2020 in review
2020 IN REVIEW
An end-of-year note about Columbia's Agriculture Park
2020 has been a hard year to say the least. As the COVID- 19 Pandemic swept through our community, we all did our best to maintain a strong local food system. With many things being put on hold, we still have amazing progress at the Agriculture Park. Columbia Farmers Market has remained open throughout the pandemic, improving access to healthy, locally-grown foods. The Henry Kirklin Black Farmer Scholarship Fund was launched. The Local Food Relief program purchased over 30,000 pounds of food from local farmers and donated it to hunger relief organizations; providing aid to farmers and families in poverty. Over 20,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables was grown at the park and donated to the Central Pantry. All the while construction progressed at the park. The barn, greenhouse, one-room schoolhouse, picnic/learning shelters, heating in the pavilion, and temporary office building are all complete. Demonstration gardens continue to be built in the winter months.
Join us for a virtual drone tour of Columbia's Agriculture Park in 2020. This video was taken in October by CCUA's volunteer Paul Mossine (www.paulmossine.com)
You have a chance to be a part of this big village and support this progress:
Volunteer with CCUA in 2021.
We've got a TON of work lined up and need your help to build out the gardens, outdoor classrooms, and more.
Make an end-of-year contribution.
Pledge to do monthly Credit Card Payments. Your $10, $50, or $100 a month helps drive this project forward!
Make an end-of-year donation via check on credit card
Donate mature stock from your portfolio
Utilize the popular 50% State Tax Credits ($5,000 minimum)
Help spread the word about the Ag Park. Forward this email to a friend or loved one, and invite them to shop at Columbia Farmers Market with you this winter and next season.
Shop at Columbia Farmers Market and see the progress for yourself!
Many thanks to all the people who've come together in the spirit of progress and community betterment to be a part of and utilize this park! Happy Holidays to you and yours, and all the best in 2021!
As a part of the “Universal Deduction” from the CARES Stimulus Act, the vast majority of people who do not itemize deductions may now take an ‘above the line’ deduction up to $300 for individuals and $600 for couples for charitable contributions in 2020 and 2021. Those who itemize deductions may now itemize charitable deductions up to 100% of your adjusted gross income.
Please consult your tax advisor for further information.
The new charitable deduction for nonitemizers, and you could qualify with your donation to Phase 2! See this article for more information.
REDUCE YOUR TAXES AND
SUPPORT THE AG PARK
50% State Tax Credits available from MDFB!
Summer 2019 the Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB) approved the City of Columbia’s request for $2 million dollars in 50% State Tax Credits to support Phase 2 of Columbia’s Agriculture Park. Here are a few key facts:
Donations can be made via check or marketable securities
Must be for Phase 2 of the project. (Sorry we cannot use tax credits to pay on outstanding Phase 1 pledges)
$5,000 minimum donation
Available first come first serve
Two FAQ documents are available at www.BuildThisTown.org
Read more about Phase 2 and the tax credit benefits HERE.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
Relevant for contributions made with and without tax credits.
Donations via check need to be postmarked by December 31st, 2020 to receive tax benefits in the 2020 tax year.
Online donations need to be submitted before midnight December 31st.
Stock donations often take several days to process. Thus, if you would like to receive 2019 tax benefits we are suggesting that all stock contributions be initiated no later than December 26th, 2020.
Learn more about your CoMO Ag Park donation and pledge options at:
www.BuildThisTown.org/Donate
2020 YEAR IN REVIEW 2019 was a progress year for Columbia's Agriculture Park! Here's a quick photo essay that shows the last year (and some extras) of the progress that has been done! We are excited to see what 2021 will have in store for our amazing Agriculture Park!
Tony Minnick, CCUA's Farm Manager speaks about all the growth Columbia's Agriculture Park has had this year.
Photo from June 2018, really shows how much progress has happened in the last few years.
WOW! What an amazing transformation over the last 18 months!
Many thanks to the big beautiful community that has helped make Columbia's Agriculture Park a reality! Take a look at our progress photos below, from the end of 2019 through 2020. This was a year with lots of progress for the Agriculture Park! The first section below shows the Barn and Greenhouse progress from start to now (December 2020).
This next section shows the progress on the One Room School House. This building is already being used for curbside pickup for Columbia Farmers Market's Online Market! We look forward to having many workshops, and educational events in the space in the future.
Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture's Planting for the Pantry rows were at the Agriculture Park for the entire season 2020 season. CCUA staff and volunteers were able to harvest and donate 24,505 pounds of food from the Agriculture Park rows! It's amazing to see the progress that has been made from the hard, compacted soil from the old Boone County fairgrounds, to the healthy and amazing soil it is today! CCUA's amazing garden crew has truly transformed that area into a healthy, fertile soil that is nourishing our community! Check out the below progress photos, showing all the amazing growth!
We are so excited about all the exciting progress the Agriculture Park has made in 2020! By Spring 2021, we hope to have a lot more exciting progress and programming to show off!
Check out the 2018 time-lapse of the MU Health Care Pavilion build.
