"I'm farming the land for maybe 30, 40 years," said Grant, who owns Grant Family Farms near Wellington. "That's a small blip in time. I'm charged with taking care of the land."

The farm is a supplier for Whole Foods, and its land is protected by a conservation easement held by Legacy Land Trust, which helps to conserve private land by buying easements from land owners who, in turn, give up development rights to the property.

Tuesday, the nonprofit Legacy Land Trust will be the beneficiary of Whole Foods' quarterly CommUnity Day. The trust will receive 5 percent of the day's sales, while representatives of Legacy Land Trust will give away seeds and soil in the store.

CommUnity Day is part of Whole Foods' wider effort to support local charity groups, said Kim Mueller, marketing director for Whole Foods in Fort Collins.

"What better way (to support the community) than to help nonprofits in the community," Mueller said.

Conservation is important because it protects natural resources, economic diversity and the "services" provided by nature, said Jane Clark, development director at Legacy Land Trust.

Natural services include water filtering and providing oxygen.

Support of local farms is one of several factors that make the land trust an "ideal partner" for Whole Foods, Mueller said.

Local farming helps to drastically reduce cost and environmental damage because of shorter shipping distances, both Clark and Mueller said. It also gives the consumer a quality product.

"If it can be picked one day and brought to the store that night or the next day, you are going to get tastier, fresher produce," Mueller said.

The protection of farm land and other open land ensures a high quality of life in the future, Clark said.

"We all need to decide how much open land we want (in the future)," she said. "Private agriculture is a piece of that."