All over the western United States, valuable agricultural lands are being converted into non-agricultural uses. River bottom lands represent the most ideal soils for local agriculture and should be protected from increasing development pressure. We feel that agricultural lands and the associated water rights of the Upper Arkansas River Valley must be preserved for the sustainable future of the region’s communities. In addition to this, many would-be young farmers and ranchers are moving to the city rather than choosing to take over the family farm while other would-like-to-be farmers and ranchers cannot afford or have no access to productive land.

Guidestone has recently launched a new program that will offer a significant response to the scenarios. The Land-Link Initiative will work to connect retiring farmers and ranchers as well as absentee landowners with next generation farmers. The initiative will create a database that provides solutions to the challenges of access to farmland, security of tenure, long-term affordability and stewardship of the resources. Guidestone’s services will assist with crafting the lease and equitable agreements between the landowner and the farmer. These agreements provide economically viable options for landowners that keep the agricultural heritage and water on their land intact. In addition, this program will support beginning farmers through an educational curriculum with a strong emphasis in financial planning, marketing strategies, business plans, food policy, legal issues, and production techniques. Read more about Land-Link here .

Along with the conservation of resources, Guidestone believes that any new infrastructure built today should embrace complementary values of sustainability. Guidestone is committed to sustainable development  by creating a model farm infrastructure that features natural building technologies, renewable energy systems, alternative fuel sources, and permaculture design.

Guidestone is partnering with The Villages at Cottonwood Meadows, a new urban development in Buena Vista, to preserve the meadows along Cottonwood Creek for local food production. The developer is dedicating land and water through a proposed entitlement of 66 acres of bottom land and a portion of the oldest water rights in Chaffee County. This will ensure that these agricultural areas will be held in perpetuity as a local food source for valley residents.