Rye Resurgence Project

The Rye Resurgence Project is a women-founded, grassroots effort to build the market for San Luis Valley-grown rye in order to restore area aquifers, improve soil health, and secure a sustainable future for this historic and vital agricultural region of Colorado. The RRP represents a collective of 10 San Luis Valley farmers growing high-alpine rye and works with millers, bakers, brewers, distillers, chefs, and other partners in Colorado’s food and beverage economy to craft unique rye goods that in turn enhance public knowledge, appreciation, and desire for this environmentally-beneficial, local grain. All RRP farmers grow rye with minimal water usage to dramatically reduce reliance on groundwater and preserve the Rio Grande, and as a winter cover crop, the rye grown also advances soil retention, reducing area dust storms and improving soil nutrients. Whether grown with minimal-to-no intervention, Organic Certified, or Regenerative Organic Certified, Resurgence Rye grown by our farmers utilizes regenerative agricultural practices. In the first full year of the project, RRP farmers planted 4,500 acres of winter rye, resulting in a total annual water savings of 4,670 acre-feet.