NATURAL AGRICULTURE AROUND THE WORLD
United States

Crestone, Colorado

   In 2001, Shumei rented a small 0.1 acre plot from Mrs. Hanne Strong, director of the Manitou Foundation, to start a Natural Agriculture farm in Crestone located in the San Luis Valley. Today the farm is 1.7 acres operating open fields from the end of April through the middle of October and a greenhouse from the end of March through November. 

The Crestone Farm is run by three Shumei farmers with the help of CSA volunteers who work in return for harvested crops.  They grow 30 kinds of vegetables mailing carrots, potatoes, radish, Chinese vegetables, grape tomatoes, zucchini, pumpkins, green onions, leeds, snow peas, lettuce and other local crops. 

Shumei has been implementing hands-on Natural Agriculture school programs in spring and fall, twice a year since 2004, welcoming schoolchildren from the local Charter School.  Participants are approximately 35 for each season.  The range of grades of those schoolchildren is from 5th graders through 8th graders. In October 2007, Charter School launched a school program to create a NA farm involving the entire school from kindergarten to high school.

BASIC FARM FACTS
Location: Crestone, Colorado
Size: 1.7 acres
Farm Owner: Hanne Strong
Established: April 2001