Meet Melissa Newell | Farmer & Entrepreneur, RYT 500 Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Newell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I worked for several years at a farm in Boulder County and relocated to Colorado’s Western Slope in late 2016. Land and property were more affordable for farming in western Colorado, and I enjoyed the pace and quality of life that I had experienced on my visits to the area. Starting my own business here in Delta County was a no-brainer for me in that it’s a struggling rural economy, and I knew that if I wanted to live here, generating income from my own creative energy and entrepreneurial spirt would be a necessity. I thrive on community and the effort it takes to build, and this was a main impetus behind starting my own business also. I wanted to grow organic veggies and flowers for our community and to share this in a farmers market venue, establishing relationships between consumer and grower. In my opinion, the value in growing organic food lies not only in the health of the soil and the people it feeds, but in cultivating these relationships between the producer and customer.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My husband and I own and operate a small family farm in Cedaredge, Colorado producing organically grown veggies, flowers, and, now, free-range heritage turkeys. We chased a dream and have made it a reality. Our farm is located at about 6500 feet in elevation in high desert so we certainly have our fair share of challenges, but we also enjoy the privilege of being on a southwest facing slope in an area that is rooted in agricultural history. We moved here without knowing a single soul and have grown our business throughout not just our town, but have extended our reach into surrounding communities, having attended the Ridgway Farmers Market for six years. Probably the greatest learning curve has been the hurdles, struggles, and growth around ditch irrigation. Not only was this system new to us, but we have farmed through several years of record-breaking drought further complicating matters. We have relied on the partnership and generosity of neighbors and customers to help us continue through these dire times. As our farm has grown and evolved, we have started growing more flowers and offering a flower CSA. This has been a new domain for me and offered a great learning opportunity. We’re growing our flower CSA this coming summer to also include a dahlia share as well as offering the option of weddings and other special events. I’m excited to see where this goes!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So much to see and do! I would definitely start with the Grand Mesa, any time of year, for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. In Cedaredge, we would certainly make a stop at the Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center for a concert or class (this also happens to be where I teach yoga!). Favorite restaurants and eatery hang-outs include Lost Mesa Grill in Cedaredge, the Yarrow Taproom in Austin, Nido in Paonia, and Black Cat Pizza in Hotchkiss. If the season was right, we would definitely visit Big B’s for music or fruit-picking and float or SUP on the Gunnison River. Anytime of year I love having brunch at Mesa Winds Winery on Rogers Mesa on a Sunday morning, and the coffee is stellar at The Coffee Barn in Cedaredge. The Paonia Arts District has a great event, the Final Friday Frolics, and a stop at Blue Sky Baking for some of her sweets is not to be missed.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love thinking about this question! A few things come to mind:

1) My Dad: My dad tended a large garden and small orchard on the 9 acres I grew up on in rural Missouri as a kid. While I absolutely despised helping him while growing up, it somehow instilled in me a value for growing one’s own food and nurturing the land. He now owns a larger hobby farm (and also runs his own IT business), and, to this day, we have regular conversations on seeds, the trials and tribulations of producing food, and the triumphs and joy of eating and producing one’s own food.

2) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver: This book changed the way I think about eating.

3) Aspen Moon Farm in Hygiene, Colorado: I was working in the farm-to-table, restaurant industry in Boulder County, purchasing produce for my restaurant from this farm when they asked if I knew of anyone who might want to work a couple of days per week harvesting as they had recently lost an employee. As my restaurant was only open for dinner service, I jumped on this opportunity. It turned out that I LOVED farming and learned so much working for what was then a small, family farm operating on just a couple of acres. Their farm has since grown tremendously, but I took with me the skills to work in a greenhouse, to manage a hoophouse, and to successfully manage a harvest (and the post-harvest handling of produce). I worked there for several years and learned so, so much.

Website: www.ultreiafarmandwellness.com

Instagram: @ultreia.farm.wellness

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