Back in 1938, the Gillespies, a family of nine moved from Eastern Colorado to the wonderful valley of Paonia, Colorado.
The Gillespies purchased a 130 acre farm near the base of Mt. Lamborn in Paonia Colorado. This beautiful farm has raised sheep, pigs, chickens, cows, hay, silage and grains. It has also raised four generations of Gillespies. The farm represents their lives and livelihood. The Living Farm represents life from the smallest microbe to the largest animals. They believe in nourishing the soil, let the soil nourish the plants and let the plants feed the animals.
Currently on the farm is Jim Gillespie, who moved in 1938. Also living on the farm are: Tom, the third generation, born on the farm, and his wife Lynn and their three children Jenny, Mike, who runs The Living Farm Café, and Ben, all of three of the kids were born and raised on the farm.
In 2009, their documentary Locavore: Local Diet, Healthy Planet was released. It is an inspiring documentary about the inevitable return to the local diet. Less than a generation ago human beings worldwide traveled less than 10 miles to obtain the majority of the food they ate. Today the average conventionally grown vegetable has traveled more than 1500 miles by the time it has reached your pantry. Our food today is over processed, stale, and lacks nutrition. This film, featuring some of the neo-pioneers of the Locavore movement will educate, inspire, and revitalize bringing health to our bodies AND our communities.