Small Acreage Management & Sustaining Local Agriculture and Environment

Dr. Edward Page
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Small Acreage Management Agent

The Tri-River Area (TRA) initiated a Small Acreage Management Program early in 2004. The primary area covered by this program includes: Mesa, Delta, Montrose, and Ouray Counties (the TRA). The program will serve several different groups of clientele: leisure or recreational landowners, organic and commercial growers on smaller acreages, and communities of people that have traditionally depended on agriculture to a significant degree.

Life Style Small Acreage holdings (those owned for recreation or enjoyment) can be quite large, depending on the productivity of the land and whether or not it is irrigated, but a usual size might be around five acres. Most people are concerned with raising forage for horses or other livestock. They are also interested in keeping the weeds down and having harmonious relations with their neighbors. The CSU program is designed to help in these areas and many more.

The concept of Sustaining Local Agriculture and Environment, of course includes the environmental issues of the life style owners, but goes much farther. Issues or objectives included here could be: identifying new crops, implementing new techniques to grow crops, developing ways to reduce cost or save energy, creating marketing strategies to increase profit and stability, finding ways to farm and ranch that complement natural processes, developing systems that give community economic support primary importance, and much more.

Follow the links below to those areas that interest you. Not all of them will be active in the beginning. If you have specific questions or comments, please call Ed Page at 970-249-3935, in Montrose.

Table of Contents

Small Acreage Management

1. Educational Programs - 2007

a. Farm Visits and Other Consultation
b. Community Supported Extension

2. Sustaining Local Agriculture and Environment

a. Specialty Crops Research program
b. Crop Production Areas of Interest and Emphasis
c. Western Colorado Food and Ag Council
d. Community and Rural Development
e. Sustainable Hops Production Workshop

3. Small Acreage Management Newsletter

Vol 1, Issue 1 - December 2006
Vol 2, Issue 1 - August 2007
Vol 2, Issue 2 - December 2007

4. Frequently Asked Questions

5. Resources for the Land Owner

6. Why Extension Charges for Its Services

These pages are produced with the intention of providing information to the citizens of the Tri-River Area and western Colorado and to develop a dialogue among them, which will improve the area as a whole. If you have any comments or suggestions for these pages or the CSU Extension program in general, please send them to the web master or directly to Ed Page at: 970-249-3935, or by surface mail to: 1001 N 2nd Street, Montrose, Colorado 81401, or by e-mail to: edward.page@colostate.edu.

WebMaster
Colorado State Cooperative Extension
Tri River Area
2775 US Hwy 50, Grand Junction, CO. 81503
voice: 970-244-1834
fax: 970-244-1700