White Mountain Farm

White Mountain Farm Inc. has emerged as a singular case study in agronomic adaptation and market creation. Located in the San Luis Valley (SLV) of southern Colorado, a high-altitude desert basin spanning approximately 8,000 square miles, the enterprise stands as the pioneer of commercial quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) production in North America.

Founded formally in 1987, following years of preliminary research initiated in the early 1980s, White Mountain Farm represents the convergence of traditional multi-generational farming knowledge and speculative botanical research. The operation, currently stewarded by the New family, has navigated the complex transition from a conventional wheat and alfalfa rotation to a highly specialized, vertically integrated producer of organic pseudocereals and specialty tubers. This transition was not merely a business diversification strategy but a fundamental response to the hydrogeological realities of the Rio Grande Basin, where the imperative to reduce consumptive water use has become an existential necessity.

White Mountain Farm Inc. traces its historical lineage from the 1930s to the present day. It has played a pivotal role in introducing Andean crops to the Rocky Mountains, and its strategic merger with Rockey Farms to form White Rock Specialties. The farm currently faces profound ecological challenges—specifically the collapse of the region’s unconfined aquifer and the catastrophic emergence of the stem-boring ...

Operating in the high-altitude desert of the San Luis Valley, we face a unique set of environmental constraints, including aridity, altitude, and a truncated growing season. Our farming practices are a direct and thoughtful response to these challenges.

A core tenet of our operation is the responsible management of water. Recognizing the hydrogeological realities of the Rio Grande Basin, we have transitioned from conventional crops to a specialized portfolio of organic pseudocereals and specialty tubers that require less consumptive water use. This shift is not just a business strategy; it is an existential necessity for sustainable agriculture in our region.

Our approach represents a convergence of traditional, multi-generational farming knowledge with modern, speculative botanical research. We are a certified organic farm, committed to cultivating high-quality, resilient crops that thrive in this demanding landscape while preserving the delicate ecological balance.