Hobbs Family Farm
Hobbs Family Farm is located in Pueblo County, Colorado and specializes in solanaceae, cucurbit, and allium seed: tomato, pepper, summer squash, winter squash, melon, cucumber, onion, leek, and garlic seed.
| Contact Info |
Dan
Hobbs
|
|---|---|
| Acreage | 30.00 acres |
| Certification | organic |
| Years in seed production | 16 |
| Seed specialties | Solanaceae, cucurbit and allium: carrot, cucumber, melon, pepper, summer and winter squash, tomato;onion, leek and garlic |
| Other production highlights | Cover crop seed |
Hobbs Family Farm, in in Avondale, CO, has been producing seed commercially since 1996 and is a founding member of the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative.
Located on the east side of the Rocky Mountains near Pueblo, CO, Avondale drew the Hobbs because it offers resources conducive to organic farming. These include mineral rich soil (Rocky Ford silty clay loam), a long growing season and quality Rocky Mountain water. The farm has senior water rights to a source that draws directly from the Pueblo Reservoir and thus does not have excessive chemical tail water
The Hobbs grow certified organic garlic, open pollinated seeds, fresh vegetables, grains, cover crops and hay in a six-year rotation. Their specialties are garlic, squash, pepper, tomato, onion and carrot seed, with a focus on adaptation to arid and semi-arid growing conditions.The farm is certified organic by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
Restoring the rich agricultural and seed-saving heritage of the Valley is a strong motivation for Hobbs Family Farm. The Arkansas Valley was part of the Sante Fe Trail, with active trading including seed. Once a vibrant seed production region, infrastructure, germplasm and skills have eroded over the years. Traditional crops, such as chilies, watermelon, and indigenous corn varieties are still produced but much of it is in peril of being lost.
Dan views the core work of the Family Farmers Seed Cooperative as networking with other farmers to create a decentralized seed system, retaining some local and regional independence, organizationally, business-wise, and certainly in production.
