In the quiet stretch beneath Haystack Mountain’s watch, Farm 49 rests like a promise, a sanctuary where animals aren't categorized as “livestock,” but welcomed as companions, teachers, and friends. Founded by land stewards Nadia Artman and Colter Hoyt, this haven didn’t begin with blueprints or strategic plans—it began with a simple practice: never walking past a creature in need.
Nadia spent decades in cities, disconnected from where food truly begins—like so many of us who only ever meet strawberries at the grocery store. But when she began growing sea buckthorn berries and vegetables on her Boulder land, she quickly realized that real farming was a full ecosystem. Birds manage pests. Horses and cows create compost. Pigs turn food scraps into fertile ground. “On an organic farm, every part plays a role,” she says.
Naturally, the animals came.
Today, Farm 49 is home to a rotating cast of rescues: goats, ducks, cows, pigs, horses, barn cats, and loyal guard dogs. Many arrive from abusive or life-threatening situations. Each is given time, space, and individualized care before joining what Nadia and Colter call their “FARMily.”
One love story has become a legacy. Years ago, Nadia and Colter found a freezing duck at a gas station in Utah—she willingly climbed into a dog kennel. When no one wanted her, they adopted a lonely male duck to keep her company. They named them Jeremiah and Magdalena. Upon meeting, they bonded instantly, and today, their children and grandchildren waddle joyfully across the farm as the beloved “GaGa Gang.”
Farm 49 isn’t just a sanctuary—it’s a philosophy. Visitors often ask if they eat their animals. Nadia’s reply: “We don’t eat friends." To Nadia, compassion isn’t conditional; it doesn’t end where convenience begins.
The farm operates with help from volunteers who feed, clean, haul water, and harvest pumpkins and sunflowers for winter feed. Educational tours invite both children and adults to see regenerative agriculture in action, where compost, crops, and compassion are all part of the same cycle.
In a fast world, Farm 49 offers a radical reminder: healing begins with noticing and responding to the quiet ones who cannot ask for help.
Want to be part of the FARMily? Farm 49 welcomes volunteers of all ages—no farming experience necessary. Whether you’re mucking stalls, bottle-feeding a baby goat, or hauling pumpkin donations for winter feed, every hand makes a difference.
Donations of pumpkins, Christmas trees, or produce scraps are especially appreciated—what might be compost to you is a feast to a pig or cow.
Book an educational tour to meet the animals, learn about medicinal plants, and witness permaculture in action.
At Farm 49, kindness is a daily practice, and everyone is invited to participate. Come once and you’ll leave with new friends with feathers or fur. Many people come to lift the animals’ spirits and leave with their own lifted.
Farm49Boulder.com