Valley Food Partnership

05/23/2026

Everyone’s been asking how the heck are there cherries in May?!?!

Fruit trees break dormancy once temperatures hit a certain threshold. From there, how fast they bloom depends on how fast heat accumulates. The warmer it is, the faster they progress.

This March, unseasonably high temperatures hitting up to 86° pushed fruit local fruit trees through that process weeks ahead of schedule and in a fraction of the normal time.

Fully open blossoms are extremely vulnerable to freezing temperatures. After the heat wave broke in April, we experienced a freeze that devastated local orchards. Most lost 100% of their crops (not just cherries).

Palisade Peach Shack was able to protect their trees and has direct-to-consumer cherries this week. Wag’s World lost their crop but is also bringing local cherries as resell- something we’re allowing this season for impacted orchards. More on that decision soon. Both here this Saturday.

05/21/2026

Grateful to for hosting the midyear Water Summit to ensure our community is up to date on the current state of water. It was also wonderful to hear how much ag water is prioritized and even the presentation on what community members can do to conserve.

05/19/2026

Valley Food Partnership wants to give a BIG shout out to the Giving Club of Montrose! We were the lucky receipents of their quarter 2 donation. We are so grateful for the generousity of this community supporting local agriculture and food. Our farmers and ranchers work so hard to put food on our tables, it is wonderful to see the community rally around them! If you have not had a chance to get out the Giving Club, you can learn more here: https://www.montrosegivingclub.com/. The photo below is of our Cultivating Farmers and Ranchers that Thrive Program Manager, Cally Hale, who presented on our behalf. She rocked it!

05/12/2026

Western Colorado Alliance has some great farm tours planned for the season. Join them!

Our first tour of the season is only three days away! Come with us to J&D Heirloom Seeds on May 14 at 10 am for a tour of their beautiful farm. From vegetable production to greenhouse design to preserving over 175 heirloom seed varieties, Dodi and his farm are an incredible example of thriving local agriculture. RSVP here to attend: https://westerncoloradoalliance.org/jd-heirloom-seeds-farm-tour/

04/28/2026

This morning, VFP had a work day at the incubator garden. This is a partnership with , Montrose Botanic Gardens and VFP. We have hosted Trisha and Michael Nolen, a Mother/Son team and their small flower subscription business, Woods Rose, for 3 years. They also sell seasonal bouquets at small retailers such as Straw Hat in Montrose. Be on the lookout later this spring!

Thank you so much, Montrose Botanical Society, for your dedication to supporting small farmers and businesses in our valley.

04/25/2026

Valley Food Partnership is moving to a new location at 238 E. Main St. #3 in Montrose!

We got our start right here in Montrose, and this move is an exciting step forward, bringing us into a more visible, accessible space where we can connect with more people, strengthen relationships, and explore new partnerships that support local agriculture and food systems.

A huge thank you to our amazing partner, Region 10 LEAP, Inc. and specifically the Business Cultivator, for their incredible support. Their generosity has been instrumental in our growth, and we’re truly grateful for the role they play in our work. We’re looking forward to continuing to evolve our partnership.

And just a reminder: Montrose Farmers’ Market will stay on Centennial Plaza as usual.

Stay tuned—we’re excited about what’s ahead!

04/23/2026

Come see us at the Earth Day celebration at the Flex Park, hosted by . We’ve got free buckets of compost from & seeds from

04/16/2026

Another great lineup at Big B's Delicious Orchards this year. Valley Food Partnership is excited to be a featured nonprofit on September 25 during Mountain Harvest Festival. Save the date! See you on the dance floor.

✨️ The 2026 Friday Nights Live in the Orchard lineup is officially here! Big B’s Delicious Orchards and Pickin’ Productions presents 24 summer nights of FREE live music!

Full lineup:
5/1:
5/8:
5/15:
5/23: Folk & Roots Rendezvous
5/29:
6/5:
6/12:
6/19:
6/26:
7/3:
7/10:
7/17:
7/24:
7/31:
8/7:
8/14:
8/21:
8/28:
9/4:
9/11:
9/18:
9/26: Mountain Harvest Fest
10/2:
10/10: Cider Fest

6:00pm DJ REMAY every Friday
Showtime 7:30pm

CAFE - BAR - CAMPING
FREE SHUTTLE starts at 6pm
$10 Parking Fee - Benefits local nonprofit
More info at BigBs.com
See you on the dance floor!

04/14/2026

Yesterday, Valley Food Partnership hosted a producer/buyer networking event at

Over 20 producers, chefs, institutional buyers, and community members gathered to make connections and talk about how they could support each other. Thank you to everyone who attended and made it such an incredible event.

If you're interested in joining the conversation about the local food system or staying updated on other opportunities like this, please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media.

04/13/2026

Today at 1pm, Valley Food Partnership and other agriculture and food providers will be building connections and strengthening our food system with Producer/Buyer networking activities and local snacks. We will be meeting at from 1-3pm! See you there!