Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative Awarded Grant From USDA

The Southwest Farm Fresh Cooperative in Montezuma County has been awarded a $229,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Co-op general manager Ole Bye tells KSJD the Farmers Market Promotion Grant will enable the venture to expand its direct sales of local farm products to consumers. The Cortez-based co-op has been offering a community-supported agriculture, or CSA, program in the area for two years. It started with 20 small farms in Montezuma and Dolores counties, and now has members in La Plata and Delta counties, as well as Aztec, New Mexico. The co-op is unusual in that it is producer-owned. Bye says the grant will help with additional marketing and outreach as well as supplies needed for a bigger CSA program. He says the grant “is definitely a game-changer for us.”