For a little urban farm tucked away in Manitou Springs, its ever-growing community impact is set to sprout, thanks to some new federal funding.
This summer, Flying Pig Farm was named a recipient of thePatrick Leahy Farm to School Programby the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service which annually funds theplanning, development and implementation of farm-to-school programs across the country.
The farm was among those that received $14.3 million in total funding this year and were chosen for theircommunity-based approach to increasing access and engagement with local food while also teaching the basics of agricultural, soil-based food cultivation.
Community learning farm near Colorado Springs offers kids, adults ways to learn about planet
Wednesday morning, representatives from the USDA's state and federal offices joined a group of Ute Pass Elementary students on the farm in learning about their approachto land-based education.
About 40 local kindergarten and fourth grade students engaged in various activities on the farm like harvesting and redistributing wildflower seeds, planting garlic, mixing cob (a mix of clay, sand and straw) for an outdoor oven under construction and hand-making tortillas from naturally grown corn.
"It's been great getting to see these kids connect some dots and learn more about nutritional education and where their food comes from," said Alberto González Jr., USDA food and nutrition senior policy adviser. "Hopefully, they'll be inspired to continue this kind of work going forward in their community."
Some of this work probably will continue with fourth grader Elijah Adkins, who said his favorite activity that morning was making the tortillas.
"I liked, it because I do some cooking at homesometimes and it’s something that I didn’t know how to make before,” he said.
The farm
Since it became a community farm in 2014, Flying Pig has grown as a resource not just for local vegetation, but also for a new approach to education for local kids.
The educational programming began after former Manitou Springs Middle School teacher and volunteer Barak Ben-Amots provided a struggling student time on the farm to learn about the relationship with food and natural systems. Seeing the success this student experienced, he then approached Manitou Springs School District 14 about hosting entire classes throughout the school year.
The tours have continued ever since. In addition to summer programs and community events year-round at the farm, students in and around Manitou Springs visit to learn about theplants, animals and the environmental history of the region, along with therelationship with high-quality nutrition and locally tended plants.
Ute Pass Elementary parent Kelly McKay joined her son for the morning activities and said the farm represented both the small-town connectedness of Manitou Springs and its schools' commitment to offering alternative, environmentally focused education opportunities.
“It gives them (students) a nice break from their 9-to-5 desk jobs, you know?” she said jokingly. “And it’s a great opportunity for them to get their hands dirty and get outside.”
Ben-Amots, now the farm's executive director, noted that the farm's close proximity to some of the schools — where students travel from on foot — made them an ideal partner. The strong partnership with the school district is just one of similar collaborations that includes the nonprofits Concrete Couch and Pikes Peak Permaculture.
"Thousands of people love this," Ben-Amots said. "And I'm sure thousands would love to see us replicate this.
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Future efforts
Flying Pig Farm received just over $96,000 through the grant this year to expand its current educational programming and reach more students in the Pikes Peak region and neighboring school districts.
Through the grant's support, the plan is to expand services to reach more than 1,500 students in the 2024-25 school year and up to 2,000 in the 2025-26 school year.
Since 2013, the grants have been awarded to help state, regional, and local organizations as they initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm-to-school efforts.
Flying Pig was among six Colorado recipients this year and the only one from the Pikes Peak Region. The farm had previously received a turnkey grant from the USDA in 2021 for $41,000 to establish specific curriculum.
Other state organizations that received funding this year included the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, Colorado Charter School Institute, Evans Early Childhood Center, Mountain Roots Food Project and the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition.
Ben-Amots said they also hope to develop an internship program with the local high schools to teach students about growing and harvesting local produce in addition to trialing local recipes for school cafeterias to serve.
With Flying Pig now established as a standalone 501c(3), the hope is that more community farms will continue to develop throughout Colorado Springs and that more locally sourced ingredients find their way into schools.
Other current area community gardens include Galileo Farm located appropriately just outside of the Galileo School of Math and Science in School District 11 and the UCCS Farm.
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At the end of the warm, fall morning of activity, the Ute Pass students gathered around Ben-Amots one more time who reminded them how their work that day gave back as much as it had taken.
"You did a little bit here today, but you've got a lot more to do over the course of your lives," he told them.
