Beneath Denver’s solar panels, a spice nicknamed “red gold” is yielding a promising harvest that could help Colorado farmers earn more with less water.
At Colorado State University Spur, horticulture graduate student Reece Bailey is investigating whether saffron could become a profitable addition to the state’s farms. His experiments in the campus’s urban gardens and green roof research areas are testing how the crop handles Colorado’s climate, how much water it needs, and whether growing it beneath solar panels improves production.
The appeal starts with its extraordinary value. A pound of saffron typically costs between $600 and $5,000, with some varieties reaching $10,000. Vanilla, the second most expensive spice, sells for roughly $90 to $225 a pound. Those prices caught Bailey’s attention, but the research must establish whether the potential earnings justify the work.
Why Saffron Could Suit Colorado…