The Old Fort at Hesperus is a property with 6,300 acres, including 300 acres of irrigated hayfields and beef cattle. The property is owned by the Colorado State Land Board and operates as an auxiliary enterprise at Fort Lewis College. Its history includes use as a military fort, a Federal Indian boarding school, a public high school, and a two-year agriculture-focused college.

The Old Fort’s farmer training programs started in 2012 as the first incubator farm in Colorado, focusing on growing specialty crops at high elevation (7600 feet). The program has generated 30 different businesses, with 75 percent of participants still farming or involved in food- related jobs.

The Farmer-in-Training Program allows people to cooperatively farm with staff members. Students work 12 hours a week in the field and take six credits of classes during the summer. The program works in fenced growing areas, high tunnels, and has shared infrastructure like harvest sheds, coolers, and root cellars.

The Long-Term Land Access Project aims to serve, especially, Native American and underserved farmers growing specialty crops. The project involves developing water irrigation systems, building high fences, and creating in-field irrigation. Creative approaches to both self-management/governance and building individual financial equity are being explored.