Lay Creek Ranch tells a story of persistence, learning, and long-term commitment to land stewardship. Owner Giles Paulson purchased a portion of the historic RioRoMo property in 2005, driven by a lifelong pull back to his agricultural roots after growing up in Kearney, Nebraska and later settling in Denver. What he acquired was challenging ground—alkali soils, heavy thistle infestations, pH levels around 8.5, and soil health scores firmly in the red. Early management included aerial treatments for thistles and crickets and brush beating dense sagebrush, balanced carefully with concerns about erosion on newly exposed ground. From the start, Giles approached restoration thoughtfully, addressing erosion in gullies, building access bridges, and experimenting with creek bank stabilization while committing to a soil-first philosophy.

Over the next five years, that philosophy paid off. Through extensive organic amendments—including chicken and cow manure, humate, gypsum, elemental sulfur, wood straw, and biological inoculants—soil tests steadily shifted from red to green and pH dropped to a healthier 7.8. The land began producing: grazing in year one, 80 bales of triticale in year two, 4,200 pounds of harvested grain by year three, and eventually the purchase of a combine. Today, Lay Creek Ranch supports triticale, sudan grass in low and boggy areas, and carefully managed grazing designed to allow pastures to rest and recover. All production is dryland, following water tests that showed creek water unsuitable for irrigation. Looking ahead, Giles plans to add safflower and grind triticale for pigs, while continuing to improve habitat for sage-grouse, mule deer, and sandhill cranes—proof that productive agriculture and wildlife conservation can thrive together. His work with the STAR program and Frontier Station, along with drought-tolerant native landscaping around the home, reflects a holistic vision of land use that is both resilient and responsible, making Lay Creek Ranch a deserving Conservationist of the Year.