Tour

Farm Foundation Round Table tours are carefully curated to provide an intimate behind-the-scenes look at a variety of local producers and agri-food businesses. In true peer-to-peer fashion, tour attendees hear from farmers, ranchers, and operators for their perspective on the meeting topic through the lens of their operation.

Colorado may be known for the mountains, but its booming agriculture industry reaches from the highest elevations down to the lowest valleys. Boasting 66.33 million total acres and 31.7 million agricultural acres, the state is made up of three distinct agricultural regions – the plains, the Western Slope and the mountains – and each one is home to farmers and ranchers who are proud to call Colorado home.

Colorado agriculture is the second largest industry in the state, contributing over 40 billion dollars to the economy each year through crops, feed, livestock, equipment, and more. Additionally, agriculture creates 170,000 jobs, annually. Whether it’s working cattle, growing vegetables, or working in agri-business, the people that make up Colorado agriculture pride themselves in putting food on people’s tables and keeping the historic tradition of the industry alive. 

 *Please plan for a full and active day. The tour involves some amount of walking and periods of time riding on a charter bus. Headsets are provided to ensure everyone can easily hear the speakers.  All transportation costs and lunch are included in the tour price.

Tour Option A

*stops subject to change

Tour Option B

*stops subject to change

Tour Option C

*stops subject to change

Located on the Great Plains of Northern Colorado, the Kuner Feedlot was the third 100,000-head feedyard built and owned by the Monfort family of Greeley. The original Monfort family feedlot, located north of Greeley, was voluntarily phased-out for environmental reasons upon completion of Kuner. In 1966, Monfort pioneered the practice of cooking, rolling and feeding grain warm to cattle. Today, most feedyards process their own corn flakes and other grains to enhance digestibility, palatability and the more efficient use of grain fed to cattle.

In 2011, after three years of construction and $18 million dollars of investment, the Five Rivers Cattle Feeding Kuner Feedlot was transformed into the most state-of-the-art cattle feedyard in the industry. Kuner Feedlot stands as a signature showpiece of the modern cattle feeding industry for customers and industry visitors.

From state-of-the-art environmental practices to enhancing cattle comfort, the new and improved Kuner Feedlot is designed to last well in to the future. In addition, Kuner has engaged in a pilot-scale gasifier unit that is designed to efficiently convert manure into power that, in turn, can operate the steam chests in the flaker mill.

Kuner was built by Monfort of Colorado and has carried the names of ConAgra Cattle Feeding Company, MF Cattle Feeding Company and Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding.

Ardent Mills is committed to transforming how the world is nourished. As the premier flour-milling and ingredient company, Ardent Mills cultivates the future of plant-based solutions to help their customers and communities thrive. They operate in more than 40 locations that specialize in flour, quinoa, pulses, and organic and gluten-free products that drive emerging nutrition and innovation across plant-based ingredients. Their holistic portfolio empowers them to meet the complex needs of customers today while focusing on the growing needs of tomorrow's consumer.

Deeply rooted in communities throughout North America, Ardent Mills operates in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico with company headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Ardent Mills employs more than 100 certified millers and they support thousands of local jobs that contribute billions of dollars to local economies -- helping our people, our customers, and families everywhere flourish.

 

Skyway Foods was formed by cousins Jarrett & Ross Eggers in 2014 to fill the need for quality food manufacturing space in Northern Colorado. Since then they have grown the business to include three buildings totaling over 110,000 sq ft and are home to 38 local food producers.  

Skyway Foods provides CPG companies with modern, safe, secure & clean facilities to produce their products. Each building contains productions spaces, ambient, refrigerated and frozen warehouse.  Their focus is on building a community of like-minded entrepreneurs. Skyway puts good people and companies into an environment where they can work together to ensure success.  

Founded in 1964, Superior Farms is North America’s top processor and marketer of lamb. Superior Farms is recognized as a market leader in retail and food service markets, providing high-quality products and services to consumers within the US, Canada, and over 10 countries internationally. The company is employee-owned and has over 400 employee-owners spread across its facilities and offices, representing Superior Farms’ commitment to providing leadership opportunities and upward mobility to its experienced, trusted staff.

Superior Farms has built a reputation within the industry for it's commitment to operating with integrity.  

 Providing value to its rancher partners, and stern dedication to serving as stewards of the animals, land, and environmental landscape that it is entrusted with to conduct business. At Superior Farms, lamb are treated humanely and set to pasture across vast grasslands filled with natural vegetation. The company has also dedicated itself to sustainable practices starting in the pasture and extending to each of its processes. Facilities feature top of the line technology that includes solar panels and a wind turbine to offset over 95% of its California plant’s energy use. Superior Farm is profoundly interested in contributing to the rapidly evolving industry landscape in new, innovative ways. The company works to bring a sustainable, delicious, and nutritious change of pace to tables internationally through its commitment to its ranchers, flocks, and the environment.

Adam Avery, president and head brewmaster of the brewery, incorporated the company in 1993 when craft breweries were just starting to increase in popularity among mainstream beer drinkers. In its first years, the brewery utilized only a seven barrel tank to ferment its beers, causing production to be relatively small. In the years since, the brewery has expanded and produced 50,000 barrels of beer in 2015. This volume of beer has allowed Avery beers to become increasingly available throughout Colorado, and the rest of the United States as well. As a result of capacity constraints, Avery Brewing left 18 markets in the United States in 2010 and 2011. Once the new Nautilus Court facility in Boulder went online, Avery began to re-enter those markets as of 2015 and 2016. 

In 2015, the brewery closed the doors of its original brewery and opened their new $30 million, 67,000 sq. ft. brewery, nearly doubling their brewing capacity and providing space for a potential expansion to 500,000 barrels per year.

The National Western Center is a year-round urban hub for food and ag discovery — in the heart of the American West.

It’s a global destination for food and ag innovation, Western heritage and culture.

Construction of the dynamic, 250-acre National Western Center in Denver is underway now. When complete, people from all walks of life will convene on the campus and online to lead, inspire, create, educate and entertain in pursuit of global food solutions.

CSU Spur is in Denver, but its reach and impact are statewide. As a free public offering of a university system, CSU Spur strives to connect urban and rural communities by bringing awareness and appreciation of the food system, water, and health to a broad audience, engaging the next generation in various careers, and creating innovation to serve rural communities. 

CSU Spur is a part of the evolution of education and focuses on investing in the development of the next generation. Through its urban location, CSU Spur creates connections and appreciation for rural communities in Colorado and will continue to work to honor CSU’s rural and agricultural roots. 

A fifth-generation family farm, and a first-generation craft malthouse, Root Shoot Malting produces responsibly-raised, caringly-crafted, high-quality malts for Colorado’s craft brewing community. Root Shoot Malting believes farmers are stewards of the land and that responsible agriculture can support a better beer industry. They value fresh water, mountain views, thriving wildlife, and healthy soil. They work in collaboration with their partner breweries, distilleries, and craft malt network, to save family farms...one beer at a time.

Tortuga aims to empower growers. Their robots perform a variety of labor-intensive tasks on the farm, with an emphasis on harvest. Their approach saves the grower money while helping them survive a global labor shortage and other existential challenges. While doing so, Tortuga captures never-before-possible plant-level data that turns into revolutionary information for growers. This information leads to better operational, agronomic, and commercial outcomes on farm.

 

Harper Feeders is a fourth generation, family owned and operated feedlot located in Eaton, Colorado. Harper Feeders feeds sheep and cattle with a capacity of 65,000 head of sheep and 3,000 head of cattle.

Harper Feeders was started in 1977 by industry leader Harold Harper and his father. Harold fed sheep until his passing in 2015. Harold spent years building a successful sheep feeding operation, and was lucky enough to have a son, Mike, involved to take over the operation.  Today, Harper Feeders is run by Mike and his daughter, Catherine Harper.  

 

Pivot Energy is fiercely dedicated to accelerating the rapid transition taking place in the energy industry to a more decentralized and cleaner approach to power generation.

 

Pivot Energy is committed to positively contributing to the local communities and people we serve with more than clean energy. Pivot believes global warming poses an existential threat to our planet and that we have a responsibility to help mitigate the threat.

 

Pivot is a national solar provider that develops, finances, builds, and manages solar energy and energy storage projects that help decarbonize our nation’s electricity, increase equitable access to clean energy for local communities, and provide real cost-savings to American businesses and families.