Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

JACOB SPRINGS FARM

BID PROPOSAL
Submitted by: Andre & Vanee Houssney

Jacob Springs Farm

7602 Arapahoe Road
Boulder, CO 80303

Vanee Mobile: 303-818-0350

Andre Mobile: 720-201-5725
April 10, 2017

Our bid is for both of the Spicer and Watt/Webb properties OR for either one separately.
Management Period: April 2017 through December 2019
Our rent bid shall be $47 per acre, due and payable on or before December 1st,
each year this agreement is in effect.

________________________________ ____________
Signature Date

THE CITY OF BOULDER RETAINS THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR REJECT ANY OR ALL BIDS.
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

1. DESCRIBE THE OPERATION YOU INTEND TO MANAGE ON THE PROPERTY. PLEASE

INCLUDE DETAILS OF GRAZING ROTATION, IRRIGATION, PEST AND NUTRIENT
MANAGEMENT.

Philosophy
At Jacob Springs Farm we are passionate advocates of Regenerative Agriculture. We define success in this arena
when the land we manage sees an increase in both inherent fertility and biodiversity over time. It’s our goal to
develop productive systems that become as “natural” as possible - i.e. the more productive and diverse a system
is and the less chemical and mechanical intervention is needed to maintain and increase it’s productivity the better.
To achieve this goal we employ several principles including the concept of stacking functions, we also look for
ways to marry these principles with market needs to develop sustainable streams of income.

Basic Plan: Hay and Pasture

At the simplest level, we intend to run a straightforward organic haying and grazing operation on the properties to
support our meat and dairy production. We will irrigate fields and cut hay in the traditional manner. In the first
couple of years, light grazing will supplement this use. When it comes to growing pasture and hay, we have a “no
spray” approach choosing to accept moderate yield reductions rather than to spray fields with biocides, organic or
not. For fertility management, we prefer to spread manure and use intensive grazing to manage fertility rather than
using synthetic inputs. We source this manure first from our own operations and second from other local sources
where possible. We have our own hay equipment listed at the end of this document.

We are experienced in surface irrigation, being proficient in the use of canvas dams (tarps), siphon tubes, gated
and vinyl pipe. Andre learned flood irrigation over 20 years ago while growing up in Boulder by working for former
Enterprise Ditch president and Boulder area farmer Jay Niebur. Andre has been president of the Original
Cottonwood ditch for several years, learning the ins and outs of ditch management from former ditch presidents
Bob Pherson and Allen Patrick and serving on the board with Mike Munson. We are firm believers that flood
irrigated hay ground provides a net benefit to the watershed by storing excess spring runoff in the ground and
slowing the progress of water across the landscape. (see our vimeo video: Ditches save water.) As most of the
water on these properties is short-season, perennial pasture and hay is the primary and best use.

We currently raise 9-12 beef animals per year. With a successful bid for one or both of these properties, we would
plan to expand our herd slightly, but not drastically in the first year, making up the balance through cutting hay, only
increasing the herd gradually over time. Our grazing rotations are developed through the process of Holistic
Planned Grazing as taught by Allan Savory and the Boulder-based Savory Institute. Here we identify the holistic
goals for the property, including the needs of wildlife, key pasture species, livestock nutrition, labor and financial
needs and attempt to balance them through structured planning. We will develop this plan in the first year of the
lease and we would be happy to submit these plans to City staff or develop them in partnership if needed. Our
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

early approach would be to begin grazing cautiously with a low overall stocking rate and manage the majority of
the area as one or two cutting hay. After the condition of the fields becomes clear, stocking density and cutting
and grazing schedules can be adjusted to reach an optimal level. Our general recognition is that pastures are most
benefited when they are allowed to rest adequately and when grazing animals are cycled through small paddocks
(we use portable electric fencing) with relatively frequent moves. Rather than taking a “scorched earth” approach of
maximizing utilization of hay and pasture ground, we prefer to take a cautious approach and offset the potentially
decreased production with the higher prices we are able to charge for our premium products in the local market.

Eggmobile
One component of a workable pest and fertility management strategy
on hay ground and pastures is the use of our “eggmobile” - a specially
equipped wagon carrying a shelter for 200-500 laying hens (currently
our eggmobile is seasonally stocked with 180 hens but it’s built for a
capacity of 600. The eggmobile principle derives from the fact that in
every natural system where herds of grazing herbivores are found,
birds are found with them to scratch and distribute dung, to eat fly
larvae and to forage for pest insects in the opened grass canopy. Our
eggmobile design is equipped with automatic doors and
communication equipment to protect the hens against predators and to
alert us in case of problems such as low water in the onboard tanks. When rotated
regularly though a field, the hens do a fabulous job of spreading high quality fertility
amendments and eating large numbers of pest insects while producing a secondary
product: high quality local, organic eggs. We have now built several of these
eggmobiles, some for other farmers and we are in the process of perfecting the art
of their design and use. Chicken’s range can be effectively controlled first by using
proper placement of eggmobiles and secondarily by using electrified poultry netting
where needed. Together with herbivore grazing, the available nitrogen produced by
one appropriately-sized egg-mobile flock would be sufficient to replace all manure or
fertilizer applications for the Spicer and Watt/Webb properties.
We focus on quality first, our
Raw Milk Dairy organic pastured eggs, on the
left, have a visibly higher quality
We currently operate a 4 cow, raw-milk dairy and have had excellent success with than organic “free range” eggs
the model. Our current need is to expand the amount of grazing available so that we from the store.

minimize the costs of hay and maximize animal health and welfare. In addition to our
milking parlor at the home farm, we have a portable milking machine and we would
love to develop a trailer-based stanchion so that we can milk onsite in the field.
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

Grazing Other Species

We currently raise 12-15 lambs per year (summer only), and graze 25-30 pigs at one time. We would like to study
the possibility of grazing sheep and/or pigs on these properties to diversify the types of products we are able to
offer our local market. We have experience with grazing both of these species, however we want to be sure that
the fencing is adequate before we proceed with this idea.

Asparagus
While not a core element of our bid, we are interested in exploring non-traditional options to build revenue streams
on this property. Asparagus is a crop typically under-represented in local farmers markets. Most asparagus
consumed in our county in May and June is imported from far away. This represents a market opportunity.
Asparagus has long been a naturalized species in Colorado pastures, hay fields and along ditches. Farming
families in Colorado have long harvested this asparagus for their own use and carefully guarded the locations of
their favorite stands. As a non-invasive adventive perennial, we believe there is an opportunity to plant and
encourage asparagus beds in areas such as the fringes of fields and on the uphill sides of ditches,

Asparagus forms a fernlike clump which is an excellent habitat for many species of predatory insects, and some
species of ground-nesting birds, both of which can help to control pest insect species, these habitats are fully
developed by the time hay fields are typically cut - a time when such habitat is at a premium - making asparagus
an ideal species to have growing on field edges and margins, along fence lines, roads and ditches. At the same
time, asparagus is a non-woody perennial making it easy to access and maintain ditches, roads and fences where
asparagus is present - it can be easily trampled, grazed or cut down to the ground at any time without damaging
the plant’s ability to yield in future years. All these attributes make Asparagus an interesting plant for targeted
cultivation in a permaculture-like wild planting environment. Eventually our farm would like to begin marketing
perennial crops like asparagus and rhubarb as well as the encouragement of wild plums, clove currants,
gooseberries and other native perennial shrubs for cut flowers, as secondary, occasional specialty crops for our
local restaurants and markets as well as direct to consumer. Since these products will take several years to
establish, we would be willing to invest in planting them, but revenue from them will not be anticipated to offset
investment during the current lease period.

Potential Future Development of the Spicer Property Infrastructure

We would like to work with City of Boulder staff to develop a plan for Spicer property infrastructure improvements.
Our first idea would be to develop corals and a simple milking parlor (milking only - not milk processing) to allow
our dairy operation to graze the Spicer property seasonally and to allow for early spring calving and seasonal
milking on the property. Barring this, a simple corral and loafing shed arrangement would also be useful to our
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

operations, particularly because of the housing available on the Spicer property which makes it much simpler to
monitor and care for animals during the winter and the calving season.

2. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN OTHER AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES,

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE OPERATION(S). PLEASE INCLUDE GENERAL LOCATION.
Jacob Springs Farm is a diverse operation including several different farm programs. Financially, our biggest
programs are our Meat CSA herd share program and our raw milk dairy herd shares as well as our locker meat
trade in whole and half steers, lambs and pigs. Our livestock are kept both on our own properties of 6 acres
located at 7602 and 7620 Arapahoe as well as on several other properties in Boulder county and in Jefferson
county.
We also keep bees, raise turkeys and geese for meat, we raise replacement layers for local market, and have a
laying flock of chickens.
We cut and baled hay on 25 acres in 2014 and 35-40 acres in 2015 and 2016. We fed a majority of this hay to our
own livestock and sold some to local customers.
We additionally raise 1 to 2 acres of specialty vegetable crops each year, in 2014 we raised 2 acres of squash,
garlic and potatoes, in 2015 we scaled the vegetable crops down to one acre of potatoes, garlic and onions and
in 2016 we added a quarter acre of cut flowers and green beans.

Extensive information about our farm programs is available at http://wiki.jacobsprings.com/RAWiki/index.php?

title=Jacob_Springs_Farm (or just go to wiki.jacobsprings.com and click on the link to “Jacob Springs Farm”.)

Planned locations of operations 2017:

1. Private lease Two sites in Jefferson County totaling 25 acres pasture
2. Boulder Valley Christian Church, 30 acres pasture and hay
3. City on the Hill Church 3 acres pasture and tree crops
4. Owned property: 7602 and 7620 Arapahoe Road, 6 acres, barns, equipment and hay storage, vegetable
production, pasture
5. Private lease near 75th and Arapahoe, 12 acres pasture
7. Two private leased properties on Baseline road near dry creek trailhead totaling 10 acres pasture

Adding the Spicer and the Watt/Webb properties would be a significant, but manageable increase in our land
stewardship responsibilities.

3. WHY DO YOU NEED THIS PROPERTY FOR YOUR AGRICULTURAL OPERATION?

We have an urgent need to expand both our available pasture and hay production in order to reduce purchase of
hay and to give us opportunities to expand our livestock operations, both in our small-scale raw milk operation and
our beef and lamb production. Our current purchases of hay exceeds $4,000 annually as our current production
and marketing somewhat outstrips our land base and reduces our ability to reach a more sustainable size going
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

forward. Our immediate goal is to grow our milking herd to 6 animals and our non-milking herd to 12 cows to
achieve sustainability. To achieve this we will need to lease properties exactly like the Spicer and Watt/Webb
properties.

The Spicer property’s housing also meets a great need for our operation. The housing would enable us to station a
trusted farmhand (or more likely, a married couple) onsite to monitor and attend to livestock. The additional labor
will be immediately useful.

Properties like the Spicer & Watt-Webb are critical to our success because of:
1. Proximity - with livestock operations, having animals nearby is a huge benefit. This property is less than 950
yards from our farm. (Currently we manage livestock as far away as miles 12 south and 10 miles north of here
- this will be a huge improvement, especially in winter)
2. Suitability - these properties are perfect for both grazing and hay production, key components of our operation
3. Scale - these properties are the right size for us in our current phase of growth. They are well within our ability
to manage them in terms of maintenance, irrigation and cutting hay, and yet they would represent enough
growth to make them worthwhile for us and help our bottom line.

4. HOW AND WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO MARKET ITEMS PRODUCED FROM THIS
PARCEL?
We market almost all of what we produce direct to our local market. We work with a large number of local
restaurants and have extensive farm-gate sales through CSA Shares such as our Meat CSA and our Raw Milk
Shares. We also sell whole and half animals into the local locker trade and benefit other small businesses such as
Arapahoe Meats.

The majority of all hay produced on this parcel would be used to feed our own livestock. The remainder of all hay
produced on this parcel would be sold in small square bales on the local market through:

• Sales to current contacts on horse boarding operations

• Sales to new contacts we hope to develop in the local market for hay
• As a last resort, sales through one of the hay auction sites in the region

For other products such as fruit, eggs and asparagus we would market them through our existing customer
networks to restaurants and individuals.
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

5. PLEASE PROVIDE PERSONAL REFERENCES FAMILIAR WITH YOUR AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIENCE. IF YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY OWN YOUR OWN FARMLAND, A REFERENCE
MUST INCLUDE THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION YOU CURRENTLY OR FORMERLY
LEASED LAND FROM OR MANAGED LAND UNDER.
Matt Carlson; Senior Pastor of Boulder Valley Christian Church - 303-895-1867
We cut hay and graze cattle on 30 acres of the church’s property off South Boulder Road
Ruthie Niebur; Landowner Boulder County - 303-358-6347 -Ruthie’s late husband Jay was a mentor to Andre
Scott Ascherman; Landowner, Jefferson County - 303-818-7894
We graze cattle on Scott’s land in Jefferson county and co-operate on other agricultural projects

List of Jacob Springs Farm Hay Equipment

• Massey-Ferguson 36 Self-propelled swather with draper heads and 14’ cutter bar
• Massey-Ferguson 7’ sickle bar mower (backup mower)
• New Holland 276 Hayliner small square baler
• 10’ rake - brand unknown
• John Deere 1070 Tractor
• New Holland 1010 bale pickup/stack wagon
• F-350 flatbed truck
• 2 axle 16’ Flatbed hay trailer
• Clark plane loader all-terrain forklift
• Three-point mountable forklift (backup)
• With successful bid we plan to buy an additional tractor, manure spreader and upgraded baler
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

Tree planting equipment : auger with 10” and 12” points

Jacob Springs Farm Team Currently consists of:

Andre & Vanee Houssney; Vanee owns the farm and manages customer relations, sales and financial aspects of
the farm. Andre manages the operations and leads the team. They have three boys enrolled at Douglass
Elementary School: Elias - 9, Silas - 7 and Ezra, 5
Danny Rankin; Danny and his wife Renee live on the farm with their son Royal, 4. Danny is pursuing an
environmental technology degree at CU with an emphasis on Farm Tech. (see wiki.jacobsprings.com/ and click
on “agronimo”.) Danny served one year as intern and another year as farm team manager and supports Andre in
managing the program.
Jeremy Horstmann is the dairy intern and lives on the farm
Derek Glass runs the vegetable program and helps with general chores
Charles Goodson is currently the livestock intern

Andre Houssney
Andre is a first-generation immigrant born during the civil war in Beirut, Lebanon. His family immigrated to the
Boulder area when he was in grade school.

Coming from a war-torn country Andre at first did not adjust well to life in the United States, he found a refuge in
working on the Niebur farm (West of 75th and west of Dry Creek between Baseline and Arapahoe) from a young
age. Jay Niebur, who was the president of the Enterprise Ditch Co. and a capable farmer and stockman, trained
Andre in irrigation, training horses, operating farm machinery and other farm skills starting in grade school.

Andre went to Douglass Elementary, Nevin Platt Junior High School (now middle school) and graduated with
honors from Fairview High School in 1996. He won a full scholarship to Deep Springs College - a school with a
huge BLM allotment and a cattle herd. Andre completed his studies as a double major in Music and Civil
Engineering at CU Boulder.

Prior to College, Andre also sought out opportunities on other farms around the world spending at least 2 months
on each of the several farms (list follows)

After College Andre and Vanee became active in agriculture in the developing country of Zambia - building an
extensive farmers co-operative called “Sambah Naturals” (more info on Sambah naturals is at the end.)

Andre and Vanee Houssney have been farming Jacob Springs Farm for 7 years since they purchased the property
in 2010

The Thompson Dairy - Milking 250 cows near Ithaca, Upstate New York - 1 season

The Kennel Farm - 640 acres of corn, soy and cattle near Peoria Illinois - 2 months
Spicer, Watt & Webb Property Bid Jacob Springs Farm

La Ferme D’Aigrefoin - 25 acres of potatoes and cut flowers on a home for mentally handicapped adults in
Saint-Remy-Les-Chevreuse outside Paris, France - 2 months

Deep Springs farm and ranch Along with various part-time farm jobs and animal training gigs, Andre spent 2
seasons on the Deep Springs farm and ranch with 600 head of cattle on 200,000 acres in Deep Springs
California and Dyer Nevada - season one was on the general farm crew with additional responsibility for 50
replacement heifers and 30-40 bulls. season two Andre managed all aspects of producing 160 acres of Alfalfa,
potato and onion fields and was the student farm manager.

AFRICAN AGRICULTURE ACTIVITIES: SAMBAH NATURALS

In 2006 Andre and his wife Vanee founded Sambah Naturals, an organic farmers co-operative in Zambia, Africa.
Sambah Naturals has 1,196 farmer-members in the Northwestern province of Zambia and holds Organic
and Fair Trade certificates. Sambah produces 80-100 tons of Organic honey and 2-3 tons of organic beeswax per
year as well as about 1,800 liters of essential oil annually. The average household income of our partner farmers
has gone up from $75 of annual household income in 2006 to over $500 in 2016. While the average Sambah
farmer is still considered in poverty below the $2/day United Nations poverty threshold, the trajectory is good and
incomes are still increasing. Farmers continue to own their own land and are currently food-stable as subsistence
farmers.

Sambah Naturals owns 2 farms in rural Zambia totaling more than 2,000 acres - this land is largely in
conservation, but around 50 acres of crops and 200 acres of pasture are being farmed entirely without the use of
tractors or electricity. Sambah Naturals and has it’s own FDA certified packing facility and warehouse located on a
farm property in LaGrange Wyoming, about a 2 hour 30 minute drive from Boulder. This farm operates as a
homestead farm for staff of Sambah Naturals and raises goats and turkeys which are marketed in the Boulder area
by Andre and Vanee of Jacob Springs Farm.