DENVER — Wild Boyd Farm will host a farm-fresh meat pop-up shop and giveaway event in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood on Nov. 16. The farm, located in Elbert County, is one of few Black-owned meat-producing farms in Colorado.
“Last year, Wild Boyd Farm started doing pop-up shops, because we do a lot of commercial work with nonprofits and schools," explained Terrance Boyd, owner of Wild Boyd Farm. "But you know, the everyday consumer is what we really tried to focus on this year. And so, this year we did pop-up shops, and we would go to neighborhoods that were considered food deserts — Montbello, Park Hill, Five Points — where there's not a grocery store within two or three miles. And we would offer our food for purchase. This month for November is the month of giving. And so we're going to be giving some product away.”
Boyd bought the farm five years ago and said his interest in agriculture started while growing up in Denver.
“I was interested in how to produce healthy food that lacks in communities in the metro area,” Boyd said. “I got started from wanting to produce food for my family, and it led to production for others, and now we produce for schools, most of the nonprofit agencies in the Denver Metro area, Colorado Springs, and for everyday consumers.”
Boyd said farming does not run in the family and learning how to farm was tough.
“That's how the name came about, Wild Boyd Farm, you know, because it was wild,” Boyd said. “It was a lot to learn. But I had really good mentors, took me in, and kind of showed me, so I was on a fast track, and I learned a lot. I came out here with an open mind. I had nothing to lose. So it just worked out.”
Boyd said he started raising pigs first.
“Pigs were our first livestock that we started with. And then, of course, you learn how to put the infrastructure in. So, we kind of just got the pigs and then learned from there," he said. "And so, we learned the infrastructure and how to do all that. And then we moved the chickens, hens — laying hens in, because you got to have eggs with your bacon. And then we moved in the cattle, and then sheep and goat."
Boyd said he sells his farm-fresh meat in bundles.
“The ‘what's for dinner bundle’ — we offer on our website. And so you get two pounds of ground beef, two pounds of chicken breast, approximately, and two pounds of sweet Italian. And so, this could typically last a family of four for approximately a week. This is a week's worth of meals for $50, you know, and that's delivered to your door for free, because we offer free delivery,” Boyd said.
Boyd said the farm also provides culturally appropriate food.
“So something like this, you got boiling beef… skirt steaks,” he said.
Boyd said whether it’s pork, beef, chicken, or lamb, Butcher Maarten van Zoeren has lent him a helping hand.
“He tried to drop off some pigs once, and I figured he's a good person I could probably work with, probably benefit him and me,” van Zoeren said.
Van Zoeren said the average consumer may not be aware that there are local meat producers like Boyd to buy from.
“They think everything comes from a big company. Everything is mass produced and that's what's in the news — the environmental impacts, the cruelty that people think. But it's not. It doesn't have to be that way… If you can go local or closer, you are now supporting a local community or a local family. Somebody who takes pride in what they do and they work hard to do it,” van Zoeren said.
Over the past few years, the number of Black ranchers and farmers in the United States has declined.
According to the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, the United States has 46,738 producers who identify as Black, either alone or in combination with another race. They accounted for 1.4% of the country’s 3.4 million producers.
A 2023 NPR report found Black farmers were shut out of the USDA’s loan programs, and in turn, in 2024 the USDA issued payments to address discrimination in farm loans.
Boyd said he has not applied for USDA loans and his farm is self-funded. But he said he recognizes that there are not many Black farmers left in the state and recognizes the challenges farmers face.
“I don't really look at the color thing," he said. "There's a need, right? Every time I cut on the news, there's a grocery store closing down. You got to get your eggs from Ohio, you know, you get your milk from Texas. And there's local production that can happen regardless what color you are. I just happen to be Black."
Wild Boyd Farm will host a farm-fresh meat pop-up shop and giveaway from 1 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 16 at 13150 E. 48th Avenue in Denver.
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