Jewish Family Service of Colorado (JFS) recently announced it acquired Altius Farms, an urban agricultural enterprise located in the Five Points/Curtis Park neighborhood in Denver.

At the corner of 25th and Lawrence lies a glimpse into the future. The block is transformed by the verdant visages of edible greens visible through the glass panes of a second-story greenhouse. Inside, a sea of growing towers in an impeccably clean space are surrounded by natural light and dotted with various stages of growth—a spectrum of lettuces, flowers and herbs, a total of 26 varieties the day we visited.

Food retailers from coast to coast are increasingly turning to indoor, vertical and greenhouse farming to meet the demand for locally grown produce, reduce food miles and offer the freshest product possible. Some, such as Tops Friendly Markets in Williamsville, N.Y., are partnering with greenhouse operators off-site, while others, such as Whole Foods Market and The Kroger Co., work with greenhouse and indoor farming experts to grow on-site and in-store.

In Colorado, there is no such thing as a typical farmer: The hardworking farmers growing our food are as diverse as the crops and livestock they produce. Meet the men and women, military veterans, minority farmers and Native American tribes who grow your food.

Sally Herbert's urban farm in Curtis Park uses less water and land to produce lettuce, arugula, and other greens for Denver's booming restaurant scene—and for your kitchen table.

An urban agrihood community in Denver's RiNo neighborhood is providing a greener lifestyle, for residents and the public. The condominiums in S*Park, or Sustainability Park, have environmentally-friendly features like solar power, recycled brick and compost valet.

It was 8:15 Tuesday morning and the greenhouse was just waking up for the day. Meanwhile, the human staff of Altius Farms was already busy doing its work. Moving among rows of aeroponic growing towers the pickers plucked leafy greens, herbs and edible flowers like Genovese basil and red Russian kale, washed them and packed them in coolers.

US firm Tres Birds Workshop has topped a Japanese restaurant in Denver, Colorado with a greenhouse featuring soil-free growing towers. The building is located within a block-long, mixed-use development called S*Park, short for Sustainability Park.

If you’ve recently walked down Lawrence Street in RiNo, you have probably have been stopped in your tracks by the sight of a rooftop garden. At the very least, you’ve probably wondered what was going on above Uchi. This beautiful greenhouse space is home to Altius Farms.

It's not uncommon to hear about a new restaurant in RiNo. But how about a new farm that supplies food to those restaurants? Altius Farms is a new urban farm at the S*Park development at 25th and Lawrence streets that specializes in vertical, aeroponic growing.

People walking or driving by Altius Farms have picked up their phone to call and ask about the greenhouse at 25th and Lawrence. The glass-enclosed structure houses an urban farm that is using advanced technology to change the way we think about growing food.

Sally Herbert is looking for higher ground in RiNo. Instead of a penthouse with mountain views or a rooftop bar, the Air Force veteran and GS1 executive plans to grow lettuce. And this farm requires some vertical. Dissatisfied with Denver’s urban agriculture and farming, Herbert founded Altius Farms with the goal of growing produce on a footprint that spreads up, not out.