Roots of Renewal

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Montrose, CO
Roots of Renewal

The conference is for anyone with an interest in the future of agriculture, including: ranchers, farmers, gardeners, students, and ag professionals.

Roots of Renewal (formerly Western CO Soil Health, Food and Farm Forum) is an educational conference for producers and those interested in the future of Western Colorado Agriculture that takes place each January in Montrose, CO. The conference has a wide array of breakout sessions which convey vital regionally-specific agricultural information in areas including maximizing crop and livestock production, innovative agricultural marketing and management strategies, and specialty crops. Whether you’re looking to improve or innovate on your existing practices, the forum has myriad resources and networking opportunities.

10/16/2026

Meet Fernando Falomir, one of our 2027 Roots of Renewal keynote speakers! As a rancher and regenerative agriculture educator, Fernando brings a practical, producer-focused perspective to one of the biggest challenges facing Western Slope agriculture: how to build productive, profitable ranches with increasingly limited water resources.

His approach starts with a simple principle: It's not just about how much rain falls, but how effectively the land captures and uses it. Through thoughtful grazing management, improved soil health, greater plant diversity, and better ground cover, ranchers can influence how water moves through their landscapes and how well their pastures recover from drought.

In his keynote, "Building Resiliency in Your Pastures," Fernando will explore how grazing decisions can become powerful tools for improving soil function, forage production, and long-term ranch resilience.

And for producers ready to dig deeper, Fernando will also lead a two-hour workshop focused on turning soil health principles and grazing strategies into actionable changes back home.

🌾 Join us January 22–23, 2027, at the Montrose Pavilion for two days of learning, connection, and applied strategies for climate resilience. Tickets on sale November 9.

Valley Food Partnership

10/13/2026

What if the key to a more profitable farm isn't doing more, but doing less, better?

Meet Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm and one of our 2027 Roots of Renewal keynote speakers! Ben has built his approach to farming around a simple but powerful idea: eliminate waste, streamline systems, and focus on what creates value.

Inspired by lean manufacturing principles, Ben applies these concepts to agriculture, helping producers rethink how they use their time, labor, space, and resources. The goal? A farm that's not only more efficient and profitable, but also more manageable for the people running it.

For Western Slope producers navigating rising costs, labor challenges, and increasingly unpredictable growing conditions, these ideas couldn't be more relevant.

At Roots of Renewal 2027, Ben will share lessons from his experience at Clay Bottom Farm and lead a two-hour workshop exploring how producers can put lean principles into practice.

🌱 Join us January 22–23, 2027, in Montrose, Colorado, for practical ideas you can take home and put to work. Tickets go on sale Nov. 9.

Valley Food Partnership

10/09/2026

Meet the Roots of Renewal 2027 keynote speakers!
We’re excited to welcome Ben Hartman, farmer and author of The Lean Farm, and Fernando Falomir, rancher and regenerative ag consultant, to Montrose for Roots of Renewal 2027!

This year’s theme is Applied Strategies for Climate Resilience, and our keynote speakers will approach that challenge from two different but complementary perspectives.

🥕 Ben Hartman will bring his experience with lean farming principles and challenge us to think differently about efficiency: how can producers eliminate waste, simplify their operations, make better use of limited resources, and build farms that are both productive and profitable?

🐂 Fernando Falomir will take us onto the ranch, exploring how grazing management, soil health, and better water capture can help producers build more productive and drought-resilient pastures.
What connects them is exactly what we look for in Roots of Renewal speakers: practical experience, innovative thinking, and ideas producers can take home and put to work.

And you’ll have the opportunity to go deeper. Both Ben and Fernando will lead two-hour workshops in addition to their keynote presentations, creating more time for practical learning and discussion.

📅 January 22–23, 2027
📍 Montrose Pavilion | Montrose, Colorado

We can’t wait to welcome them to the Western Slope—and we’re just getting started revealing what’s in store for 2027. 🌾

Valley Food Partnership

10/07/2026

Water in the West isn’t a future challenge. It’s something producers are navigating right now. That came through clearly during “Current Realities of Water in the West” at Roots of Renewal 2026, presented by Raquel Flinker and Steve Pope. 💧

Rather than creating a document that sits on a shelf, their approach has focused on identifying response and mitigation actions that can be implemented NOW. For Western Slope agriculture, conversations like this matter. Water availability influences what gets planted, how livestock are managed, and ultimately whether farms and ranches remain viable.

And as 2026 has demonstrated, preparing for drought isn't an abstract exercise. Producers across the Uncompahgre Valley and beyond have faced dramatically reduced water supplies and difficult management decisions this growing season.

That’s why water continues to be an important part of the conversation at Roots of Renewal: bringing together the people managing these challenges on the ground to share practical strategies for adapting and building resilience. 🌱💧

Valley Food Partnership

10/01/2026

Next week, the secret is out. 👀🌱

Every year, we look for keynote speakers who bring more than an inspiring story to the Roots of Renewal stage. We want people with real-world experience, fresh ideas, and practical knowledge that farmers and ranchers can put to work.

For 2027, we're bringing you two different perspectives with a lot in common: a willingness to rethink conventional approaches, focus on what actually works, and help producers build more resilient and profitable operations.

From working smarter and doing more with less to building healthier soils, pastures, and ranches, these are conversations we think Western Slope producers will find especially relevant right now.

🎤 Our 2027 keynote speakers will be revealed NEXT WEEK. Who do you think is coming to Montrose? 👇

Valley Food Partnership

09/28/2026

We’re proud to recognize Western States Ranches as a Top Sponsor of Roots of Renewal 2027 and a valued supporter of agriculture on Colorado’s Western Slope.

Strong regional food systems depend on more than raising great livestock, they also require the infrastructure, markets, and relationships that allow producers to get their products to customers. Western States Ranches plays an important role in that chain, helping connect locally raised meat with consumers while keeping more of our food economy rooted here in Western Colorado.

Their support of Roots of Renewal reflects that same investment in the future of our region’s farmers and ranchers.

Thank you, Western States Ranches, for supporting the people, land, and agricultural communities that make the Western Slope such a special place. 🌾🥩

Valley Food Partnership

09/26/2026

What many people don't see is that Roots of Renewal is planned year-round by a dedicated Program Committee that brings together an incredible range of perspectives from across Western Colorado agriculture.

Our committee includes farmers and ranchers, researchers, educators, nonprofit professionals, agency representatives, and ag business leaders. Many members wear more than one hat, working the land while also serving their communities through organizations that support agriculture.

By bringing together people from different sectors, we're able to build a program that reflects the real opportunities and challenges facing producers today. Every session is thoughtfully considered, every speaker carefully selected, and every decision guided by one question: What information will be the most valuable to the people working the land? The result is an event shaped by collaboration, grounded in practical experience, and driven by a shared commitment to strengthening agriculture across the Western Slope.

To every member of our Program Committee: THANK YOU for the hours, thoughtful discussions, and passion you bring throughout the year. Your dedication is what makes Roots of Renewal an event built by the ag community, for the ag community. 🌾🤝

Valley Food Partnership

09/23/2026

As Janie VanWinkle welcomed attendees to Roots of Renewal 2026, she reminded us that while every farm and ranch has a different story, the values that sustain agriculture are often the same: hard work, resilience, stewardship, and a willingness to keep learning.

Her message was a powerful reflection on honoring our agricultural heritage while embracing the innovation needed to thrive in a changing world. Tradition and progress aren't at odds. They build on one another.

Thank you, Janie, for reminding us that our greatest inheritance isn't measured in acres or assets. It's the heritage we build on to create a legacy for the next generation. 🌾

Valley Food Partnership

09/18/2026

Our keynote speakers aren't chosen because they're well known, they're chosen because they're changing the way agriculture is practiced.

Each keynote brings fresh ideas, real-world experience, and practical lessons that attendees can take home and apply to their own farms and ranches.

One unforgettable example was Nicole Masters' 2025 keynote, It Takes a Village. Nicole challenged us to look beyond individual practices and think about the entire soil ecosystem. Through engaging stories and practical science, she demonstrated how understanding the biology beneath our feet can lead to healthier crops, more resilient operations, and better long-term outcomes.

For many attendees, her presentation changed the way they think about soil: not simply as something to manage, but as a living community that supports the entire farm.

We're excited to continue the tradition in 2027. Stay tuned - our keynote speaker announcement is coming soon! 🌾

SAVE THE DATE: Jan. 22-23, 2027

Valley Food Partnership

09/15/2026

We believe agriculture moves forward when producers have the opportunity to explore challenging topics together with curiosity, respect, and a focus on practical solutions. An example from last year was Karin Vardaman's session, "Wolves, Livestock, and People."

Rather than taking sides, the discussion examined the many factors that influence livestock-predator interactions, including herd behavior, grazing management, animal health, landscape, and human handling. The goal wasn't to provide simple answers, but to share research, field experience, and management strategies that producers can evaluate for their own operations.

These are the kinds of conversations that define Roots of Renewal. We don't shy away from difficult subjects and we strive to create a space where people can ask questions, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.

What kinds of challenging topics would like to see on the 2027 program? 👇

SAVE THE DATE: Jan. 22-23, 2027

Valley Food Partnership

Address

PO Box 3152
Montrose, CO

Website

http://www.rootsofrenewalco.org/

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