13-04-2025
Small farmers in Colorado impacted by federal budget cuts seek alternative options
Recent cuts and freezes to funding for the U.S Department of Agriculture has some Colorado farms that rely on grants exploring other options for help.
Tim Ferrell and his wife Claudia are the owners of
Berry Patch Farms
in Brighton. Saturday, they celebrated 27 years of business. Their farm specializes in organic berries when they're in season but also grows everything from squash to carrots, arugula and more. Twenty-seven years later, they still love every minute of it.
"We are the privileged class," said Tim. "I'll put it that way. We're the privileged class to be out in the ground."
However, business has changed over the decades, and labor wages have increased dramatically, making it difficult to stay afloat.
"Labor costs have escalated over the past five years or more," said Tim. "It used to be $12 an hour, then $15, and well, now it's $20. So we need help. We need assistance."
The farm has gone from eight employees down to four, and that includes Tim and Claudia.
"As we get older, we can't move them out as quickly as we used to," said Tim.
That's what led Tim to start a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to purchase an Oz Robot, which would help with everything from harvesting vegetables to pulling weeds. It would serve as a much-needed extra hand.
"I see it for us as a lot of weeding because we're certified organic, said Tim."
Typically, he would be able to apply for a federal grant to purchase the robot, but with the cuts and freezes to USDA funding, that isn't an option. Now, Tim and Claudia are searching for ways to keep their calling in business.
"Our calling is to be stewards and to leave this land better than we found it," said Claudia as she looked around the couple's 40-acre farm.
The Farrells still have a long way to go to reach their goal of raising $40k, but they're hopeful they'll get there.
