We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anne Genson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anne below.

Anne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Over the course of your career, have you seen or experienced your field completely flip-flop or change course on something?

I’ve been farming / gardening for over 15 years and with the increasing importance of preserving and turning around the health of our planet, I’ve recently had to make a u-turn in how I farm. Even though I have always used organic practices, there was still so much I needed to change to take care of the earth and ensure that the land we farm on stays healthy long-term. I’ve always used weed barrier and worked really hard to make sure that my farm looked beautiful. To me, this meant that there were no weeds (or as close as I could get). A few years ago, I began using cover crops, although not in a holistic way. I might throw down some seeds in one area of the farm and then in the spring I would be frustrated that the cover crop was in my way of planting. For me this has been a slow movement beginning with no-till farming and the intermittent cover cropping. No-till farming is exactly what it sounds like – instead of tilling each row, I would add soil and compost and build the row up instead of ripping it up and disturbing the nutrients. However, I was still pulling out all the plants in the fall and weeding like crazy which left a lot of soil space that was not planted in and therefore, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.
Last year I made a commitment to regenerative farming practices. I cut out all the weed barrier that was in every walkway and replaced it with clover. I purchased two Nigerian Dwarf Goats to help clear the farm in the fall, I planted crops together so that more of the soil was covered and crops were supporting one another, and I left the plants and roots intact at the end of the season so that I wasn’t pulling all the nutrients out of the soil.
I am now in the process of tying together my no-till practices with a more holistic practice of regenerative practices and it is hard! I am working to re-frame my thinking around weeds and cover crops that bleed into growing areas. I am determined to embrace this new way of growing because I know it’s what’s best for the environment. I have a lot to learn and I am constantly trying to grow myself as I grow my crops.

Anne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the founder and executive director of Sproutin’ Up, a local nonprofit that improves access to healthy foods for families in need and teaches kids nutrition education, philanthropy and job skills through agricultural experiences. I started this organization because I saw the need to reduce barriers to eating healthy foods through a previous job in which I provided nutrition education, healthy snacks and physical activity to kids after school. I started Sproutin’ Up in my backyard with a $300 grant from The City of Fort Collins by offering free farmers’ markets directly in the neighborhoods I had been working in.

Now Sproutin’ Up now has a one-acre vegetable farm which provides youth programs and food to families in our community. Our organization operates a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm which sells memberships and for every membership we sell, we donate one to a family in need. This provides 20 weeks of fresh, organic produce to families at no cost.

In addition, we provide programs for youth ages 9-16 on our farm. Each age group participates in a different program and earns a stipend for their work on the farm. Kids who participate in our programs learn about farming, nutrition education, soil science, philanthropy and job skills through hands-on activities. This season, we’re on track to pay kids a combined $14,000 in stipends! We are also in the process of finishing an outdoor kitchen so that we can feed the kids who come to our programs. The majority of kids who attend our programs come from under-resourced neighborhoods and the farm is a refuge for them during the summer months.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Operating a small nonprofit organization is a lesson in resilience at every turn. We’ve had to move the farm three times until we’ve now landed at our forever farm home. I am constantly having to show resilience just to keep moving forward. However, the spring of 2021 put a whole new spin on resilience. Making our way through 2020 and the highest point of the pandemic was difficult, but we were able to continue with our programs mostly because we were outside. So, when the spring of 2021 came, I was feeling great and ready to start a new season. Because I also teach middle school, I plan on starting seeds the week of spring break each year. Just as the week approached, we got a huge, wet spring snow storm. The snow was so heavy that it collapsed our greenhouse, leaving me with nowhere to start our seeds. Within two days, I moved all of my furniture out of my sunroom and moved the shelves for seeds in. I planted the seeds and grew plants right in my house. I was watering outlets, flooding the brick floor and hoping for the best. Although the plants sprouted, I had no idea that the windows have a UV protectant on them which inhibited the plants from fully developing. I ended up being able to plant the majority of the plants when it was time thanks to Colorado State University who allowed us to move the plants into their greenhouses for a few weeks just before planting.
We have since built a new greenhouse and have our starts for this season growing now.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Training and knowledge are obviously important when farming, but local experience and advice is crucial. When I first started Sproutin’ Up, I had never even gardened or really planted anything. Some local growers took me under their wing and provided advice that was focused on our local environment. Every single season I learn something new on the farm and finding someone who has dealt with the pest, weed or other issue is invaluable. Having someone who can come to the farm and look at the issue I’m facing is so helpful. This is one of the things I found the best when I started farming – our local farming community is so helpful and kind. Even though there are a lot of growers, I don’t feel like it’s competition, but rather cooperation and I love that!

Contact Info:

• Website: sproutinup.com
• Instagram: sproutin_up
• Facebook: Sproutin’ Up