Author: Jennifer Ballentine

Veteran Fields held the first annual Harvest Banquet on Saturday, September 23rd at Adams State University’s Vista Restaurant in Rex Stadium.  Veteran Fields is a community partnership consisting of the Veterans Coalition of the San Luis Valley, the San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition and the Rio Grande Farm Park. The guest speaker for this event was John Kretsinger of KW Farms, who is a Marine Corps and Blue Angel Veteran.  One of John’s primary concerns is   sustainable farming and ranching, and he discussed many important subjects concerning food production in the Valley.  One of the most astonishing points that John raised was the fact that the Valley actually exports and imports a staggering 90% of our produce.  Therefore, the majority of the food we grow is currently being shipped out of the Valley, and the majority of the food we eat is shipped into the Valley. The attendees overwhelmingly agreed that this is something that needs to change. (more…)