Poultry Mortality Cart in Nevada Winter

Cold breath hovers around the rusted steel rails of a weather-worn utility cart parked beside a muddy paddock fence in the Nevada high desert. The ground is wet concrete marked by deep boot prints and tire tracks that cut through thin layers of frost. Bare, brittle grass pokes through the mud near the fence line, while dry mountain light casts long, sharp shadows across the scene. The cart holds dark, empty compartments designed for livestock transport, its metal surface pitted and gray against the pale winter sky. Frost rests on the lower gate hinges, and the air remains still, freezing the moisture from the cart's exhaust into visible wisps that drift slowly upward. One frozen puddle reflects the dull gray of the overcast horizon.