Building a Self-Sustaining Farm with Aspen Moon Farm
Stroll into the Boulder or Longmont Farmers Market on a sunny summer day and youโll likely be lured into Aspen Moonโs booth by beautiful wildflower bouquets, picture-perfect produce, and a friendly staff of farmers decked out in tie-dye shirts and dirt-covered overalls. Included in the motley market crew each week are Aspen Moon Farmโs owners and founders, Erin and Jason, who split their duties between the Boulder and Longmont Farmers Markets.
Their farming journey began up in the mountains of Nederland, where they first met. Erin and Jason had a lot in common: they strongly believed in living in tune with nature and felt growing their own organic, healthy food was an important part of that. They started their own garden and quickly realized that the short growing season offered in the mountains wasnโt going to cut it for their growing homestead. In 2006, they purchased the 2.5 acres in Hygiene and, a few years later, sold their half of a landscaping business to start Aspen Moon Farm. The name Aspen Moon comes from the middle names of their two oldest daughters and perfectly reflects the groovy, environmentally-focused nature of their farm.
Aspen Moon Farm is an organic, biodynamic farm. While most of us know what organic means, itโs likely youโre less familiar with the term biodynamic farming despite its influence on many growing practices today. The term was brought to life by Rudolf Steiner in 1924 as the agriculture community was coming to terms with โ and in some cases, rebelling against โ the introduction of synthetic fertilizers. Biodynamic farming provides an alternative, holistic approach to organic farming by pairing centuries of farming wisdom with growing scientific knowledge and a dash of spirituality.
This methodology heavily prioritizes soil health and encourages on-farm fertility through practices such as composting, cover cropping, and livestock management. With a focus on integrating farming with nature, biodynamic farmers work with the celestial calendar and moon cycle to plant and harvest at ideal times (before you cast it off as too woo woo for you, consider how the moon cycle can impact the tides). At its core, biodynamic farming regards farms as living organisms that can strive towards complete self-sufficiency, which is a goal shared by Aspen Moon Farm.
Since their start roughly fifteen years ago, Aspen Moon has grown their operation from 2.5 to 90 acres. Erin and Jason still own the original 2.5 that surround their home in Hygiene, along with 9 acres where their new produce facility and warehouse are located, while the rest is a mix of leases, land agreements, and the like. They spent six years working towards the building of their produce facility and warehouse, a large step to improving food safety and packing efficiency. Like many farmers in Colorado, access to land and farming infrastructure remain one of their biggest challenges.
As their acreage and facilities have grown, so, too, has their team. Jason estimates that nearly 10 small farm owners, both locally and across the country, got their start at Aspen Moon, showcasing their ability to not only succeed on their own, but inspire upcoming generations of farmers. They credit their own farm mentors โ including Rich Pecorraro, Ewell Culbertson, and Jim Baruasky, among others โ for guiding them through the many ups and downs that come with starting your own farm.
Aspen Moon Farm will be back at the Boulder and Longmont Farmers Markets this spring, but until then, you can show your support by purchasing a CSA. Support from CSA members makes up 50% of their revenue annually, and purchasing a CSA today not only helps you secure your spot before availability runs out, but also helps them fund all of the work that needs to happen between now and the first harvest. To learn more about Aspen Moon Farmโs CSA, and to learn about other farms offering CSAs around Boulder County, visit bcfm.org/csa-guide/.
