Producer
Van Thuyne Farms (BoCo Beans)
City: Longmont, CO,
About Us
Jules Van Thuyne was born at home on his parents’ farmstead 1/2 mile away from where he now lives and farms on Monarch Road. Jules’ grandparents first began farming in the Longmont area in 1917 for the Ludlow family, first at the Wilke property, then on a farm on Niwot Road. When Jules’ father was a boy, the Van Thuynes bought the family farm located just south of Longmont on Highway 287, and in 1992, the family sold one of the first conservation easements in Boulder County to the Parks & Open Space Department.
Practices
The BoCo Beans Project:
Jules Van Thuyne harvested ~85,000 pounds of amazing, hyper-local pinto beans! In partnership with Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Boulder County Public Health works to facilitate institutional purchasing for locally grown beans from farmers on County lands transitioning away from GE crops. They’ve had success in building relationships with institutional partners like the school districts, the Boulder County Jail, local hospitals, and Hunger-Free Colorado. One of the main goals is to increase the nutrition profile of meals being served to our priority populations, and BCPH contacted the Boulder County Farmers Markets to connect us to these great BoCo Beans!
Per BCPH:
Substituting legumes for meat reduces the risk of developing a chronic disease.
The cost of legumes is significantly lower than the cost of meat, poultry, and fish. The cost of locally-grown legumes is even lower. Beans and legumes also keep you fuller, longer.
People who eat beans have lower body weights, smaller waist circumferences, andlower blood pressures thanpeople who don’t eat beans.
~Harvard Medical School
POSITIVE CLIMATE IMPACTS:
Growing local, legume crops is an effective climate mitigation strategy.
Healthy soil and a regenerative crop system (bean roots put nitrogen back into the soil as they grow).
Low water use, compared to meat products.
Carbon sequestration (capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis).
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
This project is a WIN/WIN!
Jules Van Thuyne harvested ~85,000 pounds of amazing, hyper-local pinto beans! In partnership with Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Boulder County Public Health works to facilitate institutional purchasing for locally grown beans from farmers on County lands transitioning away from GE crops. They’ve had success in building relationships with institutional partners like the school districts, the Boulder County Jail, local hospitals, and Hunger-Free Colorado. One of the main goals is to increase the nutrition profile of meals being served to our priority populations, and BCPH contacted the Boulder County Farmers Markets to connect us to these great BoCo Beans!
Per BCPH:
Substituting legumes for meat reduces the risk of developing a chronic disease.
The cost of legumes is significantly lower than the cost of meat, poultry, and fish. The cost of locally-grown legumes is even lower. Beans and legumes also keep you fuller, longer.
People who eat beans have lower body weights, smaller waist circumferences, andlower blood pressures thanpeople who don’t eat beans.
~Harvard Medical School
POSITIVE CLIMATE IMPACTS:
Growing local, legume crops is an effective climate mitigation strategy.
Healthy soil and a regenerative crop system (bean roots put nitrogen back into the soil as they grow).
Low water use, compared to meat products.
Carbon sequestration (capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis).
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
This project is a WIN/WIN!