Silence falls over the tent. The few remaining voices fade one by one, like candle flames softly giving in to the dark. The song of sparrows chirping and several chickens clucking in the distance fills the space.
“The last couple of stragglers that are registering didn’t realize Haxtun is so far from anything,” Roy Pfaltzgraff says with a chuckle over the microphone.
The tall, sturdy farmer with a bright smile and soft voice has everyone’s attention. Roy addresses an audience of nearly 60 strangers under a large canvas tent wedged between several grain elevators and a tractor on his family’s farm.
“I’d like to welcome you to our first field day,” Roy says with a beaming smile. “And we have come to the realization that we misnamed this. This is more of a conference than a field day,” he adds.
A few soft chuckles echo from the crowd.
Roy continues. His voice starts to quiver. The words bounce up and down a little bit, like a boat riding over small, choppy waves. He’s getting choked up –– and for good reason. This day has been a long time coming for the fifth-generation farmer.
“The amount of information you’ll be able to receive today, and the researchers you’ll be interacting with, are some of the best in the world … And I have the opportunity to have them on our farm,” he says.
The Pfaltzgraff Farms Research Field Day is about to begin.
The day is all about showcasing world-class agricultural technology, farming practices and research. Folks from the agricultural industry, energy sector, culinary world and general public are attending.
Highlights of the day include state-of-the-art soil moisture sensors; measuring the carbon cycle of low-water-use plants; solar energy production alongside livestock grazing and crop rotation; and Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Corners for Conservation program.
The mid-morning sun slowly cooks Colorado’s Eastern Plains. A crowd gathers around Ed Gorman, CPW’s small game manager.
Knee-high plants and tangled greenery dot the headlands (edges) of a yellowing camelina field. Some folks sit on the damp soil. Others stand in a loose crescent around Ed. A classroom is taking shape in the middle of a Corners for Conservation property.
“What you’re standing in right now is a buffer strip that my agency, in partnership with the High Plains Land Conservancy over in Holyoke, planted last year,” Ed says.
Folks look around curiously, glancing underfoot and scanning up and down the strip. One young woman twirls a long green stem between her fingers.
“It’s been through a tough growing season last year, and up until June it was pretty rough,” Ed says.
“But things are starting to shape up. Over here there’s some upright coneflower. There’s Rocky Mountain bee plant. If you look close there’s some switchgrass coming on. Things are really improving,” he adds.
He explains the natural progression of a Corners for Conservation field.
They have a rough-looking first couple years. It seems to be mostly weeds to the untrained eye. But the real stars are waiting just off stage. Before long, warm-season grasses and abundant wildflowers run the show.
“Part of our objective is to have flowers blooming out there throughout the summer,” Ed says.
Easier said than done.
There’s a dozen native wildflowers and some warm-season grass species in the mix. All of them rely exclusively on rainfall and any moisture buried deep in the soil. Ed admits it’s a tall order sometimes, but he’s always up to the task.
When it all comes together, the results are spectacular.
Insects, songbirds, ring-necked pheasants, bobwhite quail, doves and deer frequent these fields. Colorful flower blooms abound. Native grasses tower chest high.
Roy isn’t shy about sharing his opinions on the Corners program. He jumps in.
“Ed’s like ‘It’s gonna take five years, it’s gonna take five years,’” Roy says while giving a dismissive headshake from the back of the crowd. “It’s gonna make an impact immediately.”
His enthusiasm is building. Now he’s on a roll.
“And you see it even now, we have lots of grasshoppers in the pollinator strips. But for some reason they do not move into the field. They’ll just hang out in this. And we’re starting to see other species. We’re starting to see a lot of praying mantis out here,” he says.
For Roy, these little strips of land have been a game changer for his farm. The Corners provide a safe place to turn trucks around or park farm equipment. They keep weeds from mixing with his crops. He’s seeing more and more wildlife in his community.
Then a pale, cream-colored speck on the horizon catches his eye. Roy points to a pronghorn doe (female) with twin fawns several hundred yards away. The audience swivels, many of them squinting at the western skyline.
“People ask me how I know my soils are healthy. Well if the large animals want to be here, there’s a reason. It’s because of what we’re doing in the soil, and this is just another piece of what we can do to benefit wildlife,” he says.
Across Colorado’s Eastern Plains, Corners for Conservation are quietly transforming the countryside. Farmers are restoring more native grassland habitat on the margins of farmland, thanks to help from CPW and the High Plains Land Conservancy.
Even for Ed, after 30 years as CPW’s small game manager and a lifetime of memories on the plains, he’s in awe of how Corners have been embraced.
“I grew up on a wheat farm about 20 miles south of here. And when I come here I’m continually amazed by how much the Pfaltzgraff Farms has going on. It’s mind boggling to be honest with you. And I’m really happy to be a small part of that with the pollinators and Corners for Conservation program,” Ed shares in his closing remarks.
The smell in the barnyard is powerful. And alluring. It’s not the typical barnyard smell. A sweet, smoky scent of grilled chicken hangs low over the tractors. It’s lunch time.
Emily Kamala holds a heaping plate of chicken, grits and vegetables in the shade of a barn. She’s part of the Pfaltzgraff farm team, and as of 30 hours ago, Roy’s wife.
For her, the Corners projects are more than just borders on their farm fields. They’re deeply personal, even in her home life.
“My wedding bouquet was made out of the flowers from the headlands. It was beautiful,” Emily admits with a giddy laugh. Her joy is radiant.
The two of them got married with a sunrise ceremony on the farm. The night before, Roy was braving a heavy thunderstorm and building Emily’s bouquet with flowers from the buffer strips.
Around Pfaltzgraff Farms the headlands of every field, except for one, are enrolled in Corners for Conservation. Roy and Emily like to think about the farm in a very scientific fashion. Emily even talks about the farm like a biologist, or a doctor.
“He [Roy] started talking about the headlands. And he’s like ‘We’re losing yield. We’re getting disease in. We’re getting weeds in,’” Emily laments.
“I was like, ‘You know what? This outside piece is like a cell wall. How do we build it and bolster it so that it works like a cell wall? Which is really the gatekeeper to what goes in and out of every single cell,” she adds.
They were stuck. Headlands were a headache, with no promising solutions in sight. Then they met Ed at a community meeting in Haxtun. By the next week, they were planting their first Corners for Conservation project.
Roy is polishing off a brownie topped with a peach slice under the big top tent. The drone of voices from field day attendees forces him to speak up more than normal. Roy scoots his plate a little farther into the table and leans forward.
With 140 years of farming in his family roots, Roy takes his commitment to the calling very seriously. Pfaltzgraff Farms is transitioning from a conventional farm to a research-focused farm. Roy’s land plays host to more than a half dozen research projects annually.
For him, Corners for Conservation fits right into the symphony of soil health, scientific practices and helping the next generation.
“That’s why this is so important for me to share this. I might not necessarily have family members that will follow me. But if I can provide this information and help farmers make these changes that allows their farms to go on, then I’ve made a difference in the world,” Roy says.
A slight quiver returns to his voice. It’s almost imperceptible.
“That is really powerful to be able to change what is going on in agriculture. To make healthier soils. To make more wildlife. To make a more complete system.”
Written and photographed by Forrest Czarnecki. Forrest is a Colorado hunter and angler, and he is a Digital Media Specialist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
