Photo courtesy of The Denver Post ©2009

We are so excited to announce Sunflower Farmers Market is bringing a new perspective to "farm fresh" by growing produce on our own Longmont, Colorado-area farm. We are the first grocery chain in the U.S. to own and operate a commercial-scale farm! Welcome to Sunflower Farm. We are already supplying produce to some of our nearby Sunflower locations! Mike Gilliland, CEO of Sunflower, is looking forward to the farm increasing customer awareness of organic production and as a forum for special events and education.

"Eventually, we'd like to conduct tours and hold workshops there on organic farming and sustainability issues," he said. "While we hope this project will eventually turn a profit, that wasn't the primary impetus for the idea," he says.

The first crops were planted in summer of 2009 on a 2-acre section of the farm. Next year, it will expand to seeding 12 acres plus building a 4,000-square-foot greenhouse powered by wind and solar energy. Our first set of crops, harvested this year, has been incredible. The harvest included arugula, bok choy, cabbage, collard greens, peppers, radishes, squash, turnips and various lettuces.

The farm is the perfect fit with the idea that Sunflower is founded on – everyone should be able to afford and provide healthy food to their family. Sunflower Farm is small right now but the idea is not and it is growing! We are planning to expand our planting to 40 acres in the near future! In addition, the farm is welcoming livestock including, most recently, a pair of baby goats.

Keep watching for more updates on Sunflower Farm!