Colorado’s farmers markets are places where people connect and share ideas, not just sell local produce and dairy products. The Greeley Farmers’ Market is home to several stands from nearby farms, and many of them are doing nonprofit activist work to uplift the lives of Colorado residents. Garden & Health chatted with one stand owner, Sean Short of Blooming Health Farms. He took us through Blooming Health’s mission and discussed how sustainable agriculture helps social justice.
Short co-founded Blooming Health, a 501c(3) nonprofit hydroponic and chicken farm, with Ryan Smith in 2019. The operation works with at-risk youth ages 15 to 24 to teach them valuable life skills, fulfill community service hours, and stay out of the criminal justice system. It sells all its products at the farmers market stand in Greeley, where Blooming Health is based.
“Our mission was to start connecting and networking with the other people in our area and understand what our needs were,” Short explained to Garden & Health.
“The farmers market has been so integral in allowing us to shape our mission, shape our voice, and, for lack of better words, do an assessment of the community so that we can be of real value.”
“I’ve sparked hundreds and hundreds of conversations at the farmers market with myself or the few kids that I’ve been able to bring there that have really strengthened what we’re trying to do and then, at the same time, allowed me to become a better-contributing member of our city,” he continued.
Short was inspired by his own experience to start Blooming Health. He spent time in the criminal justice system while also battling alcoholism. He learned agriculture at the University of Hawaii after spending time in Colorado jails. He struggled to find employment due to his criminal record, so his situation motivated him to pursue his entrepreneurial spirit.
“I was in and out of jail quite a bit, and I met a lot of individuals in that environment over time, had a lot of conversations about who they were, what they wanted, what their hopes and dreams were,” Short said. “Through so many conversations, I got to hear a very similar story, that a lot of us had ambitions and hopes and dreams and a lot of talent and skills, or potential, if you will, and we traded that for skills for a life of crime, and it just we kept making poor choices.”
He moved back to Colorado, settling in Greeley and meeting Smith, a local counselor and business owner. Smith owns Breathe Counseling, working with people who suffer from emotional trauma and grief.
Short explained Smith wanted to combine mental health treatment with agriculture, believing farming builds trust between people through daily interactions.
The two decided to give teenagers and young adults in Northern Colorado a chance at redemption. They chose 15 as the starting age since it’s the legal age to allow someone to be paid in Colorado, and cut off at 24 because that’s when the brain is fully developed.
Smith and Short learned about a prison agricultural program operating in Canyon City, Colorado. Those who went through it and were released weren’t returning to prison. What began as farming with some of Smith’s clients has grown into a full-time nonprofit business.
Short spoke with us from his home office. He took us through some of his work and explained how he’s growing crops sustainably while maintaining the nonprofit.
“We converted my garage into a hydroponics farm,” he said. “The backyard is now a chicken farm. Through all of that, it allowed us a lens to see what was working, what wasn’t working.”
Many kids who work at Blooming Health Farms stay out of the penal system. Some obtain employment in the service industry after completing the program. Most help out at Greeley farm stand, selling local greens and free-range eggs from the chicken pasture.
Photo Courtesy Blooming Health Farms
“I could say we’ve had about two dozen come through,” Short shared. “I’ve had three of those kids in close mentorships, where I’ve worked with them several times a week for several hours. Three specifically are staying out of trouble.”
Others come through to fulfill community service hours ordained by a judge. Short has developed a relationship with the local probation department. Being a former client, he has leaned on those relationships to help these kids.
Customer service skill-building is a big part of Short’s approach. They’ll start by picking up trash on the street before segueing into farm work. He says this helps them find a job in the service industry, using his own experience to guide them.
“I know how valuable it is from a business perspective to understand who your customer is and give them that value you’re looking for,” he said.
Blooming Health started by selling various microgreens and sprouts before including the chickens. Some of the community service work involves creating labels for egg cartons, collecting the eggs, cleaning up the yard, and fixing fences.
For sustainable farming, the farm uses hydroponics. Short also has experience in aquaponics and has incorporated fish waste into a biodynamic approach to growing vegetables.
“I have a 250-gallon fish tank with a bio-filer and a recirculating system. We’ve been tweaking that in a couple of ways. I’ve been primarily growing my microgreens with hydroponics,” he explained.
“I love the water-saving capabilities. We see water savings from 90–97%. Hydroponics offer an advantage that we can see the changes in the plants and the environment more real-time than in soil.”
The free-range eggs are some of the best-selling products at their farmers’ market stand. Short shared a story about how he and one of his students were working at a table at the farmers’ market with 20 dozen eggs for sale.
“I left to go say hi to all my farmers’ market friends and said, ‘Why don’t you give it a crack setting up the table?’ Come back 15 minutes later, and he looks at me and goes, ‘Sean, we’re sold out of eggs,’” Short said. “He goes, ‘Sean, we need more chickens.’ And I look at him and go, ‘We live in the city. We can’t have more chickens than we already have.’ He says, ‘We could get two more eggs a day, and we could grow this business.’”
Photo Courtesy Blooming Health Farms
This incident was a proud moment for Short. It showed that his work with these kids does have a strong impact on them and that he could provide an organic product that people love. He’s integrated hydroponics and aquaponics into the care of the chickens. They even grow and sell a special chicken feed.
Short has become an important part of the Greeley community. He’s joined the Chamber of Commerce, serving as a voice for the farmers’ market. He loves that the market can grow and evolve to meet the needs of the townspeople.
“I’ve been a huge advocate for business over the last couple of years because I see the impact we’re able to make if we a valuable proposition for our audience,” he said. He’s glad the market is moving next to historic Lincoln Park in Greeley, providing a cleaner and more open space for everyone to enjoy.
