Forever chemicals ended a historic Colorado farm's vegetables, and flowers took root instead

By Leslie Sattler | Yahoo!New | July 20, 2026

Read the full article by Leslie Sattler (Yahoo!News)

"Part of a historic Colorado farm now grows orange, pink, and red flowers where vegetables used to be planted. The blooms have given Venetucci Farms a new use, but they also underscore how PFAS contamination changed the land and what it once meant to the community.

What happened?

In Fountain, Colorado, 15 acres at Venetucci Farms are leased to Gather Mountain Blooms, and about two of those acres are now filled with flowers. According to Rocky Mountain PBS, co-owner Nikki McComsey and her all-woman team took that direction after PFAS contamination tied to firefighting foam from Peterson Air Force Base forced the farm away from edible crops.

Venetucci Farms had long been a community fixture. After the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation bought the property in 2004 from Nick Venetucci, it kept local traditions alive, including giving away pumpkins to children each fall."

Location:

• North AmericaUS
• North AmericaUSColorado

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• Products
• Environment
• Wildlife
• ImpactAgriculture
• Affected community
• Health
• Measurement Techniques
• Monitoring Data
• PFAS Uses