Your Farmers

From Northern Wisconsin to Colorado Soil

I'm Cale, and I grew up in Northern Wisconsin—a place where seasons dictate your life and hard work is just part of the culture. While my career has been in law enforcement, where I still serve full-time today, my heart found its way to the soil in a way I never expected.

The Suburban Backyard Beginning (2002)

It started simply enough in 2002 with a trip to our local library. I checked out Mel Bartholomew's book on square foot gardening, picked up some lumber and soil, and built two large garden boxes in our suburban backyard. I just wanted to grow some vegetables for my family.

Those two boxes doubled. Then tripled.

I discovered something about myself: I was good at growing food. Really good. What started as a family project soon produced enough to share with neighbors. The suburban backyard that once felt spacious suddenly felt impossibly small.

The Dream Takes Root (2013)

By 2013, the dream had outgrown the backyard completely. I purchased a 5-acre property in Sedalia, Colorado, with a vision to start a small farm—a place where I could grow more vegetables and truly connect with my community.

But I knew square-foot gardening wouldn't cut it for commercial farming. I'm a systems thinker, and I needed a system that would work. I dove into research and found JM Fortier's "Market Gardening Success," becoming a devoted student of SPIN (Small Plot Intensive) growing systems. I studied Eliot Coleman and Curtis Stone, absorbing everything I could about intensive, sustainable farming.

Launch and Learning (2014-2015)

I spent 2014 experimenting, learning my land, understanding the microclimate and what this particular piece of earth wanted to teach me. Every grower knows: you don't just farm the land, you learn from it.

In 2015, Sandy's Way Microfarm officially launched with eight 24" x 25ft planting beds.

Growing Forward (2015-2025)

The farm has literally and figuratively grown ever since. From those original eight beds, we've expanded to sixty-six 30" x 50ft garden beds, added three high tunnels, and now cultivate nearly 13,000 square feet of production space. We became the only Certified Naturally Grown farm producing vegetables and select herbs for direct-to-consumer sales in Douglas County.

Every season brings new lessons, new challenges, and new connections with the families who trust us to grow their food.

Why I Farm

I still wear the badge. I still serve my community in law enforcement. But farming has become my other calling—one that feeds people in a different but equally important way.

I believe our industrial food system is broken, shipping "fresh" produce thousands of miles while pumping it full of chemicals. I believe every family in our community deserves authentic, nutritious, flavorful food grown close to home by people they know. I believe in stewarding this land responsibly, improving it for future generations, and farming the soil more than the plants themselves.

This is more than a farm. It's a commitment to my community, to the land, and to a better food system—one vegetable, one family, one season at a time.