Winter is here, and our community is embracing the season! ❄️

For Grand Valley producers, these colder months are a time for reflection and preparation. While the fields rest under frost, our producers are already planning for the next growing season, ensuring another year of fresh, locally grown goods.

Winter offers many opportunities—whether it's restoring landscapes, planning conservation efforts, or enhancing sustainability. At Mesa Conservation District, we're inspired by the dedication of our local producers and land stewards.

As we gather with loved ones and look to the year ahead, let’s continue supporting our community, celebrating our landscapes, and planning for a thriving 2025. As always, we emphasize the importance of supporting our local community and its dedicated producers.

Read on to discover the exciting projects and events MCD has planned!

Joely Anysz - Mesa CD Manager

Our 2024 Annual Report is Available!

Curious about everything Mesa Conservation District did in 2024? Our annual report is now available! Click the link below to check it out.

Program Updates

We kicked off our 2025 Colorado Master Irrigators Program earlier this month and it has been a huge success! Producers have learned about western Colorado’s climate, water law, and best management practices! Thank you to our sponsors for helping us support our local producers!

Click below to learn how your organization can partner with us and support Colorado Master Irrigator in our region.

The Wildlife Habitat Restoration Workshop will be taking place on February 19th!

Stay tuned to learn more about habitat restoration and local restoration projects! RSVP is closed.

LAST CHANCE to complete CSU’s Land Rental and Custom Rates Survey! Make your voice heard and impact future ag policy decisions at the state and federal level, complete the survey before February 21st. Click the button below to make your voice heard!

Colorado Cattlemen’s Ag Water Network will be hosting a webinar on February 20th at 12pm. that will overview the results of irrigated mountain meadow water quality testing conducted by Colorado State University. Topics will include:

• The timing of irrigation, fertilization, hay production

• Grazing. differences in nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the inflows and outflows (runoff).

• Differences in sediment (total suspended solids) loads coming into and leaving fields.

• The effects of manure and commercial fertilizer application on nutrients in outflows.

Temple Grandin, PhD, is a renowned American professor, author and animal behavior expert, best known for her pioneering work in livestock handling and autism advocacy. Despite facing childhood challenges associated with autism, she excelled academically, particularly in fields related to science and engineering. She was one of the first people to advocate for humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and has helped improve livestock handling processes. She speaks widely about autism, challenging stereotypes and promoting understanding of the neurodiverse community. Attend one or both presentations, free!

4–5 pm: My Experience with Autism
5:30–6:30 pm: The Importance of Good Stockmanship

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

We sure appreciate you taking the time to read our newsletter! Below please find links to upcoming events. To be clear, not all these events are hosted by or sponsored by Mesa Conservation District. They may or may not relate to soil health. Whenever possible events will contain links to the appropriate contact to learn more or to register/RSVP.

One of the main goals of Mesa CD is to help spread the word about all the great opportunities to learn from so many great organizations!

You can find more events on our webpage on our regularly updated calendar: