Meet Tony Trujillo | Farmer

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

Hi Tony, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
In 2019 I started to put together a five-year plan to start a farm. I had gotten my Master Gardener Certificate and was looking for a farm to volunteer at or do an apprenticeship, but all of that changed in early 2020 when grocery store shelves were going empty. I thought to myself, I need to start the farm right now. I talked to my parents, who had an acre of land, and they agreed to let me use their land to start Trujillo Family Farm. We started with growing vegetables for our family and then sold any excess we had to our local community at farmer markets. I had been researching the type of farm that I wanted to have, and everything was pointing to Regenerative Agriculture. Regenerative Agriculture, simply put, describes farming and grazing practices that build organic matter (soil nutrients) and restore the soil biodiversity by using cover crops to pull carbon out of the air and put it back in the soil, keeping tillage to a minimum as to not harm the soil ecosystem, and crop rotation that increases soil structure and increases soil fertility. We want to improve the soil instead of just maintaining it, leaving it better than we found it. We also dont use any chemicals on the plants.

What should our readers know about your business?

One of the comments we get a lot is how great our produce looks and once they have taken it home and tasted it, just how great the taste of it is. What we pride ourselves on is having the best tasting produce at the market. We are also very proud that we donated close to 1,000 lbs of food to our local food bank this past season.

Farming is not easy. Many days you are outside when its 95 degrees, planting, picking and weeding. All of which, if left for another day it can get out of control or when produce is not picked at right time it may not have the best flavor. Rain can delay planting which then delays when the vegetable will be ready to pick. In the beginning we were running with our head cut off trying to get everything done but with each season we have improved our systems to better handle all of the things that need to get done each week.

Due to different weather conditions plants will sometimes grow at their own pace and are not ready to pick on the date on the seed packet so you have to be patient and flexible.

We want to leave the earth in a better place than it was yesterday. This is why regenerative agriculture is so important.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First, we would spend some time in the mountains. You cant come to Colorado and not spend some time in the mountains. Whether it is in the Winter or Summer there are so many things you can do in the mountains. Then, we would try some new places for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I am also an avid sports fan so we would go to an Avs, Nuggets, Rockies or Broncos game. In Colorado we have some of the best microbreweries in the world, we definitely would need to stop at a few and try some new beers. In the summer when produce is at its best, we would also need to grab some local fruits and veggies and local meats and prepare a feast for friends and family.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, I have send a shout out to my parents for letting me use their land to get started farming. Without that, Trujillo Family Farm wouldnt be here.

Second, I have followed several farmers on Youtube that opened up my thinking as to better ways to farm. These farmers include Joel Salatin, Curtis Stone, Gabe Brown, Greg Judy and Ray Archuleta.

Facebook: www.fb.com/trujillofamilyfarm

Image Credits
All of the photos were taken by me or my wife Andrea.