In The NoCo

It's spring… and a handful of Northern Colorado farmers markets are opening up for what's likely to be a busy season – at least, if the last few years are any indication.  We've come to expect throngs of eager shoppers waiting in long lines to buy western slope peaches by the crate, boxes of Olathe sweet corn, Pueblo chiles, and other locally grown produce. But farming in Colorado comes with a lot of challenges  – the growing season is short, the sun is scorching, and the rainy season can be very unpredictable. 

Coloradans seem to appreciate how difficult it is for farmers, which helps explain some of the high demand. But there are plenty of other reasons for that homegrown produce pride, according to Colorado State University professor and agricultural economist Dawn Thilmany. She recently spoke with host Erin O'Toole to explain why there's so much importance placed on buying local. In anticipation of more farmers markets opening, we're listening back to that conversation.

In the episode, we brought up this story from KUNC's Rae Solomon about folks suffering from "peach anxiety." We also mentioned agritourism around local farms and ranches, including Miller Farms in Platteville. And while at this point in the season only a handful of Front Range farmers markets have opened, others will quickly follow suit over the next few weeks. Find a list of markets here, and a visitors' guide to Northern Colorado  farms, pumpkin patches, and CSAs here. 

The risk of wildfire is a reality that is beginning to define life in Northern Colorado. This last weekend, tens of thousands of people in Boulder County were left suddenly without power for days when Xcel shut it off in anticipation of high winds and potential loose lines.   

Today we’re listening back to an interview covering a 2023 report from the company CoreLogic, which showed that thousands of homes in Northern Colorado are susceptible to damage from wildfires. In Boulder, nearly 10,000 homes are at risk. In Fort Collins, that number rises to more than 14,000. Statistics in the report put Colorado in the number two slot nationwide for potential wildfire damage.  We discussed these risks and more with Jude Bayham, who researches wildfire management at Colorado State University.

We mentioned the pay raise for federal wildland firefighters that's stalled in Congress. And you can learn more about protecting your home from wildfire here.

Have you ever wondered how NPR came to be? It certainly didn’t happen overnight. The history of National Public Radio is long and convoluted, starting in the early twentieth century with university-housed stations scattered across rural areas. These stations broadcast things like cooking lessons, and how to use indoor plumbing. But with the Communications Act of 1934 came the first congressional control over what was heard over the airwaves. With this, commercial media outlets enjoyed greater lobbying power than noncommercial broadcasters. This meant public media needed to evolve to meet the demands of a growing listening audience. 

This complex history is chronicled in a new book, Shadow of the New Deal: The Victory of Public Broadcasting, by University of Colorado media history professor Josh Shepperd.

“Public media is the last bastion in reporting upon communities from the community itself,” said Shepperd when reflecting on public media’s role today. “So I think we need to protect our local public medias, especially our rural public medias.”

In The NoCo host Erin O’Toole sat down with Shepperd to talk about what public radio looked like 100 years ago, and how Western states like Colorado helped create the NPR name.

Northern Colorado’s unique weather patterns can be a challenge for backyard gardeners. The climate is dry; the growing season is hot and short. And of course, we’re no strangers to wind and hail events. But new research out of Colorado State University can help gardeners choose crop varieties that thrive in those conditions. 

KUNC's rural and small communities reporter Rae Solomon spoke to the researchers about what they learned. Just in time for early spring garden planting – she sat down with In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole to share intel on the best tomatoes and peppers to grow in Northern Colorado. 

See the results of the Larimer County in-ground tomato trials here and the container varieties here. See the sweet pepper trials here.

And if you have a gardening question, share it with us! Email [email protected] -- or send a text or voicemail to (970) 614-5323.

On Monday, April 8 a total solar eclipse will darken the skies over 13 states, from Texas up to Maine. While Colorado is not in the path of totality, in which the moon completely covers the sun, our region will experience a partial solar eclipse. 

A total solar eclipse over the U.S. is relatively rare – the last one occurred in August 2017. And cities and towns in the path have been gearing up for a massive influx of eclipse tourists for months. 

They might want to take a cue from an earlier time in Colorado's history. 

Back in 1878, a total eclipse over the Rockies helped lay the foundation for how to welcome flocks of curious visitors eager to witness a celestial event - and to get a first look at the Wild West. Steve Ruskin is a historian of astronomy based in Colorado Springs, and the author of America's First Great Eclipse.

"Colorado had just become a state in 1876 - so it was only two years old when they knew this eclipse was going to go over the Rocky Mountains,” said Ruskin. “Tourists came west, not only to see the eclipse, but also to see the Rockies for the very first time."

In The NoCo host Erin O’Toole sat down with Ruskin to learn more about that historic event – and with producer Ariel Lavery to reflect on how modern-day Americans are willing to drive thousands of miles to experience a total eclipse. 

Immigrants are the backbone of a lot of mountain communities in Colorado. That’s because many work in service industry jobs that keep these towns thriving. But for immigrants in these places, certain disparities are more pronounced, like access to transportation. In one part of Summit County, this particular issue had become dangerous in the snowy winter months.

“We need to walk on the roads where cars are running all the time,” said Miriam Garcia, an immigrant and employee of an advocacy organization called Mountain Dreamers. “And then there was an issue with one of my neighbors, she was hit by a car. And the driver didn't stop.”

Garcia led an effort through Mountain Dreamers to get shuttle service to people in her neighborhood who were navigating a mile of snow and ice to catch a bus. 

Host Erin O’Toole sat down with Garcia and founder Peter Bakken, to discuss this work and learn more about how - and why - they’re advocating for immigrants in Summit County.

It’s no secret there’s a crisis of shrinking local news across the U.S. And we know that in places where local news evaporates, democracy takes a hit. Government corruption tends to increase when powerful entities realize there's less media scrutiny on what they're doing.  

"This year has been particularly difficult for the local media news business," says journalist Corey Hutchins. The co-director of the Colorado College Journalism Institute writes a weekly newsletter that goes behind our state’s headlines. 

He recently sat down with In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole to discuss the health of Colorado media, including a few happenings that could have far-reaching impacts on our democracy.

You can subscribe to Corey Hutchins' weekly newsletter here.

Most people would agree that the immigration system in the United States is broken… but how it's broken – and how to fix it – are the real debate. As this debate persists, the stories of people caught in a messy immigration web continue to rise. 

The documentary film If I Could Stay tells the story of two such people, Jeanette Vizguerra and Ingrid Encalada Latorre, two undocumented mothers living in Colorado. When they faced deportation and being separated from their young children, they chose to take refuge in churches in Denver and Boulder. 

Ahead of the film's Colorado premiere at CSU's ACT Human Rights Film Festival in Fort Collins, In The NoCo's Erin O'Toole sat down with one of those two mothers who sought sanctuary in 2017, Ingrid Latorre, and Florencia Krochik, one of the film's co-directors.

If I Could Stay screens during the festival's opening night, Wednesday, April 3 at Colorado State University's Lory Student Center theater.

Temple Grandin sees the world through a different lens. The Colorado State University professor of animal science is neurodivergent, and her differences as an autistic person have been foundational to her work – especially when it comes to advocating for the humane treatment of animals.

She is also an advocate for neurodivergent thinkers of all ages. Her new book for children, “Different Kinds of Minds,” is an adaptation of her book “Visual Thinking.” Both explain the need for a diverse range of thinkers and how different minds can thrive.  Grandin recently joined In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole to discuss the book and much more.

This is an encore of our podcast from Jan. 4, 2024.

Advocates say failing to invest in childcare is a missed opportunity to address inequity. And the lack of investment is hitting Northern Colorado families in multiple ways. For one, it leaves rising kindergartners unprepared to enter public schools. 

“The achievement gap is present well before children enter kindergarten,” said Tarryn Morrisey, a professor of child and family public policy at American University. “And so if we were to invest early, we could narrow that before it even began.”

In The NoCo’s Erin O’Toole sat down with Morrisey to learn more about what is driving the high cost of childcare, and why it is critical to find solutions.

This is part of our ongoing coverage on the childcare crisis in Northern Colorado. Find more episodes on the challenges and solutions here and here.