Words are nice to write, but sometimes it’s a kick to post photos of what’s been happening around here this spring. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy!

Caroline and Cary Kimmic are here apprenticing for the season. In a word, they’ve been “awesome!”

We like to measure the height of the grass in our two-acre intensively rotated pasture where we rotate broiler, turkeys, layer hens and steers, sometimes all the livestock at once. These next photos were all taken in the same location, only days apart. It was a wet winter, and it’s been a wet spring. The grass has really responded, as the photos attest.

From boot-top height grass (first photo), to knee-high in about one week’s time. This pasture has been intensively grazed, mostly by pastured poultry for about 17 years, so the fertility is second-to-none!

Genepi (named after the French flower), mothers her newborn kid, moments after giving birth.

Twenty yearlings from Laid Back Ranch have been enjoying eating down the grass in our intensively rotated pasture. In the background are pastured poultry pens housing our meat chickens, which are rotated to fresh grass every morning.

The yearlings on fresh pasture: m-mm good!

All in a day’s work: The tools of the farmers on a typical day here at the farm. Check it out closely to see how varied the activities are on the farm.

Every week we have a scheduling session with our apprentices so that we’re all on the same page and can anticipate what needs to be done.

Here, Caroline plants tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds in a flat. Eventually, when these plants grow and after the last frost date (early June?), these plants will be transplanted into one of the hot houses.

Elias cares for his young ducks.

As part of our Regenerative Agriculture initiative, we’ve been making biochar to feed to our young broiler chickens in the brooder.

Regenerative Agriculture: Two aspiring young farmers observe the results of slowing down the flow of water down a slope that was previously being eroded.

Of course, springtime in the Rockies isn’t complete without a few snowstorms thrown in for good measure!

The garden is looking soooo good this spring, helped by great soil, good water, cool growing conditions, and, of course, lots of hard work. Thanks Anne!

Early-season seedlings ready to be transplanted.

These are the remnants from the fall/winter garden in one of our two hot houses. Nutritious greens, kale, chard, parsley and spinach.