Aug 12, 2021
CFVGA urges consumers to buy local, learn about Colorado farms

The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association has a variety of programs to encourage Coloradans to buy Colorado produce and to learn more about their local farmers.

The public is invited to join one of two bus tours of local farms. Friday, Aug. 20, is a tour of farms in Pueblo County and Rocky Ford. The tour is from 9am to 4pm, includes lunch and costs $10. Learn more and register here. The registration deadline is Aug. 17.

A second tour will be held Saturday, Aug. 28 with participants touring farms around Brighton and Boulder County. This tour begins at 8:30am and ends at 4pm. The cost is $15 with more information and registration here. The registration deadline is Aug. 25.

In addition to the tours, the Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) is running an active social media campaign to introduce consumers to local farms and to educate them on what it takes to plant, cultivate, harvest and market a crop during Colorado’s very short growing season. CFVGA has contracted with social media reporters throughout the state to feature farms, Colorado produce recipes and nutrition information on its social media channels through the harvest season.

CFVGA also is working with select influencers to take a deeper dive into farming by spending a half day on a farm, learning and performing some of the tasks performed by farmers. The campaign is called “A Day in the Life of a Farmer.” Participating influencers are posting on their social media channels, and CFVGA is featuring the campaign on its social media channels as well.

Check out CFVGA’s social media channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFVGA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coloradoproduce/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colorado-fruit-vegetable-growers-association

These promotion programs are made possible by a Specialty Crop Block Grant Program award from the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

CFVGA also reminds consumers to reference the Colorado produce calendar https://coloradoproduce.org/nutrition-health/ to see when produce is available locally. In addition, the CFVGA website: https://coloradoproduce.org features a Find Colorado Produce button to assist buyers in finding specific produce grown in Colorado. The tool allows users to sort by produce, marketing channel and region within Colorado.

The CFVGA is comprised of more than 250 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sector contributes nearly $485 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 90,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production.