In this Interview with KVNF, Mark Waltermire discusses the Thistle Whistle Community Solar Project, how it got started, and the obstacles it is currently navigating. This project seeks to establish a community-owned solar array designed to benefit small-scale agriculture. Listen to the interview here.

This article was published by the High Country shopper, in which they discuss the most recent community power accelerator prize awarded to the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance for the Thistle Whistle Community Solar project. “This recognition from the Department of Energy validates our vision for community-based rural renewables that support both our agricultural heritage and greater energy equity," said Pete Kolbenschlag, with the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance and prize team captain. Read the article here.

Colorado Farm & Food Alliance leads the effort to advance in the Department of Energy Community Power Accelerator Prize.

This article, written by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, talks about the Colorado Farm and Food Alliance’s agrivoltaic project that won a $200,000 Community Power Accelerator Prize offered by the U.S. Department of Energy through a community solar competition and how the status of the award is a bit uncertain under a new presidential administration. Read the Full Article Here.

This article, published in the Grand Junction Sentinel, was written by COFFA’s Pete Kolbenschlag. He highlights how recent federal investments, including $156 million through the Solar for All program and other funding for rural energy, water, and food systems, support Colorado's resilience and economy. He warns that these vital programs may be at risk with a new Congress and administration. He urges Colorado’s representatives to fight to preserve and expand such funding to benefit rural communities and address climate change. Read the article here.

In this op-ed published in the Delta County Independent, Pete Kolbenschlag writes about the importance of public lands. Public lands in the American West are a cherished national asset rooted in a tradition of public benefit and environmental stewardship. Still, they face ongoing threats from efforts to privatize and exploit them for narrow interests, as highlighted by recent legal challenges such as Utah's push for state control. Advocates urge vigilance and collective action to protect these lands as vital ecological, economic, and cultural resources, emphasizing their historical significance and role in sustaining communities. Read the article here or here.

This is an opinion article written by Pete and published in the GJ Sentinel.

He writes, “An old coal-mine, a new grain mill, a century-old irrigation ditch and an innovative agrivoltaic project are all connected in the effort to create resilience in the rural, transitioning community of the North Fork Valley, in western Colorado”. Read the whole article here.

In this op-ed published in the Montrose Daily Press, Pete Kolbenschlag highlights the importance of stable federal funding to empower rural communities. This funding leads to innovation and adaption to changing environmental realities. Historical investments, such as those from the Civilian Conservation Corps, illustrate the enduring benefits of federal support.

The Colorado Farm & Food Alliance urges political leaders to safeguard existing climate funding and increase support for rural initiatives, emphasizing that these investments not only benefit local economies but also strengthen national resilience against climate change. Read the article here.

The Colorado Farm & Food Alliance, in collaboration with Switchback Restoration, has secured $80,000 in Department of Energy funding for a groundbreaking initiative in the North Fork Valley. Their project targets the elimination of methane emissions from a former coal mine while repurposing byproducts for beneficial use, earning them recognition as one of only 28 national winners in the DOE's SOLVE IT Prize. This innovative effort not only mitigates climate harm but also fosters community-driven clean-energy solutions, setting a precedent for rural sustainability and economic resilience. With plans for on-site heat utilization, habitat restoration, and even potential solar integration, the initiative showcases the potential for environmental stewardship to catalyze job creation and food system resilience in rural areas. Read the article here.

A guest column in Colorado Newsline by Pete Kolbenschlag

Listen to this insightful interview with Pete here. This is a follow-up conversation from May 2023 on Local Motion.

A write-up in the Montrose Mirror about the COFFA’s Rivershed weekend (April 5-6, 2024). Read more about it here.

Pete was recently interviewed on the Metro show on KGUN community radio by Ean Thomas Tafoya aka Mr. Denver about the reauthorization of the Farm Bill happening next year. He discusses how this bill influences food access, climate action, and environmental justice. Listen Here.

Pete Kolbenschlag was interviewed on KVNF about the annual North Fork Agriculture lobbying trip to Washington DC. Listen Here

Guest Column by our director Pete Kolbenschlag on public lands conservation as a potent tool for strengthening rural climate resilience.

In a world of often competing needs, sometimes it’s harder to find a common path forward than to simply plow one’s own. This sometimes seems the case for calls to streamline clean energy development or to limit community input into new infrastructure. But shortcuts can make for long delays — and many an ambitious project runs into obstacles by not adequately involving impacted members of the public, who nonetheless will be heard.

The Colorado Farm and Food Alliance is supportive of public lands conservation, for protecting the stunning landscapes near our home-base. Set into this amazing landscape are small towns like Crawford, Paonia and Hotchkiss, and scattered between and on the mesas all around are the farms, ranches, wineries and businesses that work hard to make it here. As we consider how we can adapt rural communities to be resilient and prosperous in a changing climate and dynamic future… we see opportunity as we look even further west across the Uncompahgre Plateau into the heart of Colorado’s red rock canyon country along the Dolores River.

On January 16, 2024, Elizabeth was featured on the KVNFPodcast From Crisis to Comeback, where she spoke about Regenerative Agriculture.

A guest column for the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel by Pete Kolbenschlag. Read it here.

A guest column for Colorado Politics written by Pete Kolbenschlag. Read it here.