the Ethos Verified Regenerative label to know they’re supporting sustainability with their purchases.

While this funding approach is creative and helps engage consumers in sustainability when done right, how do small local farms who sell direct to consumers—not to brands—access the funding they need?

Small farms and conservation grants 

“It’s been incredibly frustrating,” says Lauren Kelso, site director at nonprofit community farm Growing Gardens and the policy chair for Flatirons Farmers Coalition, a chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition [NYFC]. “I just couldn’t believe the red tape involved, the number of conversations we had to have and then what the payments were.”

She says  there are federal and state grant programs available for conservation and soil health initiatives, but they often benefit larger farms with massive acreage and the resources to submit a great application and measure outcomes. Beginning farmers may not have the time or grant writing skills to successfully secure funding. Plus, she notes that many farmers with Indigenous or cultural practices are overlooked, as holistic land stewardship doesn’t always fit the mold of what funding agencies look for. 

Kelso has talked to a lot of other farmers in NYFC and asked if they use these programs. Practically everyone was frustrated at the time and effort it took and the low payments they got in the end. 

“These are farmers that are living month to month,” says Kelso, “and they were still turning down the opportunity to get funding to offset the cost of their practices. That’s really telling to me.” 

Many programs available only give a certain amount—such as a couple of dollars—per acre to fund conservation initiatives. If you’re only farming on a few acres, it’s not worth all the time it takes to submit a grant application. She notes that one of the better options is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) through the NRCS. It  grants long-term cost share contracts for soil health practices and recently increased its  minimum payment to $4,000 per year for smaller farms, making it worth the effort to apply. 

Kelso mentions the Colorado Department of Agriculture STAR program as a good option for farmers, and one that more states should use as a model. It’s a three-year funding program with a minimum payment for small producers that requires farms to work with a technical assistance provider such as Mad Agriculture or conservation district staff. 

With conventional agriculture, we just take and never replenish. Regenerative practice means that farmers are obliged to re-invest in the land, which can mean lost income. If they are unable to cover costs through grants, small producers often counteract it by selling organic and regenerative products at a premium. 

But there’s only so much the consumer market can pay for, especially considering how many people are stressed about grocery inflation. “There’s a fundamental misunderstanding about what the market should be responsible for versus what [farmers] need public support with,” says Kelso. 

Holistic support 

Aside from Mad Capital, there are a handful of other organizations investing in sustainable farms, such as the Savanna Institute or Slow Money. Farming coalitions or industry organizations can also de-risk transitions for local producers by purchasing tools and equipment that farms can rent on an as-needed basis, such as the Flatirons Young Farmer’s Coalition Tool Library.

And peer-to-peer learning is of utmost importance. Many farmers who switch to regenerative methods have to learn by trial and error, as they may be the first in their community to do things differently. Creating knowledge-sharing channels through local organizations or even state agriculture departments can help producers implement regenerative practices at scale more efficiently, spurring on a revolution that is necessary for a stable future. 

Ultimately, we need a collage of holistic solutions tailored to farms of all sizes to provide resources, funding and long-term support for regenerative agriculture. 

“We need to get clear on how much public good it does us to be growing in these ways,” says Kelso. “And we need to be OK  paying for it.” 

The post We Need Regenerative Agriculture, But How Can Farmers Fund the Transition? appeared first on Modern Farmer.

Three years ago, Montoya started the Pollinator Advocates program. In that short time, she’s trained nearly 50 community members in-depth about the importance of native habitat for pollinators and reintroduced thousands of native plants to yards and parks around Boulder. 

“I am positive that [this led to] an empiric increase in the numbers of insects and hummingbirds in our neighborhoods,” she says. “We are currently working with entomologists on setting up surveys across the city.”

Montoya spent decades improving the well-being of people as a physician’s assistant, treating cancer and auto-immune diseases and supporting patient recovery with herbal remedies. But since retiring in 2015, she’s become dedicated to improving the well-being of “our Great Mother.” 

She first stumbled across a native bee house at the library in 2018 on a walk with her grandson. This prompted a research deep dive, learning from local experts and taking courses at the University of Colorado, and spiraled into community activism. 

“The more I read about these native bees and plants and ecosystems, the more I realized that the reason why pollinators were so in decline is because they lost habitat,” says Montoya. She looked around her own neighborhood—densely packed with houses and “dead sod.” An ecological graveyard.

Native pollinators need the relationships they have with native plant species to survive, like how monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. We love songbirds, but they need healthy insect populations to thrive. Montoya points out that a pair of chickadees need 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise a clutch of young before they leave the nest. 

In 2019, Montoya started out by giving native plants (donated by Harlequin’s Gardens and Growing Gardens) to neighbors to encourage buy-in. She recruited volunteers to plant in “pocket parks,” small public spaces in densely populated neighborhoods, and would pass along what she’d learned about pollinators. Her Polish and Mexican Indigenous heritage helps her connect with people from diverse backgrounds, building a network of interested community members.

The city-sponsored free Pollinator Advocates (PA) program she launched in 2021 is now “bigger than I could have imagined,” she says. “Time and again, it really keeps me going that so many people are drawn to the work.” The PA program is application-based and open to adults within Boulder, with 20 people per cohort. Organizers try to choose applicants with a mix of backgrounds and experience, to ensure diversity within the group. 

Participants commit to attending a weekly two-hour lecture from June through August with local experts—including professors, researchers and conservationists—who teach about native pollinators and plants, and they spend roughly 15 hours volunteering to plant and maintain pollinator habitat in the city. In the end, graduating PAs receive $150 worth of native plants for their own yards from Harlequin’s Gardens. 

Montoya’s favorite moments are when she’s out with a group of new PAs or volunteers and a bee lands on a flower. In her experience, it’s like watching a baby being born.

“You’re gonna think I’m exaggerating,” her face is lit up, joyful, “but everyone goes ‘Ah! Look! It’s a bee! It’s here! It’s working!’ So, there’s little tiny miracles that I never thought I’d get to witness happening over and over again.”

But not everything is miraculous. One of Monotoya’s biggest challenges is that people have major fears of insects. Even nature documentaries “show insects as being these weird, aggressive, pinchy, bitey monsters.” When going into communities to talk about pollinators, she starts with the less anxiety-inducing species: butterflies and hummingbirds. If the conversation is going well, she’ll pull up a picture of a native bee—from the millimeter-long Perdita minima to metallic green sweat bees or a lumbering bumble bee. Seeing these insects in less frightening ways can open people’s minds to the benefits and beauty of native pollinators.

Montoya sees her work as climate action and a way to bring life and biodiversity back to our environment. “It’s a chance to right a wrong as humans,” she explains.

So, what can we all do to support native pollinators, especially farmers? Talk to your neighbors and advocate for pollinators, plus take these three actions. 

First, stop using chemical pesticides. “You’ll kill the very organisms both in the soil and flying around that you need,” says Montoya. She says that commercial pesticides contain toxins harmful to humans as well. She encourages people to opt for natural pest management options, such as creating a healthy ecosystem or killing invasive pests such as Japanese beetles by knocking them into a bucket of soapy water. For Montoya, the best pest management technique is creating a native habitat, as there are more beneficial insects that can prey on and outcompete harmful ones.

Second, plant regionally native plants around your garden or farm, being sure to have blooms across as much of the season as possible. “Plants that need the native soil don’t really need all the nutrients in a food garden bed,” she says, so she recommends 100 feet to 300 feet between your veggie beds and native plants so they all thrive. 

Third, leave some patches of bare soil—no mulch, no thick cover crop, no plastic—as the majority of native bee species nest in the ground. 

The post Meet the Woman Who Launched a Local Training Program to Save Native Bees appeared first on Modern Farmer.