Just off U.S. 36, where it snakes north of Boulder on its way to Lyons, sits the 100-acre, 161-year-old Yellow Barn Farm. A place that has been many things—a dairy farm, an equestrian center, a childhood playground, a money pit, a near-loss and, now, something far more ambitious: A living experiment in how to farm, collaborate and heal a changing world.
Originally called Allen’s Farm, the property dates back to 1865, when it operated as a dairy farm. Along the way, it morphed into an international equestrian center, boarding more than 50 horses and hosting 100 riders at a time. For decades, it revolved around hoofbeats and hay bales, which is how it was when Azuraye Wycoff’s family moved next door in the 1990s. When the land was put up for sale in 2001, her parents bought it on a sort of whim.
“They felt this deep spiritual calling,” says Wycoff, who serves as “chief ecopreneur” of Yellow Barn Farms. “My mom saw this as a space to feed community down the line, and my dad saw it as a sanctuary.”
What followed was a “Green Acres”-style leap, complete with high heels in the mud. But the farm was expensive to maintain and, after years of struggle, the family decided to sell. However, a series of tragedies, both personal and external, changed their course, culminating in the massive Cal-Wood wildfire that tore through in October 2020. With the help of the fire department and people living on the property digging a fire line, Yellow Barn was spared—though nearly everything around it burned.
That moment clarified what mattered. When the smoke cleared—literally and figuratively—the question was no longer whether to keep the land, but how to honor it. Yellow Barn shifted gears, becoming not just a farm, but a regenerative one.
At its core, regenerative agriculture is about working with nature instead of against it. It ditches the harmful chemical shortcuts, rejects monocropping and rebuilds soil as a living system. The goal isn’t just yield; it’s lasting regeneration.
This type of responsible, Earth-minded agriculture is a lofty goal, and a difficult one to make work financially. Which is why Yellow Barn isn’t merely a farm—it’s also an ag-focused incubator. A deliberately messy ecosystem of partners, ideas and income streams designed to make regenerative agriculture financially viable without selling its soul.
One of those on-site partners is Drylands Agroecology Research, which leads the actual land cultivation. Another is The Stalk Market, which promotes investing in local soil stewardship. Picky Pig Compost closes the loop by returning food scraps to the soil. Renting out the barn or farm for weddings and events is another piece of the income pie. Everyone involved (and there are several other resident incubatees on property) found Yellow Barn through word of mouth, drawn by shared values and a sense that something real was happening out there.
Perhaps the main group, though, is Drylands Agroecology Research, which researches, implements and refines practices around animal management, soil restoration and climate-smart farming. Through Drylands Agroecology Research, and with the help of lots (and lots) of volunteers, the team has planted nearly 10,000 trees on the land, including blue spruce, Douglas fir, black locust, sugar maple, apple, pear, gooseberry and conifer trees.
“More than anything, regenerative agriculture is the primary solution that is very much attainable,” says Wycoff. “We need to refocus on local farms, rather than farms going to big corporations.”
That focus takes shape at Yellow Barn via silvopastures, a sort of marriage between forest and pasture. These spaces create stronger ecosystem diversity by incorporating a large variety of trees and shrubs to protect soil, retain water, diversify crops and attract pollinators, birds, insects and wildlife back to the land.
The variety also helps to mitigate crop loss. If there’s, say, an early frost, sure, it might kill off some plants but, because there’s a plethora of them, many will withstand and not everything will be lost. This improves the soil, keeps the land producing and, another key element, pulls carbon out of the air.
Because yes, the little things can make a big difference. We really can turn things around for our planet one tree, one plant, one compost pile at a time.
“We need a lot of Yellow Barns, we need a lot of these little family farms to come back and sustain themselves,” Wycoff says. “We can’t focus on soil health without looking at community and economic health. How do these ecosystems work together?”
That question shapes everything at the farm, and real change doesn’t happen overnight. Soil regeneration is measured in decades, which is why Yellow Barn Farm is planning for the future, seven generations out.
Still, signs of change are everywhere. There are the 10,000 new trees, much more resilient soil and the on-site businesses and organizations making a real difference. Biodiversity is returning to the land and so, too, is hope.
“We’re all overwhelmed by the news and feeling crazy hopeless,” Wycoff says. “The people who come here see the project and you see their eyes light up. It’s the first time they’ve felt hope in a long time.”
