Welcome to Food for Thought

Colorado Crossroads: Building resilience from the ground up

At the 2025 Colorado Crossroads: Resilient Agriculture in a Changing Climate event, experts, producers, and policymakers discussed how science can help Colorado producers adapt to rapid environmental changes. The event was organized by the National Academies’ Climate Crossroads initiative, the CSU Climate Hub at Spur, and the Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

“They [producers] are the ultimate experimenters, researchers, and innovators, and we get the opportunity to learn from them,” says Meagan Schipanski, professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. Read more here

Flower power: Ten fun facts about poinsettias

Are your halls decked with poinsettias in shades of red, pink, white, or something else altogether? Native to Mexico, these tropical plants have become synonymous with the holiday season, and the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture’s poinsettia sale has become an annual staple at CSU. Grown by upper-level students in the floriculture practicum class, over 1,200 poinsettia plants were up for grabs at the sale.

In Westword, associate professor Josh Craver shared ten facts about poinsettias and tips to help them bloom again next year. “If you’re wanting to hold those plants over until the following year, eventually you’re going to need to go in and cut off those flowers. Pinch those plants back, and they’ll develop new flowers for the next year,” says Craver. Read more here

Migratory birds and rice farmers are helping each other soar

Research led in part by Lexi Firth, a research scientist with the CSU Soil Innovation Lab in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, discovered a close connection between rice farms in the lower Mississippi River basin and migratory birds. Their study showed that bird droppings can provide up to a third of the nitrogen rice crops need. Off-season flooding also improves soil health, reduces runoff, and improves water quality downstream, helping restore and conserve wildlife habitats. Read more here

Report: Colorado River Insights 2025: “Dancing with Deadpool”

Daniel Mooney, associate professor of agricultural and resource economics, contributed to chapter seven of the 2025 inaugural Colorado River Insights report, “Dancing with Deadpool.” The chapter, “Facing the future: Can agriculture thrive in the Upper Basin with less water?” examines how water scarcity in the upper Colorado River Basin affects agriculture. Mooney’s research covers agricultural production systems, conservation of water and soil resources, food and farm value chains, and business management. Read more here

How does the holiday halo effect impact small businesses?

Dawn Thilmany, professor of agricultural and resource economics, shared her insights in a Forbes article about the “holiday halo” effect that small businesses experience. This effect refers to the seasonal boost in visibility and appreciation they get from local communities. The article also features research by Kit Hughes, associate professor of film and media studies at CSU, who points out that holiday romantic comedies often portray small businesses as the center of community life, places where people come together to celebrate.

Thilmany explains that small businesses like gift shops, restaurants, banks, salons, and other service providers help local economies by hiring local workers, buying from local suppliers, and supporting community projects. “Small businesses are also stealth contributors to the local economy,” she writes. Read more here

Colorado ranchers say White House beef policy is making a tough job even tougher

Colorado ranchers face growing pressure as higher land prices, industry consolidation, and more imported beef make it harder for small producers to compete. Recent federal decisions have worsened the situation. This year, the Trump administration increased Argentinian beef imports right when ranchers were taking their calf crop to market, causing prices to fall sharply. In November, beef tariffs were reversed, but this change came too late in the season to provide relief.

A deeper problem lies behind these market changes. The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest point in 75 years. Ongoing drought has forced many ranchers to sell off their herds, leading to what agricultural and resource economics assistant professor Nathan DeLay calls a “very constrained supply situation,” which is pushing prices even higher. Read more here

14 ways to outsmart rising grocery prices

According to the federal Consumer Price Index, food prices increased 2.7 percent from September 2024 to September 2025. According to Dawn Thilmany, higher labor costs for U.S. farmers, supply-chain disruptions and tariffs on imported foods are what’s led to higher prices. Check out the full article for 14 clever ways to save money at the grocery store. Read more here

Peach trees should be safe from frost damage in recent cold snap

As one of Grand Valley’s top agricultural products, peaches are a major concern for farmers. David Sterle, research scientist at the Western Colorado Research Station in Orchard Mesa, explains that the extended cold and below-freezing temperatures have allowed peach trees to gradually acclimate. This acclimation makes the trees and their buds less vulnerable to a sudden hard freeze.

“In 2025 despite the mild weather, so far there have been 11 days where temperatures have reached freezing temperatures already. And instead of this being a day or two before the major freeze, our first frost was on Oct. 28. This means the trees have had over a month to acclimate since that frost,” says Sterle. Read more here

A major grocery chains slashes prices on everyday essentials | Living Paycheck to Paycheck

In an interview with CBS News, Dawn Thilmany explained why Kroger recently cut prices. Kroger and Albertsons, two of the country’s biggest grocery chains, have lowered prices to bring shoppers back from competing retailers and online options. Thilmany says shoppers shouldn’t expect prices to drop a lot, but price increases will probably slow down. As she puts it, “we’re at the new price points that are going to be normal.” Read more here

Gas price drop could increase holiday spending, experts say

Gas prices in Colorado have fallen to $2.52 per gallon, the third lowest in the nation, as the U.S. average drops below $3 for the first time in four years. Agricultural economics professor Anders Van Sandt notes that while most consumers and delivery services may see little change, rideshare drivers could benefit from higher immediate margins. Read more here

Marquevious Glass | CSU Outstanding Graduate

Marquevious Glass is a first-generation, nontraditional student graduating in agricultural biology with a focus on entomology. After seeing his mother’s fight with cancer, a course in insect biotechnology inspired him to study new treatment options. Named the CSU Outstanding Graduate for the College of Agricultural Sciences, he plans to keep putting his family first and connect with more entomologists to further his studies. Congratulations, Marquevious. We’re proud to have you at our table! Read more here

Congratulations, class of 2025!

Congratulations to all our CAS graduates. We can’t wait to see the impact you have! You’ll always have a seat at our table! We asked some graduates about their journeys: why they chose agriculture, which CSU professors and student organizations influenced them most, and their plans after graduation. Hear what they said!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season. We’ll see you in 2026, and we hope to catch you at the National Western Stock Show in January!