BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — On Tuesday, the Board of Boulder County Commissioners approved amendments to the land use code to allow for mobile farm stands.
The proposal dates back to the 2023 Farm Stand Pilot Project, which explored the feasibility of pre-approved farm stand building designs "as a means of addressing the associated financial and time constraints that local agricultural producers face in navigating the building permit process."
The project was authorized by Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann.
"Farmers came to us, and they wanted a more cost-effective solution on being able to provide their great produce and meats and things like that to the community," Stolzmann explained. "And the problem was, building a farm stand was super expensive. We had ADA accessibility requirements. We had sprinkling requirements. All these things were adding up costs, so over $20,000 just to build a farm stand."
Then, Stolzmann said they tried to craft pre-approved farm stands that would not have to go through the planning and zoning process for farmers.
"We started down that process, and we found even that was going to be too expensive with the feedback from the farmers," Stolzmann said.
Food
Produce on the go: Mobile farm stands could soon pop up in Boulder County
Between farmers and Boulder County staff, they hatched a new idea: mobile farm stands.
"Imagine like a food truck for a farm stand," Stolzmann said. "Everybody can imagine a farm stand, right? But we needed to modernize that so that it would meet accessibility requirements. It would meet modern requirements about transportation and traffic and all of those types of modern headaches we have, but still provide that great benefit of the community getting to be in touch with their local farmer."
The mobile farm stands are allowed in areas that are zoned for agriculture.
One of the Boulder County farmers who supports this change is Helen Skiba, the owner of Artemis Flower Farm in Longmont. The flower farm is part of the Treehouse Farm Collective, a group of farms that share the land and infrastructure, allowing for a variety of produce and goods to be sold from their farm stand.
Skiba said the amendments to the land use code will essentially allow farmers to sell their goods on their property. Artemis Flower Farm was fortunate — their land is private property, not owned by the county, and already had a farm stand structure installed.
Still, Skiba said they may also capitalize on a mobile farm stand.
"It's very possible that we will, just because our property, it's actually hard for people to find our farm stand because it's way at the back of the property, where we have the electricity and the cooling that we need for our produce," Skiba explained.
Skiba said the change in code will help support farmers, which is critical in an industry that is already challenging.
"All of the inputs that go into it, all of the labor that goes into it, it makes it a business that has really small, really thin margins," Skiba said. "The more that we can cut out — the distance between ourselves and our customers — the better we are able to make a living, support the people we employ, support the food system that we're in, and get fresh, good, really nutrient-dense produce to the people who need it in our community."
The mobile food stands will also foster relationships between consumers and farmers, according to Skiba.
"They get to know the farms, the landscape, all of the work that it takes to support our ecosystem and the health of the land. People get to see that happening when they come to a farm stand," Skiba said.
When asked how it feels to see Boulder County make such a change, Skiba summed it up in one word: pride.
"I feel proud to be part of a community that really does support its farmers," she said.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
