Restore Colorado

Restore Colorado is sponsored by Mad Agriculture. Grants to support regenerative farming practices in Colorado, such as planting woody plant species for pollinator habitat, compost application, and building soil health.

Restore Colorado • Mad Agriculture • Regenerative Farming Mad Agriculture is hiring a Finance Director ! Restore Colorado is bringing rapid funding to regenerative farming projects in Colorado. Consumers contribute to the Restore Colorado fund a few cents at a time, through an optional 1% fee at participating restaurants and food businesses .

Zero Foodprint then distributes the Restore Colorado fund to local farmers and ranchers for climate beneficial practices overseen by Mad Agriculture . Restore Colorado grants are available for planting perennials, spreading compost on depleted soil, cover cropping, technical assistance, and more.

This funding is meant for produces already practicing regenerative agriculture or those that are just taking their first steps toward regeneration.

A1 Organics : EcoGro Compost Bin 707 Foodbar (Grand Junction) Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver) East Denver Food Hub (Denver) La Cocina de Luz (Telluride) Nude Foods Market (Boulder) Pizzeria Locale (Boulder, $1 from each Mais Pizza) River and Woods (Boulder) Serendipity Catering, Cafe & Coffee Bar (Denver) Subway (All Boulder Locations) Sullivan Scrap Kitchen (Denver) The Butcher & The Baker (Telluride) Whistling Boar (Longmont) Wonder Press (Boulder, Denver) This year, Zero Foodprint has been joined by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) and The Alliance Center to launch the Healthy Soils Challenge!

Our collective goal is to raise $5 million per year by 2025 for the fund. The money we raise in Colorado will be reinvested in Colorado food production–this is the start of a regenerative agriculture movement and we need your help! Through your partnership, Restore Colorado will team up with the state’s farmers and ranchers to plant cover crops, apply compost, manage rotational grazing and more.

Regenerative agriculture improves soil health, water quality, water retention, resilience, yield and the nutrient value of the food we eat, while removing emissions from the atmosphere. To become a member business, please reach out to the team at Zero Foodprint. Meet the next generation Front Range farmers!

After renting out small parcels in backyards and corner lots, Speedwell Farm and Garden cooperated with other young farmers through the Treehouse Collective to lease a 17 acre parcel. By working with the public, they build community connections while helping the environment through the use of climate-beneficial farming practices. Restore Colorado was able to provide a grant for the compost needed on their regenerative farming journey.

Boulder Valley Honey is a commercial enterprise comprised of several unique apiaries spread across Boulder county. With their Restore Colorado grant, Boulder Valley Honey was able to plant 500 woody plant species across their apiaries, all targeted towards helping their honey bees thrive while also providing food and habitat for native pollinator populations.

Earthwork and compost application on each property was also supported through this project, rounding out a suite of practices that will help the beekeepers continue making delicious honey while regenerating pollinator habitats around the county. FrontLine Farming is a food and farmers advocacy group focusing on education, sovereignty and justice.

At their Sister Farms site, FrontLine is reawakening community cultivation by teaching regenerative systems passed down by ancestors to a multigenerational group of community farmers. Restore Colorado provided a grant to support their work to convert an unused corner of the farm into an educational Aya garden with compost, perennials, and trees. Esoterra Culinary is a small farm making a big impact.

Ever tasted a puntarelle? How about agretti? Mark DeRespinis, Esoterra’s owner, specializes in growing unconventional vegetables for Colorado culinary innovators.

That means when he chooses which crops to plant on his farm, he has to be just as creative as the chefs he grows for. Mark also wanted to get creative when considering alternative fertilizers, and that’s why he worked with Restore Colorado to substitute A1 Organics compost in his hay fields. Emerald Gardens is a microgreen farm based in Bennett, Colorado.

The farm is one of multiple entities within the business ecosystem stewarded by co-founders David Demerling and Roberto Meza, who also run East Denver Food Hub. The grant that the farm received from Restore Colorado enabled them to spread compost and plant cover crops on the land surrounding their industrial greenhouse.

This contributed to efforts to explore other regenerative practices on their land so that they can diversify operations beyond microgreens. Long Table Farmstead is a livestock operation based in Lyons, Colorado that raises sheep, pigs and chickens on 20 beautiful acres of pastureland. Their Restore Colorado grant award funded compost application across 16 acres of dryland and irrigated pastures.

This will help improve the fertility and forage of the soil at Longtable, which in turn will increase the quality of the forage that they feed their livestock. Olander Farms is a fifth generation family farm that specializes in high-quality local grain and craft malt for the local beer and distilling industries. With funding from Restore Colorado, they were able to get compost spread over hundreds of acres of farmland.

This practice, in addition to their use of cover crops in their rotation, will help the Olanders continue working toward their mission of having the least impact on our Earth to keep the land healthy for the next generation of their family’s farmers. Grama moves their animals frequently and rests their pastures for long periods, imitating the way bison once interacted with the native prairie.

As the animals move, they fertilize the land with manure and stimulate the growth of perennial grasses with deep, strong root systems. Restore Colorado allowed Grama to spread 450 yards of compost on 40 acres of degraded land to build soil full of life and rich with carbon. McCauley Family Farm is a regenerative whole-farm ecosystem dedicated to healing people and the planet with delicious food.

They strive to connect the dots between consumers and crops, produce and people, and seeds and souls — and Restore Colorado helps them to do just that. Through Restore Colorado, McCauley Family Farm was able to apply 315 yards of compost. Drylands Agroecology Research Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR) is an organization on a mission to restore the Earth and our communities through regenerative design.

Their team is revitalizing several agricultural properties throughout Boulder County. Across DAR’s projects, the organization has planted thousands of trees and educated hundreds of community members on the use of Indigenous seeds, plants, and livestock practices. With their Restore Colorado grant funding, they were able to purchase and apply compost across 23 acres of the land they steward.

Switch Gears Farm is a small-scale vegetable farm rooted in Longmont, Colorado. They received a Restore Colorado grant that enabled them to spread compost across their land, helping their team build the health of their soil in just their second season of operation.

With this compost application–in addition to cover-cropping, the use of organic and untreated seeds, and not spraying their crops–Switch Gears is ensuring their ability to cultivate high-quality produce as they simultaneously build soil health over time. Restore Colorado is public-private collaboration, led by Zero Foodprint with support from partners across the state of Colorado.