CALF: Sharing the Farm Life in Castle Rock, CO

Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation is connecting residents to agriculture via educational programs and community projects.

By Amy Antonation on September 25, 2023

Courtesy of CALF

Colorado Agricultural Leadership Foundation (CALF) was officially founded in 2002, but its roots go back nearly 120 years – to 1906, when Maude and Henry Lowell settled on a homestead just a few miles south of current-day downtown Castle Rock, CO.

The Lowell family has occupied the land since then. Rancher John Lowell was born on the property, where he raised cattle and sheep, and along with his wife, Bea, advocated for education about agricultural practices for the general public.

“Everything (the Lowells) talked and wrote about was about agriculture, and letting people have a place they could experience agriculture,” says Brooke Fox, CALF’s president and CEO.

Courtesy of CALF

The Lowells also founded the Douglas County 4-H Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to 4-H members.

“They would give kids who didn’t have a place to start their own 4-H projects room to raise sheep,” Fox says.

When the family founded CALF, they turned ownership of their 168-acre ranch over to the nonprofit organization, whose mission statement is all about connecting people to agriculture via educational programs and community projects.

Courtesy of CALF

Educating Others About Farm Life in Castle Rock

CALF puts on a range of educational and volunteer activities. Continuing the Lowells’ legacy, it allows 4-H students who don’t have access to land to raise animals on the ranch. The organization also hosts field trips for elementary school students. In addition to visiting animals, planting seeds and learning about the experiences of Western pioneers, kids may tackle topical (and thorny) issues like water use in Colorado.

Then there’s the children’s summer camp, as well as a wealth of volunteer opportunities, such as managing the ranch’s beehives, tending its community gardens, and taking care of the sheep, cows and hogs at the ranch. (Fox says the organization works with about 400 volunteers per year.)

CALF also partners with local businesses and long-time sponsor Where Food Comes From to develop educational programs for college students. Past efforts have included classes on food labeling and raising animals humanely.

“Our vision for the future is really to become a premier working educational ranch where people come to be connected to agriculture,” says Fox, who explains that’s the goal for volunteers as well as visitors.

“We want people to leave the ranch having an appreciation of agriculture in everyday life … and having a greater understanding of how ranchers and farmers work.”