Colorado Parks & Wildlife Research Library

By buying locally grown, raised and processed food and agricultural products, you are receiving high quality fresh products and helping Colorado's economy, local farmers, ranchers, greenhouses, manufacturers and processors in your area.

The entry of additional food hubs in a county may cannibalize sales of incumbent enterprises. Food hubs require more potential buyers in a market than traditional merchant wholesalers. Counties with a high level of social capital and that have small local food businesses may be able to lower the population threshold necessary for a food hub to be viable.

In order to grow the state's economy and support access to healthy foods for all Coloradans, the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council recommends the expansion of direct market technical assistance for all Colorado producers. Such technical assistance should focus on: clarifying farm to plate food safety regulations; supporting food and farming business development and management; and, increasing direct market access for producers of all sizes.

Across key local and regional markets (i.e., farmers markets, farm to school, food hubs serving other institutions, and restaurants) we estimate a $3.9million decline in sales (the most conservative estimate for direct sales losses) leading to a payroll decline of up to $585,000, and a total loss to the economy of up to $6.7 million from March to May 2020. Without immediate mitigation (in addition to the innovation supply chain solutions our producers...

In early 2016, Senate Bill 16-058 established a new state licensing program that allows small and mid-sized poultry processors exempt from federal inspections to sell processed poultry directly to individuals at venues such as farmers' markets. Consequently, SB16-058 required CDA to develop a regulatory framework for the processing of poultry that could be sold at retail food establishments and to prepare a report which will be made available to all...