Water scarcity could threaten growers of Colorado’s famed Pueblo chile, documentary shows

The moment Mike Bartolo first speaks in the new documentary “Mirasol, Looking at the Sun,” you feel yourself drawing closer to the screen, wanting to hear more, caring about what he’s saying. 

That’s because the third-generation farmer from Rocky Ford, who was inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame in February, cares so much about his subject. Bartolo meticulously bred the famous Pueblo chile pepper that’s put Hatch chile growers in New Mexico on defense for two decades.

He’s also a longtime research scientist and vegetable crop specialist at Colorado State University’s Arkansas Valley Research Center working to preserve heirloom seeds, which his family sells through their company Burrell Seed Growers, the longest continuously operated seed grower in Colorado. And he’s the kind of tender-hearted guy who cries when he speaks of things close to his heart. 

Farming, family and sharing the food he grows are Bartolo’s life. But increasingly over the years so is a fight to keep cities and developers from taking the water that has sustained farms and farmers in Pueblo County since the 1900s. 

“Mirasol, Looking at the Sun” is about him, his legacy championing agriculture and water protection in the Lower Arkansas Valley, and the fight producers there are increasingly up against amid population growth and urban spread in places like Colorado Springs and Aurora.  

It was coproduced by the Palmer Land Conservancy and Kristie Nackord, who brought in acclaimed documentarian Ben Knight to direct it. Nackord says “water issues are so entrenched in legalese and engineering that there’s a disconnect between them and the fact that behind them are these families, these communities.” 

She recently discussed the 37-minute film, farming and how cities are sipping water from the lower Arkansas River with The Colorado Sun. 

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Sun: What inspired you to make “Mirasol?”

Nackord: I wanted, with the Palmer Land Conservancy, to help tell the story of the struggle agricultural rural communities are facing. While “Mirasol” puts a spotlight on the Pueblo community, this is the story of every rural community grappling with the impacts of urban growth and development pressures, while trying to maintain its community, culture and way of life.

My premise has been that if people come to know and love these places like I do, they will want to protect them too. 

By 2050, according to Northern Water, Colorado could lose another 1,000 square miles of agricultural land through agricultural-to-municipal water transfers, a practice we call “buy and dry” to meet growth demands on the Front Range. This is the equivalent of losing the land mass of Colorado Springs five times. And this growth often has direct and devastating impacts to our rural communities. As Mike Bartolo is often quoted saying, there is no such thing as economic development — there is only economic relocation. When water and water ownership permanently leaves a community or a region, that wealth, that prosperity and that current and future opportunity are gone forever. 

Sun: What’s the most surprising thing you learned?

Nackord: When we set out to do this project, I didn’t realize the depth of culture and rich tradition in Pueblo. While Palmer has worked there for years, when the families allowed us into their hearts and lives, we got to witness this way of life we don’t get to see when we quickly pick up our corn, melons or Pueblo chiles. This film points to something more than just farms and water. It helps us remember what matters most — our connection to the land and each other. Ben Knight nailed it! 

Sun: What do people not know about farmers in Colorado?

Nackord: We have something very special here. Most of our farms are still owned by families, not big out-of-state corporations. And many have been farming for generations.  

But people assume that if ag land gets converted to housing or simply is dried up and left to weeds, and water is no longer used for growing food, the shelves will still be stocked at the local grocery store. We have a disconnect and we must help people understand that food security is a real risk — here in Colorado and nationally.

Farmers are also the real gamblers. They take risks every growing season and they put everything on the line financially at the beginning of the season with zero guarantee they will get a return. Does that make sense? Here are farming families who already only receive 7.9 cents of every food dollar sold. Their margins are so slim, and there are so many things out of their control. Yet they are expected to keep growing our food, with their cash outlay at the beginning of the year, within all of this pressure. 

Sun: Water use and misuse play such a big part in your film — how can we ensure producers will be a first priority as urban spread continues in Colorado?

Nackord: How we grow, where we grow and why we grow are important for Colorado communities to consider, with direct impacts on rural communities. Every new development means you have to dry up a farm. Period. There is nowhere else for that water to come from.

To ensure access to local food for Coloradans and that family-owned farms remain as part of the backbone to our rural communities, we as citizens, community and business leadership along with our elected officials, have a lot we can do to take action. And action is needed. We must prioritize our rural agricultural communities through our time, dollars and votes. 

Sun: Did anything break your heart while making this?

Nackord: Shortly after filming wrapped up, the Williams Farm and Seed Store, featured in the film, went up for sale. The family simply cannot maintain it anymore and hope to sell it to a farmer who will maintain their vision for conservation and to keep the water on the farm. But the fate of the farm is still up in the air. This is the reality that is happening every day.

Sun: What gave you hope?

Nackord: Our next generation of land lovers. My daughter, Norah. She has seen “Mirasol” so many times. And I genuinely believe people care. It is simply about helping people better understand what is actually going on. I also have hope in the really smart people and organizations who are working on solutions to these issues. Because there are solutions, and organizations like Palmer Land Conservancy and others across the state are working toward those solutions. We need to do more, we need to do better, but solutions exist. Now let’s dream those into reality and protect our land and communities while there’s still time. 

A screening and conversation about “Mirasol, Looking at the Sun” will take place at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum on April 12. For more information about the film and other viewing opportunities, click here. Watch the trailer here.