Wildflowers are blooming, and while it’s not quite corn maze season, August and September bring the peak blooming season for sunflowers. Near Denver International Airport, fields of seemingly endless sunflowers have been growing since spring, waiting to be admired before they are harvested in September.
But why would one of the world’s busiest airports use its land for farming crops like sunflowers? DIA spokesperson Stephanie Figueroa told FOX31 it’s “in the airport’s best interest to find the highest and best use of our property while supporting our primary mission as an airport.”
According to DIA, a high non-aeronautical revenue helps to lower operating costs for the airport and airline partners. That’s why some land belonging to DIA is leased to businesses like car rental companies and farmers.
Farmers rent land from DIA and use it to rotate multiple crops, including sorghum, corn, winter wheat, sunflowers, and more. The farmers use a technique called dry farming, which means they do not irrigate. But with so much rain falling in Colorado this year, Figueroa said those crops are thriving.
Read more at kdvr.com