How A Forgotten Crop Can Save The San Luis Valley

Like a scene from the movie Interstellar, dust storms have been whipping through the San Luis Valley. Unlike common dust devils, these storms turn the valley sky orange, limit visibility to feet, and make being caught on the road a life-threatening scenario. And unfortunately, they're becoming more and more frequent.

Areas of Southern Colorado are becoming more dry due to climate change, and the aquifer that underlies the San Luis Valley is using more water than the region's agriculture can sustain. The lack of water access results in farmers going out of business, less land in production, more barren land without root structures, and ultimately, lost top soil and increased dust.

Farmers in the region are now turning to a new hope—rye. Rye uses significantly less water than common rotational crops and can survive harsh winter conditions, allowing farmers in the region to plant the grain in the fall. The result is a protective cover crop that, by spring, retains moisture, restores nutrients, and most importantly, reduces dust.

With more farmers in the area turning to the crop, the challenge now is to educate consumers on the benefits of rye—specifically, rye grown in the unique climate of the San Luis Valley. That’s where the Rye Resurgence Project comes in. Co-founded by Sarah Jones of Jones Farm Organics and Heather Dutton of the San Luis Water Conservancy District, the project's primary objective is to connect farmers to customers, and there is a lot for those customers to be excited about.

The San Luis Valley's warm days, cool nights, and dry climate create an ideal environment for growing rye with unique and exceptional flavors. Local buyers like Moxie Bread Company, Dry Storage, and Roaring Fork Mill are just a few that have joined the project and are enjoying the unique terroir of the San Luis Valley.

The hope is that as the demand for San Luis Valley rye grows, farmers will be able to rely on it as a cash crop, and the dust bowls that have increasingly plagued the valley will become a thing of the past. Importantly for us, we’ll have a great example of how supporting local can have a real impact on our climate.

For more information on the Rye Resurgence Project, visit their website, or read this great article from CPR. And visit us at PineMelon to support your local food system.