Great Garden Series

125 years of Farming Along the Animas

With Jerry Zink

Join us as lifelong rancher, engineer, entrepreneur, and conservation leader Jerry Zink shares 125 Years of Farming Along the Animas River, a remarkable story of innovation, stewardship, and community building rooted in generations of agricultural tradition.

Born and raised on Waterfall Ranch between 1950 and 1968, Jerry Zink grew up immersed in the traditions of producing potatoes, cattle, and sheep. He went on to earn a degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and became a licensed Professional Engineer in Colorado, working throughout the 1970s in coal mining, tunneling, and water?jet rock drilling research. During this time, he and his wife Karen married and raised their daughters, Heidi and Holly. Since 1978, Jerry has stewarded Sunnyside Farms, a 220?acre certified organic hay and grazing operation protected by conservation easement. He is also the co?founder of StoneAge, Inc., a high?tech manufacturing company at Animas Air Park employing 150 employee?owners. Jerry’s leadership extends deeply into community conservation as a long?serving board member and President of the La Plata Open Space Conservancy. He founded Sunnyside Meats, a USDA?inspected livestock processing facility employing 20 people, and co?founded Sunnyside Farms Market, an artisan butcher and deli with 30 employees. Most recently, he contributed to regional economic development as the developer of Purple Cliffs at Escalante, a 45,000?square?foot mixed?use building. Jerry Zink is a visionary agriculturalist, entrepreneur, conservation leader, and dedicated steward of our community.

Great Garden events happen every fourth Wednesday of the month, April-September, presented by the Durango Botanic Gardens, CSU Extension Office, & Durango Public Library. For more details visit www.durangobotanicgardens.org/events.

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