USDA Establishes New Urban County Committee in Denver, Awards Urban Agriculture Grants in Colorado

DENVER, Colo. July 25, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing several urban agriculture investments in Colorado, including a new urban county committee in Denver and grants to further urban agriculture and innovative production in Boulder, Longmont and Gunnison, Colorado. The new urban county committee, one of 27 nationwide, will focus on delivery of USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs to urban producers. County committee members make important decisions on how federal farm programs are administered locally, and this new urban county committee in Denver is part of USDA’s broad support for urban and innovative agriculture.  

“Producers serving on FSA county committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the Agency, and they serve as the eyes and ears for the producers who elected them,” said USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie as part of his remarks at the Western Association of State Departments of Agriculture Annual Meeting. “We’ve successfully launched urban county committees in other urban locations, and we’re excited to establish one here in Denver to improve how we deliver critical farm loan, conservation, safety net and disaster assistance programs to urban and innovative producers.”  

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced significant investments in urban agriculture last week, including the new urban county committees. The announcement included a total of 10 new urban county committees and 17 new urban service centers. Other locations with new urban county committees include:  

• Boston 
• Columbia, S.C. 
• Houston
• Jackson, MS 
• Kansas City, MO 
• Las Vegas 
• Little Rock, AR 
• Memphis, TN 
• Pittsburgh

Urban agricultural producers who participate in USDA programs in these cities or cooperate with USDA programs by providing information about their farming operation are encouraged to participate by nominating and voting in their local urban county committee elections. FSA will share more information on the nomination process and elections for this new urban county committee. 

Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants
Additionally, USDA awarded two Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants to Colorado organizations. The Increasing Local Food Access program at Growing Gardens of Boulder County received funding to increase the growing space and productivity on existing land at two urban farms in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado. The Mountain Roots “Infinity Greens” Hydroponic Shipping Container Farm Project in Gunnison, Colorado received funding to support the development of innovative agricultural production and farmer training for underrepresented producers in Gunnison in a cold-climate mountain region and hopes to produce 10,400-20,800 pounds of food in four hydroponic shipping container farms over a two-year period.

Support for Urban Agriculture 
To help strengthen urban county committees – such as the new one in Denver – as well as other urban agriculture investments, USDA is investing $40 million, made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, into partnerships with community-based organizations. Two of those partnerships include: 

• Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach Program and Cornell University’s Small Farm Center, which will support local partner organizations and urban county committee members across the country through guidance and training on the practices and assistance most needed by urban agricultural producers. They will hold regular meetings to assess successes and barriers in each location and gather data to analyze the effectiveness of programs and provide recommendations to increase future participation.  
• To Improve Mississippi Economics, Inc. (TIME, Inc.), whose mission is to provide outreach, training and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers and organizations that provide access to healthy food in impoverished communities. TIME, Inc. will work in collaboration with FSA and local leaders across the nation to fund partnerships with organizations in the 10 cities where USDA will create new urban county committees in 2024. 

More Information      
To learn more about county committees, including urban county committees, visit our County Committees webpage. Visit farmers.gov/urban for more information on programs and services for urban producers.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.