Welcome to Old McConnell Farm!
Nestled along the South Platte River in Evans, Old McConnell Farm is a vibrant 30-acre haven brought to life by Sarah and Kyle McConnell. “We’ve got cows, we breed pigs, and we’ve got chickens,” Kyle shares, painting a picture of a bustling farmstead. But it’s not just livestock that thrives here—Sarah has cultivated a flourishing flower operation that adds color and charm to the landscape.
“Local flowers are completely unmatched, I think, to anything you can import,” Sarah says passionately. She grows specialty cut flowers like dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, lisianthus, and early-season ranunculus. With the help of high tunnels, the farm extends its growing season to include early spring and late fall blooms. “Here I am five years later growing on a larger scale each year. And it’s been awesome,” she reflects.
Origins of the Farm
The journey began eight years ago when the McConnells moved to the property. “The house had been abandoned and the land had not been worked,” Sarah recalls. “I kind of thought to myself, this is a good chance to bring it back to life and share local flowers with the community.”
Beyond the beauty of flowers, the farm is a place of learning and growth for their children. “It’s just a good lifestyle for them to grow up on, learn hard work, respect, deal with animals,” Kyle explains. The McConnells emphasize the importance of raising their own food and instilling values in their kids. “We’re trying to teach our kids that there’s a lot of value in that and knowing where your food comes from,” Kyle adds. “It’s happy pork, it’s happy beef, and we see them from start to finish.”
John Deere Tools for the Job
Infrastructure improvements are always underway. Kyle tackled a trenching project with John Deere’s 60P Compact Excavator to bring well water to the high tunnels. “It was awesome. It’s got a nice big bucket on it. Was able to dig quickly. It’s quiet,” he says of the equipment used. “It can handle a little slough. I can go deeper than I can with the traditional trencher. Made it a lot better.”
The McConnells appreciate the ease and efficiency of each of John Deere’s farming tools they demoed, including a Gator, a 1023R Compact Tractor with a 120R Loader attachment, and a ZTrak Mower . “All this equipment is pretty user friendly,” Kyle notes. “John Deere is pretty smooth. The controls are very smooth. Very quick to react.” For small-scale farmers like them, accessible equipment makes a big difference. “We’ve got a lot of land that we just are grateful to be able to do kind of whatever we want with it. So, it’s kind of like that little dream come true.”
Old McConnell Farm is more than just a piece of land—it’s a testament to hard work, family values, and the joy of cultivating life from the soil up.