On Feb. 2, the Valley lost one of its most prolific young farmers to suicide. Casey Piscura, 39, was an ambitious entrepreneur and adept plant whisperer. He founded Wild Mountain Seeds, a for-profit seed-breeding business with the byproduct of abundant, delicious, organic vegetables. Later, he formed a nonprofit, Seed Peace, with the mission “to accelerate the transition to regenerative farming and land management in the Roaring Fork Valley through seed, education and farm innovation.”
Wild Mountain Seeds
In the wake of this tremendous loss, many have wondered what will become of the work Piscura labored tirelessly to advance. Last week, a hopeful message appeared in the email inboxes of 2024 Seed Peace community-supported agriculture (CSA) shareholders and other supporters. The wheels at Sunfire Ranch are churning to offer a 2025 CSA, plant starts and seeds will be sold at Dandelion Day, fresh produce at Carbondale’s Wednesday farmers’ markets this summer and Lift-Up’s food pantries will again be augmented with vegetables grown at Sunfire Ranch. Seeds will also be available at Habitat for Humanity’s Earth Day celebration at the ReStore this Saturday, April 20.
As spring returns full tilt, Adam Ting and Justin Blumenthal, accomplished farmers who worked multiple seasons with Piscura, are hustling to prep beds and transplant seeds. Jason Sewell, owner and operator of Sunfire Ranch, is committed to carrying on with the seed-breeding business, adapting plants to resiliently withstand a changing climate.
“Casey really paved the way for us to make the transition into something more,” Sewell remarked. “What I think about Casey is he’s like this spark in the universe that is bouncing across the prairie, and every time it lands it tries to start a fire and bounces on. Whether or not that fire starts depends on the conditions where it lands.” He considers it his responsibility to feed the fire that Piscura, a close friend and collaborator for over a decade, lit at the historic Thompson Creek ranch.
This season, CSA members are encouraged to volunteer when they pick up their veggies on Thursdays. “Not just in the gardens,” Sewell suggested. A mechanic putting in just two hours a week would help tremendously, he noted. “Electricians, plumbers, cat herders,” all are welcome to collaborate, Ting added.
“Even through the tragedy of Casey’s passing, there are beautiful opportunities opening up,” Sewell continued. “If we actually take this responsibility to Casey’s legacy seriously as a community, we can do cool things — and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Interested volunteers can contact wildmountainseeds@gmail.com
Photo by Raleigh Burleigh
Seed Peace
At an event hosted by True Nature on March 19, local agricultors gathered for a meal and film around the topic of mental wellness. It was announced then that the name “Seed Peace” was reclaimed from the Farm Collaborative to serve a new purpose. Seed Peace had merged with the Farm Collaborative early in 2023 and Piscura resigned his position as director of agriculture in the fall of 2024.
Seed Peace will now house Casey’s Fund Supporting Farmers, honoring Piscura’s memory by providing grants and supportive services “that nurture the mind, body, soul and spirit of regenerative farmers and food-related businesses,” a press release explained. The mission: “Sustaining those who care for the land and grow nourishing food.” The initiative will begin with a focus on the Roaring Fork and North Fork valleys of Colorado, as well as the New River Valley of Virginia, a place Piscura also called home.
The fund will offer two types of assistance: emergency cash grants and wellness and care vouchers. These vouchers should cover essential services like medical care, mental health counseling and wellness and preventative care (yoga, bodywork, acupuncture) — all at low or no cost.
Traci Turner, a close friend of Piscura, emphasized the need to take care of the farmers who feed us. “Holidays, Sundays, they’re always working and always having to tend the crops that are those nutrients that fuel us,” she said. As an educator, she teaches her young students that food “doesn’t just magically appear at the market,” rather, it depends on hardworking farmers.
As presented at the True Nature event, existing services will be utilized, namely the Colorado Agricultural Addiction and Mental Health Program which provides six free counseling sessions to people working in agriculture, a vocation with unique and intense stressors.
Persons and businesses interested in partnering with or making use of the resource can reach out to Piscura’s father, Bob, at bpiscura@yahoo.com or 540-616-6780. Healthcare providers, wellness practitioners and agricultural suppliers are invited to connect, as well as potential donors.
“It’s been a whirlwind couple of months, but we’re getting stuff going, getting stuff done,” Bob commented. A professional financial planner, he is dialing in the finer details of the fund. Bob and Casey’s mother, Debbie, will commit $30,000 per year to the fund annually. He estimates this alone could help support up to 100 people. Bob also hopes to strike up a mental health seminar series every January/February to destigmatize mental health counseling and antidepressants.
“As I’ve found out about Casey’s endeavors, it was all about regeneration,” he said. “Regenerative farming, his land management company where he was advising ranchers, the music stuff that Casey did, it was all about regenerating your soul. That’s the legacy.”
This year, Dandelion Day will also raise funds for the Seed Peace nonprofit, ensuring local food systems thrive by directly supporting wellness for farmers.
“We’re just finding that Casey’s shoes were pretty damn big,” Bob concluded, “and that’s an understatement.”
If you or someone you know has an intent to harm themselves or someone else, the Aspen Hope Center offers a 24/7 crisis line: 970-925-5858 (Aspen to Glenwood Springs) and 970-945-3728 (New Castle to Parachute). To reach Colorado Crisis Service, call 1-844-493-TALK (8255) or text “Talk” to 38255. For the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988.