Peppler Farm
Colleen Peppler isn't just "the farmer's wife."
She knows at times in her career that she's been looked at as one — just the sidekick or the supporter. But she's more than that. In fact, she's been a partner in a business for 33 years.
It just so happens her business partner is her husband, Kent Peppler, former president of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, and she inherited his family's farm with him when they married 33 years ago. Together, they operate Peppler Farms, a fifth-generation farming operation near Platteville.
Being one of three daughters, Peppler learned quickly how to help out on her family's farm, and she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She went on to pursue a degree in family and consumer science at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, finishing it at Colorado State University. She has a master's degree in educational leadership and administration from CSU, too, and retired after 31 years of experience in education, working as a teacher and assistant principal for the St. Vrain Valley School District.
After she retired, she decided to dedicate the rest of her life to her first love.
Peppler Farms has about 500 irrigated acres, and Peppler said she and her husband farm alfalfa hay, silage corn, wheat and beer barley for Coors brewery. She manages the farm's properties and is involved in day-to-day decisions of the farm's operations. She's had stints in organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and Colorado Young Farmers. She now sits as president for the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture's Colorado Ag in the Classroom and volunteers for CommonGround Colorado, which is part of a national movement that helps connect women who buy food with women who grow it.
Peppler, 57, has been breaking stereotypes since she was a kid growing up on a dry land wheat farm in Akron. According to stereotypes, Peppler said, farmers tend to be uneducated men. She's neither.Peppler Farms has about 500 irrigated acres, and Colleen Peppler said she and her husband farm alfalfa hay, silage corn, wheat and beer barley for Coors brewery. She's been a partner in the business for 33 years. She manages the farm's properties and is involved in day-to-day decisions of the farm's operations. She's had stints in organizations such as the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and Colorado Young Farmers. She now sits as president for the Colorado Foundation for Agriculture's Colorado Ag in the Classroom and volunteers for CommonGround Colorado, which is part of a national movement that helps connect women who buy food with women who grow it.
