Questa’s Cultivo Grows Knowledge and Community Through Agricultural Education

Being a young or beginning farmer in 2026 is hard. Really hard. Add up the costs—land, seed, fertilizer, gas, equipment, labor—and farming looks increasingly impossible. And that’s before you even consider the training and knowledge it takes for success. “But you’re growing food,” says Justin Powers, a mentor with Questa’s Cultivo project, an agricultural education and mentorship program. “We have to do it.” The problem is especially acute in Questa and Taos County, where farmers and ranchers are on average among the oldest in the nation. As they begin to retire or leave the industry, very few young people are prepared to take their place. With LOR’s support and funding for startup costs, Cultivo launched in 2024 as a potential antidote to the problem. Using Cerro Vista Farm as a training ground, youth interns, apprentices, and mentors learn from local farmer Daniel Carmona, growing produce that is then sold at the Questa Farmers Market. “This really small experiment that we’re doing here can be part of a bigger solution,” says Gaea McGahee, Cultivo’s program director. Check out the video below to learn more about Cultivo’s efforts to preserve local agricultural knowledge and prepare the next generation of Questa farmers and ranchers.