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  • 16 hours ago
Homestead Rescue Season 13 Episode 1
Transcript
00:00:00You see a stampede, these people are right.
00:00:08Welcome to the Wild West.
00:00:11We really didn't have a lot of experience.
00:00:14Eastern Colorado does come with a lot of wind.
00:00:17Having the bison has really challenged me in a couple ways that I haven't anticipated.
00:00:22It's like I'm seeing dinosaurs.
00:00:25We feel overwhelmed.
00:00:26With 90 mile an hour wind, this thing doesn't stand a chance unless we beef it up.
00:00:31We gotta get to work.
00:00:33Everything just keeps on getting bigger and badder.
00:00:37This is a little bit bigger of a project than we anticipated.
00:00:41Colorado wind. Go slow.
00:00:44Hold, hold.
00:00:46Hold, hold, hold.
00:00:49Hold, hold, hold.
00:00:56Look out there.
00:01:08You know what you're looking at?
00:01:10The Wild West.
00:01:13Namely, Colorado.
00:01:16Look at these turbines.
00:01:17So, do you see a lot growing?
00:01:22No.
00:01:23It's really dry.
00:01:25It's really harsh.
00:01:27It's at elevation.
00:01:28And it's really windy.
00:01:31Wind is the invisible predator for every homestead that has it.
00:01:36And on that note, Colorado, bring it on.
00:01:41In the expansive prairie lands of eastern Colorado, the Rainies respond to an SOS from one of their largest homesteads yet.
00:01:51A sprawling 265-acre ranch.
00:01:54With the increase of railroad lines in the late 1800s, this region was once teeming with settlers lured by fertile soil and wide-open grazing lands.
00:02:06However, when the drought hit in 1890, many fled, leaving only the most dedicated, who adapted farming techniques more suitable for a semi-arid environment.
00:02:17Today, the region experiences extreme shifts in climate conditions, from scorching heat to chilling hurricane-force winds, making life a struggle for even the most seasoned homesteader.
00:02:33And for the inexperienced, like the Cooper family, big ambition can lead to big problems.
00:02:42I'm Melissa Cooper.
00:02:44I'm Kevin Cooper.
00:02:45And this is our 265-acre homestead in eastern Colorado.
00:02:51We've been here four years now.
00:02:54We have actually talked about homesteading for as long as I can remember in our relationship.
00:03:00We love the lifestyle.
00:03:02We love being able to walk outside, hear birds chirping, see a beautiful sunset, and then see the buffalo walk across, you know, the prairie.
00:03:09Spurred by the pandemic and an unexpected health scare, the Coopers moved to their homestead and were confronted with some harsh realities.
00:03:19We would absolutely love to be able to sustain everything here, have our own food in our garden, but when we first moved out to the homestead, we really didn't have a lot of experience.
00:03:29We are the couple of city kids that came out here who don't have any background in agriculture.
00:03:36We jumped into something with big dreams, and we weren't ready.
00:03:42Eastern Colorado does come with a lot of weather as far as wind.
00:03:49The wind is killing the garden.
00:03:50We have a really hard time starting plants on the homestead.
00:03:54We've tried multiple different methods, but as you can see, we've had very little success with the beds.
00:04:00We want to be more self-sustainable and grow vegetables, but we don't see it being feasible.
00:04:07One of our goals is to have livestock.
00:04:10We want pigs, but the barn's not a safe living environment right now.
00:04:15The panels on the roof have been blown off.
00:04:18There's structural beams that are no longer structurally sound.
00:04:23We're new to this whole process.
00:04:25There's so much that we're still learning, and we feel a little overwhelmed.
00:04:28Right now, we have bison and chickens.
00:04:32We do process our bison, but managing them is starting to be a threat to our livelihood.
00:04:39Bison are a very dangerous animal.
00:04:42If bison do not have feed and water, they will go find it.
00:04:45So all of our fencing we have, if they want to go through it, they will.
00:04:51On the south end of the homestead, we have a functioning well,
00:04:54but we don't have water out on the pasture for the bison.
00:04:58Recently, we had a new calf, and we found the baby dead.
00:05:04The cause was the heat and the lack of water.
00:05:07Those are hard moments.
00:05:08Buffalo are number one, and putting ourselves number two.
00:05:12We've already had those situations where you see Kevin and I snap at each other
00:05:17because the stress gets to us.
00:05:19You know, your dreams slowly turn into nightmares,
00:05:22and we're trying to make it work the best that we can.
00:05:25We're just failing.
00:05:26Marty, Misty, Matt, we need your help.
00:05:28Hello.
00:05:37Hello.
00:05:38Hi.
00:05:40Well, who are we meeting?
00:05:42I'm Melissa.
00:05:43Melissa.
00:05:44Kevin.
00:05:44Kevin, are you?
00:05:45Husband and wife.
00:05:46Garrett.
00:05:47Who's this big guy?
00:05:47How does he fit in this road?
00:05:48Brother-in-law.
00:05:49Your brother-in-law.
00:05:50Well, nice to meet you guys.
00:05:53How big is this homestead?
00:05:54It's 265 acres.
00:05:56And what are you doing with 265 acres?
00:05:59We have a small herd of bison.
00:06:01How many?
00:06:0116.
00:06:03So you called us here.
00:06:04Let's talk about some of those reasons.
00:06:08We actually met while I was still in high school.
00:06:12We have been together for 20 years.
00:06:14We've been married for 12, and we have two kids together,
00:06:18a boy who is 18 and a girl who is 9.
00:06:22We lived in a suburb of Denver.
00:06:24We just wanted to chase our dream to be more self-sustainable.
00:06:30We had been researching different types of livestock
00:06:32that we wanted to potentially raise and had decided on bison.
00:06:36Bison are native to this area.
00:06:39They're literally the main animal that roamed our prairies
00:06:42and our lands before they were almost extinct.
00:06:45Being just out on the property, there is rolling hills.
00:06:49It's definitely big sky country.
00:06:51I think it's beautiful.
00:06:53But it was more than nature that drew the Coopers to this way of life.
00:06:58It was Kevin's surprise cancer diagnosis.
00:07:01Anybody who's ever experienced any kind of big health anything
00:07:08can relate to the fact that it just changes your perspective on life.
00:07:12His cancer diagnosis made us start thinking about
00:07:16what the values were most important to us
00:07:19and how the time we had we wanted to spend it.
00:07:23Having the bison, it's really challenged me in a couple ways
00:07:26that I haven't anticipated.
00:07:29Oh, shoot.
00:07:30Got yours up?
00:07:31Nope.
00:07:32The bison take about eight, nine hours of my day every day.
00:07:36All right, I got the back.
00:07:37The bison are in full-time job.
00:07:39They don't always have that direct time
00:07:41to fix all the needs on the property.
00:07:44I try to repair things and fix things as I can,
00:07:50but we haven't installed and updated vital things for the bison,
00:07:54like getting that new bison chewed in.
00:07:56Right now, we have to transport our animals
00:07:59every time we need to do something to them.
00:08:02So whether that's a sick animal
00:08:04that needs to be vaccinated for something
00:08:06or our yearly roundup.
00:08:08The stress of feeling like it could fail,
00:08:13we've really invested everything.
00:08:15We've left all of our friends and everything.
00:08:18You know, I may have a big, tough facade on the outside,
00:08:21but on the inside, mentally, that's definitely my weak side.
00:08:25The thought crossed my mind, did I make a mistake?
00:08:28It is pretty mentally anguishing.
00:08:30You do feel sometimes like quitting and waving the flag,
00:08:36but it would absolutely destroy my wife
00:08:38if we had to move out of this situation.
00:08:41Looking out my window and seeing the herd come in over the hill
00:08:44is something that I never thought I'd experience,
00:08:48but it's so peaceful.
00:08:50Being here for almost four years,
00:08:52I can't imagine not living here,
00:08:54having to go...
00:09:00back to city life, it just seems...
00:09:04I just don't know how I would do that.
00:09:07Sorry.
00:09:08Let's talk garden.
00:09:18So, we started with these six beds.
00:09:22We felt really good our first year gardening.
00:09:24And what did you grow?
00:09:25We grew tomatoes and jalapenos, cucumbers.
00:09:28We had a nice zucchini crop.
00:09:29Did you try to plant anything this year?
00:09:31We did.
00:09:32We tried to plant a few things.
00:09:33Did anything grow?
00:09:34No.
00:09:35Is this wind pretty relentless?
00:09:38Yeah.
00:09:39I mean, this is mild for out here.
00:09:41And so, how windy does it get?
00:09:42I mean, on a bad day, 90 mile an hour winds.
00:09:47It gets bad.
00:09:47What?
00:09:49When you're dealing with gardening and wind,
00:09:51you're dealing with something that is drying out your soil twice as fast.
00:09:54It's devastating to your plants,
00:09:56whether it's the stem or the leaves.
00:09:57And it kills seedlings, so you fail before you even start.
00:10:03You need twice the amount of water when you're trying to garden in the wind.
00:10:07Right.
00:10:08Do you have water?
00:10:10We do have water, but it's also the same water that our house runs on.
00:10:15We only have one well that produces water.
00:10:17So, when something goes wrong with the water, we're out.
00:10:21And it just goes to the bison.
00:10:22Yeah.
00:10:23Okay.
00:10:24We have a well over here, but it's dry.
00:10:26Okay, can you show me?
00:10:27Yes.
00:10:28Okay.
00:10:29Melissa is successfully growing weed.
00:10:32And if that weren't bad enough, there's no water.
00:10:35Growing food here is not going to be an easy thing.
00:10:46Cool.
00:10:47Yeah.
00:10:47So, this is our stables, corrals.
00:10:52Is this a huge barn?
00:10:53It's a big, big barn.
00:10:56And they're not using it for anything right now?
00:10:58Not right now, storage.
00:11:00How old is it?
00:11:01About 1950s.
00:11:03We're a good 70, 80 years old.
00:11:07It definitely looks like the water is leaking, you know, down into the rafters.
00:11:13Yes.
00:11:13When we look at, you know, just the integrity of the building, open wires, birds' nests, feces, just the holes in the ceiling.
00:11:24I mean, we're just trying to make sure that this building is going to be secure enough for housing animals properly.
00:11:31They're talking about bringing pigs in, and, you know, pigs, a horse, you know, eventually utilize some of the stables in here.
00:11:38These homesteaders want to expand their livestock so they can have another source of protein and make more money.
00:11:45Correct.
00:11:45Because they probably need it.
00:11:47Correct.
00:11:47Got a lot of potential.
00:11:48Getting that barn whipped into shape and ready for livestock could be the ultimate game changer for this homestead.
00:11:54It'll give a chance outside of those bison to be self-sustainable.
00:12:05So now we're heading out to our windmill for the water.
00:12:08Oh, right there.
00:12:09Yep.
00:12:11That's not functioning.
00:12:12We've never had time to get to it.
00:12:15Right now they're walking all the way in for water to the corral.
00:12:18Earlier this year we had a hot spell come through, and one of the calves died about 100 yards from the water tank.
00:12:27No way.
00:12:27From the corral.
00:12:28No.
00:12:29Dehydration is kind of what we assumed happened.
00:12:31How hot did it get?
00:12:32104, 105 was the max.
00:12:38I feel privileged to be able to see buffalo or bison.
00:12:42Seeing this site is how it's supposed to be.
00:12:44This is the way it was meant to be.
00:12:45The people in Alaska that raise bison will tell you that animal can go through any fence if it wants to.
00:12:54Fence is our suggestions.
00:12:56Buffalo, also known as bison, are the largest mammal in the United States.
00:13:03Prior to European settlers, millions of bison roamed North America.
00:13:07Nearly hunted to extinction in the late 1800s, ranchers, First Nations communities, and conservationists have worked to rebuild bison populations since the early 20th century.
00:13:22Commercial bison farming and ranching began in the mid-1980s, but the animals can be unpredictable and dangerous.
00:13:30With charging speeds up to 35 miles per hour, they have caused serious injuries and at least one death in recent years.
00:13:40You've been here four years.
00:13:44You've never seen any water come out of here?
00:13:46Nope.
00:13:46Do you know any history on this well?
00:13:49We looked it up through the county to know that this was operational at one point in time.
00:13:53Once upon a time, there were homesteaders here before Kevin and Melissa.
00:14:00Word is they raised cattle.
00:14:02And maybe those cattle relied on the water produced by the windmill, which now doesn't work and produces zero water.
00:14:12It's a matter of life or death on a place like this.
00:14:16We've got to get it fixed.
00:14:17All right, guys, this is what I really appreciate about these homesteaders.
00:14:25They want to step back in time and help replenish the plains with buffalo.
00:14:34So how are we going to help them?
00:14:36Their mission and their dream, it was amazing.
00:14:39But homesteading isn't just a one-faceted thing.
00:14:42How are they bringing in a garden here and keeping it alive?
00:14:45How are they bringing other livestock?
00:14:47What's that bigger picture plan look like?
00:14:50I have ideas, but is there going to be enough time in the day after they've tended to the bison?
00:14:55And what did the three of us combined know about buffalo?
00:14:59Not that much.
00:15:01We're going to have to get real creative because we're a little bit out of our league.
00:15:06All right, folks, let's just start with what you guys are doing here is cool.
00:15:18That said, there's a lot to do here.
00:15:20When it comes to having a successful garden here, the biggest challenge is the wind.
00:15:26I have a lot of ideas.
00:15:28I'm ready to get to work in the morning.
00:15:30Sounds great.
00:15:31Garrett showed me the barn.
00:15:34And the real money is in the barn itself and putting livestock in there.
00:15:40Whether it's trying to figure out what's happening with the well out there, resurrect and make functional a barn,
00:15:46or try to grow anything, if you will, that's what we do.
00:15:51That's all called homesteading.
00:15:53But we're not buffalo whisperers.
00:15:57Well, I've got a proposition for you.
00:15:59There is a neighbor ranch that we have a good relationship with.
00:16:02I say we go take a look at their place tomorrow and get you guys more familiar with the bison and the buffalo.
00:16:08How does that sound?
00:16:09That sounds like a blast.
00:16:10Crash course.
00:16:11It's a crash course.
00:16:12We'll meet you there.
00:16:13Let's do it.
00:16:13See you in the morning.
00:16:14Get some sleep, guys.
00:16:15See you, guys.
00:16:17See you later.
00:16:22Wow, there's a big one over here.
00:16:24Where, where, where?
00:16:25Dad, here comes the big guy.
00:16:27Oh!
00:16:37Here we go.
00:16:40As a new day dawns in eastern Colorado, this is the land where the buffalo roam.
00:16:47You!
00:16:48The Rainies travel for their crash course on one of America's most legendary animals.
00:16:56Hello.
00:16:58How are you guys?
00:16:59Good.
00:16:59How are you?
00:17:00Doing well.
00:17:01This is quite a spread.
00:17:03This is 2,700 right on here.
00:17:052,700 acres.
00:17:07Yeah.
00:17:08Is it all buffalo?
00:17:08All buffalo.
00:17:10I'm Sean Bennett.
00:17:12I run Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch.
00:17:14And I met Kevin and Melissa Cooper about five years ago.
00:17:18They had a dream.
00:17:19They wanted to come out and raise bison.
00:17:21And it's like any business.
00:17:23It doesn't happen overnight.
00:17:24It's a very steep learning curve.
00:17:26And we're happy to help them as much as we can.
00:17:29So we're so excited to be here because being from Alaska, we are not bison experts.
00:17:35So we're here to, like, see your operation, kind of see what's been working for you and what hasn't been working for you.
00:17:41The coopers are so overwhelmed on their homestead because of the bison.
00:17:45They take up so much time, so much energy.
00:17:48We need to figure out how they can grow their herd so that there's time left for homesteading.
00:17:54So is there anything we should know before we go out?
00:17:57First thing I learned in the buffalo business, sometimes it's best just to let buffalo be buffalo.
00:18:01It's kind of like raising kids.
00:18:02Very similar.
00:18:03We're going to jump in my truck.
00:18:05We're going to go out.
00:18:05We're going to go look at some buffalo.
00:18:07Let's load up.
00:18:07When you show up on a buffalo ranch and the owner of the ranch says, jump in the truck, let's go for a drive, you get a little glimpse into history as you stand in awe of a herd of America's national animal.
00:18:28Oh, my gosh.
00:18:28You know you're dealing with some dangerous livestock when you can't approach them on foot and have to make sure you're in a truck so you don't get caught in a stampede.
00:18:42Oh, yeah.
00:18:42Buffalo dust.
00:18:43Wow, look at these guys.
00:18:45Whoa.
00:18:47Buffalo trees.
00:18:49What a beautiful animal.
00:18:53Visiting Sean's ranch is really amazing.
00:18:56It's like I'm seeing dinosaurs.
00:18:58It's like a triceratops.
00:19:00Look at this guy.
00:19:02Wow, there's a big one over here.
00:19:04Where, where, what?
00:19:05Dad, here comes the big guy.
00:19:11I'm back.
00:19:17That is the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
00:19:20Sean, what is that buffalo weigh?
00:19:22About 2,300.
00:19:232,300 pounds right there.
00:19:26This is like an incredible amount of water.
00:19:28Like, how much water does it take?
00:19:29Typically, typically a bison will drink about 16 gallons a day.
00:19:33With 265 acres, is that enough room to rotational graze?
00:19:37You know, I look at Kevin and Melissa where they're at right now.
00:19:40Where's your water sources?
00:19:42They need that windmill up and operating.
00:19:44For this homestead, having water is really important when it comes to 16 gallons a day per bison.
00:19:53But man, I'll tell you right now, they just don't have that set up at all.
00:19:58We're wanting to mainstream it as much as we can, so there's room for other things.
00:20:03So you have to expand what you do on a ranch in order to make the ranch viable, in order to make it functional.
00:20:09So let's talk.
00:20:12What is it that you and your wife want to do?
00:20:15So right now, we're doing meat sales, so we are in that meat market, but that's where we've
00:20:20got to get creative in bringing more money in to the homestead to kind of keep us moving
00:20:26forward and being successful.
00:20:28Copy.
00:20:29All right, well, that was fascinating.
00:20:31Thank you guys very much for coming out.
00:20:33That is the Buffalo Magic.
00:20:34So cool.
00:20:42All right, see if you can pry that sucker out of there.
00:20:44Later that day, Matt and the Cooper's brother-in-law, Garrett, returned to the faltering barn, hoping
00:20:51to restore it to safely house necessary sources of protein, like pigs.
00:21:00All right.
00:21:01I figured we started on the worst one and put a full next stud in here.
00:21:07Right now, we are replacing studs.
00:21:09We already got two in.
00:21:11And the reason is, it's because of this.
00:21:13Look at all this.
00:21:15I mean, this wood is not, it's not rotten, you know?
00:21:19This is not termites.
00:21:21This is not water damage.
00:21:23This right here is livestock, rubbage, scratchage, and chewage.
00:21:30To prepare the Cooper's barn for future livestock, Matt and Garrett will fortify the existing
00:21:37structure with new support beams, replace dangerous exposed wiring, and seal the roof
00:21:44by replacing deteriorated fiberglass panels, turning this once vacant barn into a full-bore
00:21:51source of food and, eventually, income.
00:21:59Working with Matt, it's a great experience.
00:22:01We work well together.
00:22:02We have the same mind goal for this barn, and that makes the process so much easier when
00:22:07we are thinking alike.
00:22:09How does it fit?
00:22:10Perfect.
00:22:11One of the really cool parts about Garrett is, he is just as invested into this whole
00:22:17bison ranch as the people that live on this ranch.
00:22:21That's a brother-in-law you want to keep.
00:22:24And he's tall.
00:22:25You got a big scrapping guy that can really put the studs in.
00:22:30You got a stud working with the stud, putting the studs in.
00:22:45It seems windier today.
00:22:47It is windier today, definitely.
00:22:48Just outside the barn, Misty and Melissa are ready to defend the garden from Colorado's
00:22:55elements.
00:22:57No plant is going to survive in this.
00:23:00Crazy.
00:23:00Yeah.
00:23:01I don't want to tear down the existing fence.
00:23:04Okay.
00:23:04I just want to add wind protection.
00:23:06So I'm thinking, literally, just like a wood wall, a wood fence, that the wind can't penetrate.
00:23:12Yeah.
00:23:13I think that sounds amazing.
00:23:15Today's the day where we actually get to start homesteading.
00:23:18Clearly, the bison have taken top priority with Melissa and Kevin, but guess what my
00:23:23top priority is?
00:23:24It's feeding this family.
00:23:26We'll try this guy, huh?
00:23:27Melissa and Kevin, they're successful ranchers, but moving to a place where they can actually
00:23:33grow food and setting them up for the spring is what I plan on doing.
00:23:37Okay.
00:23:39We know where the posts go.
00:23:40Easy enough, right?
00:23:41Yep.
00:23:41Let's grab the auger, the posts, and get them in.
00:23:43Sounds good.
00:23:44To protect the garden from eastern Colorado's intense winds, Misty will drill holes to install
00:23:52a protective wooden fence complete with 4x4 posts solidified in concrete so the coopers
00:23:58can finally grow their own fresh food source on the homestead.
00:24:02We're still overwhelmed with all that we need to get done, so Misty working on the garden
00:24:17is a relief.
00:24:20And with the wind barrier, I think that we're going to hopefully be able to be much more
00:24:24successful in the future.
00:24:25We're going to call that good 4x4 post in.
00:24:31It's set in concrete because with 90-mile-an-hour winds, this thing doesn't stand a chance unless
00:24:37we beef it up.
00:24:37So we get the wind barrier in, we get it nice and sturdy.
00:24:40That way, Melissa can actually guard it.
00:24:43Woo!
00:24:44Woo-woo-woo!
00:24:45I believe that's Wayne.
00:24:54I like this guy already.
00:24:56Over at the windmill, Marty and Kevin meet with a local expert who can hopefully get it
00:25:01in working order and provide a desperately needed water source to help the bison and the
00:25:08coopers' homesteading dream from dying.
00:25:12Wayne.
00:25:12Wayne.
00:25:13Marty Rainey.
00:25:14Kevin.
00:25:14We moved here about three or four years ago and never seen this thing up and running.
00:25:20So I'm wondering if you wouldn't have a little bit of knowledge on this.
00:25:24Won't know until we get it out of the cold.
00:25:26Okay.
00:25:27I'm holding you up.
00:25:29I like this guy.
00:25:30He's a man of action.
00:25:32These homesteaders have a house on the other side of the property with a well.
00:25:37But out here on this back pasture, it's dry.
00:25:40So we have to fix the windmill to produce all the water that 16 buffalo can drink.
00:25:48Relying on the expertise of Wayne, Marty and Kevin will first take the windmill well apart from
00:25:55the ground up, then establish at what depth the water is resting and rebuild the well accordingly.
00:26:02They'll also remove any obstructions and fix any broken parts, including the powering fan at the top.
00:26:10This will allow the coopers to not only water their herd of 16, but to add enough bison to make the ranch sustainable.
00:26:18I just met Wayne, and guess what?
00:26:26I've heard he's smart, he's talented, and he's a jack of all trades.
00:26:32We might just fix this windmill.
00:26:34Like your style.
00:26:35Woo!
00:26:48It's day three on the Cooper family's 265-acre Colorado bison stead.
00:27:00Fire in the hole!
00:27:02And with the windmill well disassembled and cleaned,
00:27:06Marty and Wayne make final preparations to provide a life-saving water source for the grazing bison.
00:27:13So, 32 and 36?
00:27:18Minus 1227.
00:27:20109 feet, so how deep of this is?
00:27:22To the bottom of the well, yes.
00:27:25Okay, we're going to pull this out until we hit water on the rope.
00:27:30The reason that they go off a lot of windmills instead of electric pumps,
00:27:33because this can't pump that fast.
00:27:35This will only pump about two, three gallons a minute.
00:27:38That's perfect.
00:27:39A lot of times you get in with an electric pump.
00:27:42Pump it right.
00:27:42Yep.
00:27:44The first recorded evidence of windmills being used for pumping water and grinding grain
00:27:50was in Persia between 500 and 900 A.D.
00:27:54In the 14th century, the Dutch took windmills to a whole new level
00:27:59with their taller and more efficient tower mills.
00:28:03By the late 1800s and early 1900s,
00:28:07windmills were sprinkled all over the American landscape,
00:28:10becoming very useful in the Great Plains.
00:28:14When a windmill's fan spins on the shaft,
00:28:17it drives a geared mechanism in an up-and-down motion.
00:28:21That motion pushes a long pump rod inside of a pipe in the well,
00:28:26while a sealed plunger at the end of the rod forces the water up the pipe.
00:28:31With sufficient wind,
00:28:33an average windmill will produce up to 1,500 gallons of water a day.
00:28:38Right there's static water level.
00:28:4323 feet.
00:28:44It sounds like we're going to put this thing back together
00:28:46and we're going to see what this well can do in real life.
00:28:49Yeah.
00:28:52Grinches?
00:28:53A little cross-threaded, Marty.
00:28:58Moment of truth!
00:29:02Well, he just rebuilt it.
00:29:03Now what?
00:29:04Now she has to work.
00:29:13I think I can fit through that hole.
00:29:14Let's go.
00:29:15Oh, once you get the shoulders through,
00:29:18now the real test is the love handles.
00:29:20Let's see.
00:29:22While Matt begins the barn roof repair.
00:29:26Okay, so here's the deal.
00:29:27Misty enlists Garrett for his expertise.
00:29:30I've heard that you have a little bit of a plumbing background.
00:29:33That is correct.
00:29:34To revitalize a long-dormant water source.
00:29:37Let's take a look.
00:29:40What is this?
00:29:41That's a drywall.
00:29:43That used to be an old pump inside of there.
00:29:48Old breaker box.
00:29:50Black widows.
00:29:51Do you think it's a power issue or a water issue?
00:29:53Because the shutoff valve is off.
00:29:56Well, we can jump in and I can...
00:29:58And just see if the shutoff...
00:29:58Just to see if the shutoff is active
00:30:00and see if we get any kind of fluid.
00:30:02I'm a little scared.
00:30:03Then somebody said black widow.
00:30:05I can see some.
00:30:07I'm going down in.
00:30:09So, unfortunately,
00:30:11I have to jump down into a well full of black widows,
00:30:15but we could have a secondary water supply that's huge.
00:30:19Oh, my God.
00:30:20It's going to get on me.
00:30:22It's going to get on me.
00:30:23And we've got water.
00:30:28We've got water!
00:30:29We've got water.
00:30:30Okay, coming out because it's too scary.
00:30:32There's water coming out of a pipe that's 70 years old.
00:30:36This is super exciting.
00:30:39Can you check my back?
00:30:40Oh, yeah.
00:30:40No, you're good.
00:30:40You're clear.
00:30:41I just brushed my whole body.
00:30:42We're good.
00:30:43So, get in there.
00:30:44Yeah, you're good.
00:30:45I did not expect water to come out of that pipe at all.
00:30:49There's a secondary water source on the homestead.
00:30:52Like, this...
00:30:53What?
00:30:54The fact that we have water in here.
00:30:56The fact that we have water is huge.
00:30:58Is huge.
00:30:59Huge.
00:31:00Yes.
00:31:01Let's deal with the black widows.
00:31:02Let's get to a place where we can be down there safe and working.
00:31:05And we know what our material list is, so let's just go get it.
00:31:08Let's do it.
00:31:19Family, come on over here.
00:31:20Come on, kids.
00:31:21With Misty finding a possible water source for the garden,
00:31:25150 acres away,
00:31:28Marty gathers everyone out on the pasture
00:31:30to see if they can strike life-changing water
00:31:34for both the bison and the homestead.
00:31:38We may have water.
00:31:39If it's dry, we've got to go back to the drawing board.
00:31:42Wayne, what's the next thing that has to happen?
00:31:44We've got to put oil in the tranny?
00:31:46We can check it and see if there is any in there,
00:31:48if you can reach it.
00:31:49But I don't know if you're going to reach that from the platform.
00:31:51Clint can.
00:31:52Clint can do anything.
00:31:53Clint, get up here, please.
00:31:54You need no one, Clint.
00:31:55Oh, my God.
00:31:56It would mean the world to have water on the homestead,
00:32:05not only just for us,
00:32:07but what it means for the bison is huge.
00:32:10There's times out here on the homestead
00:32:12where you feel in a bit over your head
00:32:14having the capability of having water out on pasture
00:32:17for our bison is a crucial step for us to get this going.
00:32:21We've got Wayne hooked the brake back up.
00:32:23We've got Clint ready to cut the chain and the wire.
00:32:27I think we're ready.
00:32:28Okay, so as soon as you let it go, Clint,
00:32:30it's going to want to start spinning when you let go.
00:32:32It's going to spin.
00:32:33Careful, Clint.
00:32:34It's going to spin and knock you.
00:32:36Clint, that's a lot of wind.
00:32:37There she goes.
00:32:47It's going up.
00:32:51Look how fast it's going.
00:32:54Look how fast it's pumping.
00:32:57Look at that thing.
00:32:59Come on, water.
00:33:00Come on, water.
00:33:02Come on, baby.
00:33:03Okay, I still don't see water.
00:33:05I mean, she's moving.
00:33:07Come on, come on.
00:33:12Where is it?
00:33:14Okay, now I'm getting nervous.
00:33:16You guys, we have to talk.
00:33:19No BS.
00:33:20What if water doesn't come out?
00:33:24I'm thinking you guys are screwed
00:33:26if this thing doesn't work.
00:33:37On the Cooper family's 265-acre bison stag...
00:33:41I'm thinking you guys are screwed
00:33:43if this thing doesn't work.
00:33:45...the pivotal windmill has failed to strike water.
00:33:49Wayne, what do you think?
00:33:50We're going to have to pull it out
00:33:52and see what's wrong with it.
00:33:53Okay, so we're going to pull it all back apart
00:33:55and see what's going on.
00:33:58You want to stay and work on it?
00:33:59Yep.
00:33:59Okay, the rest of you guys go back to work.
00:34:01I'm really sorry.
00:34:02Let's go.
00:34:03We're going to start all over.
00:34:05I'm sorry, everyone.
00:34:07Kind of a bummer.
00:34:09You know, we were excited.
00:34:11We were, you know, all of us,
00:34:12the Rainies, ourselves,
00:34:13we got excited for the water
00:34:15and, well, it never came.
00:34:17All right, let's get an X-Vader.
00:34:19I'll take you down there.
00:34:20Let's grab the X-Vader.
00:34:22Ever hear someone say,
00:34:23failure is not an option?
00:34:26What a ridiculous statement.
00:34:28We did a lot of work.
00:34:30We were 100% confident
00:34:33and no water came out.
00:34:35So now we'll learn from those mistakes
00:34:37and make a better, stronger, well.
00:34:41Cool, just hold it right there.
00:34:42Oh, yeah.
00:34:43We're trying to get this windmill
00:34:45back up and run it.
00:34:46So we've got the X-Vader up there,
00:34:48stop the blade from spinning.
00:34:49We're chaining up the blade right now.
00:34:51As soon as he gets done chaining up that blade,
00:34:53we're going to drop back down
00:34:55and pull the pipe back out
00:34:56and see if we get water out of this.
00:34:58Yep, see, this right here has broke off.
00:35:07Oh, so the brake broke.
00:35:08Yep.
00:35:09That arm up there
00:35:11is supposed to hook into there.
00:35:12It sits right there.
00:35:13It usually sits right there when it's on.
00:35:15Are we going to be able to get a new one?
00:35:17Yep.
00:35:18Well, a used one.
00:35:19A used one.
00:35:19A used one.
00:35:20Okay.
00:35:21Okay.
00:35:22New to me.
00:35:22So the first issue is
00:35:24there's no brake system on this windmill
00:35:27the next step.
00:35:29We've got to figure out
00:35:29what's going on down below.
00:35:32Hunt, get in here, grab a pipe wrench.
00:35:33We're going back in.
00:35:34Can't hurt me.
00:35:37Can't hurt me.
00:35:50That car's our problem.
00:35:51Look at it.
00:35:52Look at it.
00:35:52It's full of mud.
00:35:55Badly full of mud.
00:35:56So we dropped it down too far.
00:35:57Yep.
00:35:59This is our filter, right?
00:36:00Look underneath there.
00:36:03We stabbed it
00:36:04that far,
00:36:06this far into the mud.
00:36:10The five or six inches
00:36:11of screen that draws the water in
00:36:14we sealed off any chance
00:36:15of getting water out.
00:36:17We're convinced now
00:36:19that this thing's going to generate
00:36:20and pump water.
00:36:21However, we do need some critical parts
00:36:23so that this thing can operate safely
00:36:25with a brake system.
00:36:27So, until we can fix the brake,
00:36:29we're sitting high and dry.
00:36:32The next morning,
00:36:43while the windmill team
00:36:45sources parts for the brake,
00:36:47Let's start with the worst one first.
00:36:50Matt and Garrett begin in the barn,
00:36:52reinforcing the post beams
00:36:54that support the roof.
00:36:56Okay, I think we're through.
00:36:57It's the first project
00:36:58on a daunting list
00:37:00of important repairs
00:37:01to make the barn safe for livestock.
00:37:04The biggest reason why
00:37:06these posts failed
00:37:07was because they were just
00:37:09sitting on the dirt.
00:37:11There's no way we're going to fix this post
00:37:13by putting a post back on dirt.
00:37:15We've got to put that post on concrete.
00:37:18I'd say we fill the hole,
00:37:20set of posts on here,
00:37:21and then we'll just move on
00:37:22to the next one.
00:37:22Let's do it, man.
00:37:23But before that,
00:37:25I have kind of a surprise.
00:37:27Got a hold of some people,
00:37:29they're locals,
00:37:30and they're going to help us
00:37:31with electrical.
00:37:32Steve, Dryland Electric.
00:37:33Garrett.
00:37:33Thank you so much for coming.
00:37:35Yeah, we plan to light it up in here.
00:37:36Awesome.
00:37:37That's awesome.
00:37:37I want to get in your way.
00:37:38Let's just work around each other
00:37:40because we just got to keep going.
00:37:41We got a lot of stuff to do
00:37:42and I'm sure you're busy as heck.
00:37:44All right, let's get to work.
00:37:45Let's do it, guys.
00:37:46Matt and I are working in the barn.
00:37:57We're getting posts secured.
00:37:58We're pouring concrete in the ground
00:38:00to give integrity to the building.
00:38:02The electric guys are here.
00:38:03They're working fast.
00:38:04They're doing the updates and upgrades
00:38:06that this barn needs
00:38:06to make it safe and sound.
00:38:10You know, about yet?
00:38:12This thing's going to be bomb-proof, man.
00:38:15That's what we want.
00:38:20We got plenty of wind,
00:38:22but no windmill.
00:38:23I mean, look at this.
00:38:24This is pathetic.
00:38:25With work on the windmill
00:38:26still stalled
00:38:27until Wayne acquires
00:38:29a new brake part,
00:38:30Marty brings up something else
00:38:32that has been troubling him
00:38:33about the bison setup
00:38:34on the homestead.
00:38:36I've learned more about buffalo
00:38:39in the last couple days
00:38:40than I've learned my entire life.
00:38:42After that tour,
00:38:43something was said
00:38:44that I picked up on.
00:38:46We can rotate through.
00:38:47So I can push a pasture
00:38:48during the summertime
00:38:50while it's growing
00:38:51and then pull animals off of it
00:38:52and allow it to grow.
00:38:53So, like, their winter pasture
00:38:54hasn't seen a buffalo
00:38:55in six months.
00:38:58The herd is on one side feeding
00:39:00while the other half
00:39:02of that pasture
00:39:03is allowed to grow,
00:39:06to replenish,
00:39:07to get healthy.
00:39:08I sense that a fence
00:39:12straight across here
00:39:13would give you at least
00:39:14a start on rotational grazing.
00:39:16Yep, yep.
00:39:17That would be a good start.
00:39:18I brought some string.
00:39:19I've got about 75 T-posts.
00:39:21Should we just get started?
00:39:22Let's just start
00:39:23putting boats in the ground.
00:39:25Identifying a lack
00:39:26of sufficient grass for bison
00:39:28due to overgrazing,
00:39:30Marty proposes
00:39:31a reinforced fence
00:39:33that covers
00:39:33one square mile
00:39:35to create
00:39:35rotational grazing.
00:39:37This will allow
00:39:39the bison
00:39:39to feed on one side
00:39:41of the fence
00:39:41while the other side
00:39:43regrows
00:39:44and then rotate
00:39:45every few months.
00:39:53In this crash course
00:39:55of how to raise
00:39:56a buffalo herd
00:39:57successfully,
00:39:58I've learned this.
00:40:01It would behoove us
00:40:02to put in a fence
00:40:04straight across the property,
00:40:05dividing that 265 acres
00:40:07into two parcels.
00:40:09The cool thing is,
00:40:11the windmill's
00:40:12right about in the center.
00:40:14If we could get it fixed,
00:40:16they'll have access to
00:40:17life-sustaining water.
00:40:20Thank you so much.
00:40:25Push.
00:40:27Okay.
00:40:28Me and Marty
00:40:28started doing fencing today
00:40:30for our rotational grazing.
00:40:32We're essentially
00:40:33building a box
00:40:34around the water tank
00:40:35itself with an entry
00:40:37and exit point
00:40:37to the new pastures.
00:40:39So this is going to
00:40:39give them lots of room
00:40:40and it's just going to
00:40:42really help with our soil
00:40:43and our grass,
00:40:43so that way we can get
00:40:44more livestock
00:40:45that produce more income.
00:40:49Off to a good start.
00:40:55Across the homestead...
00:40:57All right, Garrett.
00:40:58Garrett arrives with news
00:40:59that could set back
00:41:01the garden well project.
00:41:02So this well
00:41:07is labeled
00:41:08as a canceled well
00:41:09with the state.
00:41:11Oh.
00:41:11We are not able
00:41:13to get this
00:41:14well activated again
00:41:16unless we get
00:41:17the state involved.
00:41:19Why would they
00:41:20cancel a well?
00:41:22The reservoir
00:41:23underground
00:41:23is empty.
00:41:24We're going to be plundered.
00:41:25So that water
00:41:27was coming from
00:41:28the pre-existing well
00:41:29from the house?
00:41:30Pre-existing well,
00:41:31existing lines
00:41:32in the property.
00:41:33Well, shoot.
00:41:34You did a real
00:41:35buzzkill.
00:41:36No, I'm kidding.
00:41:37I'm sorry.
00:41:39Super bad news
00:41:40from Garrett.
00:41:41Yesterday there was
00:41:42the old windmill.
00:41:43That's a total bust.
00:41:44We have the canceled
00:41:45dry hole in the ground
00:41:47with my well.
00:41:48Thanks for all
00:41:48the information.
00:41:49Anytime.
00:41:49I appreciate it.
00:41:50Absolutely.
00:41:51As far as
00:41:52the big
00:41:53homesteading dream,
00:41:55there's not enough
00:41:56water here to sustain it.
00:42:02We're getting closer.
00:42:13With two days
00:42:14remaining on the
00:42:15Cooper's Colorado
00:42:16homestead,
00:42:17critical projects
00:42:18hang in the balance.
00:42:21Okay.
00:42:22That's pretty good.
00:42:23As Matt
00:42:23begins work
00:42:24on a door
00:42:25for potential
00:42:26livestock at the barn,
00:42:27misty goes back
00:42:32to square one
00:42:34after the failed
00:42:35garden well plan.
00:42:36Do me a favor.
00:42:37Pick this one out
00:42:38right here, please.
00:42:39And while the windmill
00:42:41is still in need
00:42:42of parts,
00:42:44Marty and Clint
00:42:45repurpose building
00:42:46materials for the
00:42:48rotational grazing
00:42:49build.
00:42:50Anytime you see
00:42:51a bunch of
00:42:52telephone poles
00:42:53on a property
00:42:54and you're about
00:42:55to put in some
00:42:56fencing for buffalo,
00:42:58it's kind of cool
00:42:59to use them
00:42:59as the main
00:43:00graces, if you will,
00:43:01because we've got
00:43:02to build not one
00:43:03but two gates
00:43:04in this rotational
00:43:06grazing program.
00:43:07Let's go.
00:43:18All right, Melissa.
00:43:19Here we go.
00:43:21Later that morning,
00:43:22Misty and Melissa
00:43:23pivot to the fence
00:43:25build that will
00:43:25protect the garden
00:43:26from Colorado's
00:43:28vicious windstorms.
00:43:30So I was trying
00:43:31to find one
00:43:31by of any kind.
00:43:33I found this.
00:43:34These are beautiful.
00:43:34I love them.
00:43:35Okay.
00:43:35They're great.
00:43:35So we'll use these
00:43:36as pickets.
00:43:37Okay.
00:43:37On the front side,
00:43:38it's going to look
00:43:39good, but we care
00:43:40about blocking
00:43:41the wind so you're
00:43:42able to guard it.
00:43:43Yes.
00:43:43And you'll be able
00:43:44to do that when
00:43:44we get these on.
00:43:45So let's cut the
00:43:45strap.
00:43:46Okay.
00:43:48Today's the
00:43:48windiest day
00:43:49on the homestead
00:43:49by far.
00:43:51It's time we put
00:43:52in the wind barrier.
00:43:55Okay.
00:43:56Timber!
00:43:57First things first,
00:43:59we've got a four
00:43:59by four post
00:44:00in concrete
00:44:01so that this thing
00:44:02doesn't blow down.
00:44:05Oh, I like it.
00:44:06I love it.
00:44:07I think it's fantastic.
00:44:08Are you excited
00:44:09that you're actually
00:44:09going to be able
00:44:10to garden?
00:44:11Yes, I'm very excited.
00:44:12I think that the wood
00:44:14with the exposed bark
00:44:15looks amazing.
00:44:17I think it's going
00:44:17to function really well
00:44:18and I was excited
00:44:20about the project
00:44:21even the first time
00:44:22she explained it to me
00:44:23but now with the new
00:44:25planks that she has found,
00:44:26I'm even more excited
00:44:27about it.
00:44:27I think it's going
00:44:28to work really well.
00:44:30Perfect.
00:44:31How far apart
00:44:32are your kiddos?
00:44:32About nine years.
00:44:34So I had Conrad
00:44:35when I was 19
00:44:35so we were pretty young
00:44:36and then Kevin
00:44:38was diagnosed
00:44:40with vesicular cancer.
00:44:42How long ago?
00:44:44About 11 years
00:44:45now since his diagnosis.
00:44:47Kevin was barely
00:44:48into his 30s.
00:44:50At that young age
00:44:51you don't expect
00:44:52to hear the C word
00:44:54and so it's just
00:44:56a shock to the system.
00:44:58He was pretty fortunate
00:45:00in the fact that
00:45:01he had the less
00:45:02aggressive types
00:45:02and went and did the surgery
00:45:04and he was about
00:45:05a week out of recovery
00:45:06and I had been feeling
00:45:08kind of sick
00:45:10for a week or so
00:45:11and of course
00:45:12because we had just
00:45:12got a cancer diagnosis
00:45:13he was like
00:45:14oh my god you're dying
00:45:15and so he made me
00:45:17go to the doctor
00:45:18and I went to the doctor
00:45:19and I found out
00:45:20I was pregnant with Lily.
00:45:21Oh my goodness.
00:45:22So she's sort of
00:45:23our miracle baby.
00:45:26We both have lost
00:45:27people to cancer.
00:45:32It's so
00:45:33it just has a big impact.
00:45:38It changes
00:45:38your perspective
00:45:39on everything.
00:45:43Oh yeah.
00:45:44Yeah.
00:45:44Oh that's so cool.
00:45:46Oh it looks so good.
00:45:47I love it.
00:45:47I think it's great.
00:45:49I'm so happy
00:45:50that Melissa opened up
00:45:51to me about Kevin
00:45:52and his battle of cancer
00:45:53I think for me
00:45:54it's just motivating me.
00:45:56Right?
00:45:56This is their
00:45:56make it or break it moment.
00:45:58They know how fragile life is.
00:45:59This is their dream
00:46:00and no matter what
00:46:02we have to make it work.
00:46:04I love the fact that
00:46:05there's a wind barricade.
00:46:06I love the fact that
00:46:07there's ventilation.
00:46:08Right.
00:46:08I love the fact that
00:46:09we didn't create
00:46:10a wind catch.
00:46:11Right?
00:46:11We don't want a solid wall.
00:46:12Yeah.
00:46:13We're going to protect the plants
00:46:14but allow air to go through.
00:46:15Yeah.
00:46:15Done.
00:46:16Okay.
00:46:16So that's one, two, three, four, five.
00:46:19We just literally have
00:46:20a million more.
00:46:20A hundred to go.
00:46:21Should we keep moving?
00:46:22Yep.
00:46:22Let's do it.
00:46:28All right.
00:46:29Pin it.
00:46:32Okay.
00:46:33That ain't going anywhere man.
00:46:34Not staying there.
00:46:36Later that day
00:46:37with the barn repair
00:46:38well at hand.
00:46:39I'll follow you.
00:46:40All right.
00:46:41Right over here.
00:46:42Melissa peels off
00:46:43the fence project
00:46:44to task Matt and Garrett
00:46:46with another homestead need.
00:46:48So I wanted to bring you
00:46:49over here because
00:46:50I was going to see
00:46:51if you guys could help us
00:46:52with our bison shoot.
00:46:53Okay.
00:46:54This is the cattle shoot.
00:46:55It was here when we moved
00:46:56onto the property.
00:46:57It's too small for bison.
00:46:59Yeah.
00:46:59Right.
00:47:00So we got a bison shoot
00:47:01that we just need to
00:47:03swap the two shoots
00:47:04so that we can start
00:47:05working bison on our property
00:47:06instead of having to
00:47:08load them all up
00:47:09and take them over
00:47:10to Sean's property.
00:47:12to vaccinate them
00:47:13or check them for pregnancy
00:47:14or any of those
00:47:15kind of things.
00:47:16Okay.
00:47:16Well heck.
00:47:17Let's take a look
00:47:17at the bison shoot.
00:47:18Come this way.
00:47:20Once upon a time
00:47:21on this homestead
00:47:22there was cattle here.
00:47:24The coopers have
00:47:24an old cattle shoot
00:47:26which is perfect
00:47:27if you want to put
00:47:29a cow in there.
00:47:30But the bison
00:47:31are substantially bigger.
00:47:34They're a lot more agile
00:47:36and they need
00:47:37a bison sized alley
00:47:39and shoot.
00:47:41So this is a bison shoot.
00:47:43So this is a bison shoot.
00:47:44Wow.
00:47:45This thing is massive.
00:47:47Heavy duty
00:47:48for a heavy duty animal.
00:47:49Oh my gosh.
00:47:50I mean it's just
00:47:50a solid steel contraption.
00:47:52So basically
00:47:53with this one
00:47:54it works the same way
00:47:54as the other one does.
00:47:56The bison come
00:47:57running through the shoot
00:47:58and they hit their heads
00:47:59on the crash gate
00:48:00on that black wall.
00:48:01That'll cause them
00:48:02to back up
00:48:03and then we can
00:48:04squeeze them
00:48:05into the shoot.
00:48:06You've done this before?
00:48:07Yes.
00:48:08Once a year?
00:48:08Yeah.
00:48:09All 15 females
00:48:10get on a trailer
00:48:10and we spend the night
00:48:11at Sean's ranch
00:48:12so that we can work them.
00:48:14That does sound stressful.
00:48:15Well and we've lost
00:48:15a cow before
00:48:16during the process.
00:48:18Really?
00:48:18They get really stressed
00:48:19out in the pen
00:48:19and we woke up
00:48:20the next morning
00:48:20and she was deceased.
00:48:22That's really unfortunate.
00:48:24Yeah.
00:48:24So this is a necessity.
00:48:25Yeah.
00:48:26This is a necessity.
00:48:26Absolutely.
00:48:27Not only is it
00:48:28stressing out the buffalo
00:48:28but it seems like
00:48:29it's stressed out
00:48:30the homestead quite a bit.
00:48:31Yes.
00:48:32Okay well
00:48:32out with the old
00:48:33in with the new.
00:48:34Love it.
00:48:35To safely allow bison
00:48:37to move to and from
00:48:39the property
00:48:39and receive
00:48:41life-saving medications
00:48:42Matt will install
00:48:44a bison shoot.
00:48:46First
00:48:47he and Garrett
00:48:48will lay a thick
00:48:49cement slab
00:48:49where they will anchor
00:48:50the three-ton
00:48:51bison squeeze chute.
00:48:53Then
00:48:54they will make
00:48:55the alley bison ready
00:48:56by raising the walls.
00:48:58Finally
00:48:58they will build
00:48:59a runway
00:49:00along the side
00:49:01of the alley
00:49:02from which the handlers
00:49:03can coax the bison
00:49:04once inside.
00:49:07Bring in the tractor!
00:49:10Come on in!
00:49:12This is a bison ranch.
00:49:14Obviously
00:49:14the cattle shoot
00:49:15is not going to work
00:49:15for us here
00:49:16so we have made
00:49:17a game plan
00:49:17and we went
00:49:18and grabbed Kevin
00:49:19so he could give us
00:49:20a little assistance
00:49:21getting that
00:49:21snow cattle shoot
00:49:22out of there.
00:49:24I think that's
00:49:24going to work.
00:49:25Alright,
00:49:26stand clear.
00:49:28Oh, that's gone!
00:49:29Oh, that's gone.
00:49:30That's crazy!
00:49:32Easier than I thought.
00:49:34That's perfect.
00:49:35Alright,
00:49:36should we unhook it?
00:49:37Yeah.
00:49:39Awesome, man!
00:49:40Well, hey,
00:49:41thanks a lot, Kevin.
00:49:42Glad I could help, boys!
00:49:44Cool.
00:49:45That came out awesome.
00:49:47Yeah,
00:49:47it really did.
00:49:48So,
00:49:49let's measure
00:49:50the new chute,
00:49:51figure out
00:49:52how big of a footprint
00:49:53we need to put here,
00:49:54and then once we know that,
00:49:56we'll start forming up
00:49:57our forms
00:49:57for the concrete slab.
00:49:59Let's do it.
00:49:59Let's do it.
00:50:00Okay, kids.
00:50:16First of all,
00:50:18good morning.
00:50:18just 48 hours
00:50:20remain
00:50:20until the Rainies
00:50:21leave the Cooper's
00:50:22265-acre homestead.
00:50:25Let's talk a little bit.
00:50:27As they push
00:50:27to finish
00:50:28their multitasking
00:50:29master class,
00:50:31the Rainies
00:50:31meet to enact
00:50:32a plan
00:50:33to juggle
00:50:33their many projects.
00:50:36The rain
00:50:37falls mainly
00:50:38on the plains.
00:50:40It's definitely false.
00:50:41I've not seen
00:50:42one drop of rain
00:50:43since we've been out here.
00:50:44It's been hot,
00:50:45it's been dry,
00:50:46and everything
00:50:47we're doing
00:50:48needs water.
00:50:50We've completely
00:50:51rebuilt the windmill
00:50:53from the top
00:50:54to the bottom,
00:50:54and we still
00:50:55have no water.
00:50:58In the meantime,
00:50:59we've moved on
00:50:59to the next aspect,
00:51:01which is
00:51:01rotational grazing.
00:51:03So right now,
00:51:04if we can pull this off,
00:51:05we've hopefully
00:51:06got water,
00:51:07rotational grazing,
00:51:08and we're well on our way
00:51:09to helping these guys
00:51:11be buffalo ranchers.
00:51:14I have a back
00:51:14plan, I hope,
00:51:16for the canceled well.
00:51:18But slowly but surely,
00:51:20we're getting there
00:51:20when it comes
00:51:21to wind protection
00:51:22for the garden,
00:51:23and I want to spend
00:51:24these next couple days
00:51:25shifting my focus
00:51:26to the bison.
00:51:28I'd love to be able
00:51:29to take a little section
00:51:31of that barn
00:51:32to be able to create
00:51:33a shop and a space
00:51:35where people can come,
00:51:36support the ranch,
00:51:37and create this
00:51:38learning facility.
00:51:40I want to focus on kids.
00:51:41That's a really good idea.
00:51:43So, Garrett and I
00:51:44have talked to Melissa
00:51:45and Kevin,
00:51:46and there is
00:51:47a surprise project
00:51:48that I think
00:51:49is going to help
00:51:50the buffalo immensely.
00:51:53And it has to do
00:51:54with being able
00:51:56to work the buffalo
00:51:57in the proper chute
00:52:00with the proper alley
00:52:01going in,
00:52:02but it's no small project.
00:52:04My biggest contribution
00:52:05for the bison
00:52:06is this alleyway
00:52:08and the chute,
00:52:09and we will literally
00:52:10save lives.
00:52:11live.
00:52:12All right,
00:52:12let's hit it.
00:52:18Kevin,
00:52:19thanks for joining us.
00:52:20Yeah,
00:52:21what have we got?
00:52:21I wanted to show you
00:52:22this awesome slab
00:52:23near the barn.
00:52:25Here!
00:52:26Matt and Garrett
00:52:27bring in Kevin
00:52:28for some advice
00:52:29on their ambitious
00:52:30bison chute project.
00:52:32What do you think
00:52:33of this?
00:52:33That's a slab.
00:52:35You think this is
00:52:35going to hold
00:52:36the big old buffalo chute?
00:52:38I think so.
00:52:40I'm jacked about it, man.
00:52:42This is a huge value
00:52:43to us.
00:52:44The new bison chute
00:52:45is going to be critical
00:52:46for us to work
00:52:46our animals here
00:52:47on our property
00:52:48and give them
00:52:49vaccinations
00:52:49and take care of them.
00:52:51One, for the time
00:52:51that we're not going
00:52:52to waste hauling
00:52:53our animals
00:52:53to get them
00:52:54work somewhere else.
00:52:55And number two,
00:52:56it's going to keep
00:52:56the stress low on them
00:52:57working them here.
00:52:58We got to talk about
00:52:59this little runway here.
00:53:01Yeah.
00:53:01So just like the old chute
00:53:03was made for cows,
00:53:04I think this area
00:53:05was also made for cows.
00:53:07Yeah.
00:53:07Not bison approved.
00:53:09Yeah.
00:53:09Bison are pretty big.
00:53:11Do you think
00:53:11that this is too small?
00:53:12Yeah.
00:53:13They'll jump over these.
00:53:14So it's too short?
00:53:16Yeah, for sure.
00:53:17And then the other thing
00:53:18is a lot of the
00:53:19working facilities,
00:53:20they actually have
00:53:20a walkway
00:53:21about three feet
00:53:23off the ground.
00:53:23You just need
00:53:24to have access
00:53:25in to see them
00:53:26and to get them
00:53:27to move forward.
00:53:28It's got to remember
00:53:29this is a stressful
00:53:29process for them.
00:53:31So you want to make
00:53:32it as quick
00:53:32and painless as possible.
00:53:33Get them in,
00:53:34get them out.
00:53:35This is all great info.
00:53:36We got a lot
00:53:37of work to do
00:53:37over here.
00:53:38This is a little bit
00:53:39bigger of a project
00:53:40than we anticipated.
00:53:41There was a little
00:53:42more bit off
00:53:42than Matt and I
00:53:43thought we were chewing.
00:53:45I mean,
00:53:45these are big animals.
00:53:46We need to make sure
00:53:47that this chute
00:53:48is going to work
00:53:48properly for these animals.
00:53:49Matt and I are putting
00:54:15up the side panels.
00:54:16We got to make it
00:54:17the right height,
00:54:17about seven feet.
00:54:18Okie doke.
00:54:23I think we've
00:54:24definitely raised
00:54:24the fencing high enough,
00:54:27but I think we need
00:54:28to make it so that
00:54:29these animals can't
00:54:30see through it.
00:54:31Yeah, we do need
00:54:32to block this up.
00:54:33They get scared of us
00:54:33just as much as we
00:54:34can be scared of them.
00:54:36Okay, so next step
00:54:37is let's wall off
00:54:38our fencing.
00:54:39Let's make it happen.
00:54:43We're going to get
00:54:44the blinders put up.
00:54:45It's really exciting
00:54:46stuff because if we're
00:54:47going to be able to
00:54:47work these animals
00:54:48properly, less stress
00:54:49on the animals,
00:54:49less stress on the
00:54:50ranchers, we're good
00:54:51to go.
00:54:52One, two, three.
00:54:53Ah, perfect.
00:55:01Perfect height, dude.
00:55:02Yeah.
00:55:02Just kick it down.
00:55:11Yeah, there you go.
00:55:16Alright.
00:55:18Is it sturdy?
00:55:18Oh, yeah.
00:55:19Jump around up here.
00:55:21I can get in here.
00:55:23Yeah?
00:55:23I can work animals,
00:55:24keep them moving
00:55:25forward, and I'll be
00:55:26safe.
00:55:27Everything just keeps
00:55:28on getting bigger and
00:55:29badder, like those
00:55:31bison.
00:55:36It looks so good!
00:55:39With the new garden
00:55:40taking shape, Misty
00:55:42asks Melissa to show
00:55:43her the business end
00:55:45of the homestead.
00:55:48What is this space?
00:55:50So this space,
00:55:51currently, we use it
00:55:52as our makeshift shop
00:55:54for the ranch.
00:55:55So when we have
00:55:56visitors, they come
00:55:57in here first, and
00:55:58this is also where we
00:55:59store all the meat to
00:56:00sell to the customers.
00:56:02Is it this?
00:56:03Yes.
00:56:03So show me.
00:56:04You have your
00:56:05different cuts.
00:56:06So we have our cuts
00:56:07and our price sheet,
00:56:08and then right now,
00:56:09this is our meat
00:56:11selection.
00:56:12Certified.
00:56:13Yeah, like ready to
00:56:14go.
00:56:14Ready to go.
00:56:14We're in business
00:56:15right now.
00:56:15Yep.
00:56:16Man, this is amazing.
00:56:17So you're already a
00:56:19small-scale operation.
00:56:21Yes.
00:56:21Would you like to do
00:56:23something pretty official
00:56:24when it comes to what
00:56:26you're doing already?
00:56:27Yes, I'd love to have
00:56:28a place that customers
00:56:29can come in and they
00:56:30feel like it's an actual
00:56:31store.
00:56:32Okay.
00:56:33I would love to be
00:56:34able to do that.
00:56:36Now that we have
00:56:38sort of got the garden
00:56:39almost finished,
00:56:40Misty called me over
00:56:41to talk about our
00:56:42storefront for the ranch.
00:56:44Misty wants us to work
00:56:45together on giving that
00:56:47shop a facelift so it's
00:56:48a little bit more
00:56:49presentable when we
00:56:50have customers come
00:56:50and visit the ranch.
00:56:51So I feel like we
00:56:52take this country store,
00:56:54we add to it and
00:56:55possibly turn it into
00:56:56something else as well
00:56:57if there's time and
00:56:58we just make it happen.
00:56:59Let's go.
00:57:00Let's do it.
00:57:06Over at the windmill,
00:57:08the project to make it
00:57:10functional is at a
00:57:11standstill.
00:57:12The moment of truth.
00:57:14With the clock ticking to
00:57:15bring vital water to the
00:57:17herd, Marty and Kevin
00:57:19need Wayne to come
00:57:20through with the
00:57:21break part.
00:57:22Good news or bad news?
00:57:28Good news.
00:57:29For real?
00:57:30I have the parts.
00:57:31You have the parts.
00:57:33I got to be honest, I
00:57:34wasn't the least bit
00:57:35surprised.
00:57:35Were you?
00:57:36No, I knew Wayne
00:57:37would fall through.
00:57:41Tell us what to do,
00:57:42please, please.
00:57:46We're ready to go up
00:57:47with it.
00:57:48It's going to get
00:57:49western.
00:57:55Getting a little crazy
00:57:56out here.
00:57:57The wind's howling.
00:57:59The fans are designed
00:58:00to move in the wind.
00:58:01Bring it on over.
00:58:04Trust me, those
00:58:05galvanized fins are
00:58:07sharp.
00:58:08And yet, Wayne,
00:58:10Clint and I, we're
00:58:11trying to keep it
00:58:12stable so we can
00:58:14remount it and go for
00:58:16our second test to
00:58:17produce water.
00:58:19Hey, come and
00:58:20loose.
00:58:21Regardless of that
00:58:22wind, we don't have
00:58:23time to spare.
00:58:24We're going to go for
00:58:24it.
00:58:26If you can just hold
00:58:26it right there away
00:58:27from the tower, right
00:58:29there.
00:58:30Hey, you got it.
00:58:31Going up.
00:58:33A lot of wind.
00:58:34A lot of wind,
00:58:35Wayne.
00:58:35A lot of wind.
00:58:38We're trying to keep it
00:59:01stable.
00:59:03That's heavy, dude.
00:59:05While Wayne at the
00:59:06tops, hanging on to the
00:59:07tower with one hand
00:59:08and with the other
00:59:09hand, he's trying to
00:59:10guide the mass of the
00:59:12windmill and motor
00:59:13onto a little
00:59:14shallow.
00:59:15And those galvanized
00:59:17fins are sharp.
00:59:23Careful there.
00:59:25Okay.
00:59:33There you go.
00:59:37We're about 10 seconds
00:59:47from having water.
00:59:47Everybody get up here.
00:59:49This morning we kind of woke
01:00:03up.
01:00:04We were a little bummed
01:00:04because of the water
01:00:19situation.
01:00:20There was a lot of
01:00:21anticipation and buildup
01:00:22for there to be no water.
01:00:25So today we're kind of
01:00:26waiting with bated breath.
01:00:29I'm hoping that this is the
01:00:31one.
01:00:33It was deja vu all over
01:00:36again.
01:00:36Same people, same place,
01:00:38no water.
01:00:39And I'm telling them,
01:00:41it's coming this time.
01:00:42It's coming.
01:00:43I hope that's true.
01:00:47What do you think, Wayne?
01:00:49Give us an update.
01:00:50Well, I hope it works this
01:00:51time.
01:00:51Having that water up and
01:01:14running out on the windmill,
01:01:16out on pasture is a major,
01:01:18major game changer for us.
01:01:19We can start doing rotational
01:01:21grazing and that's just going
01:01:23to help the buffalo and the
01:01:25grass and the soil all be
01:01:26healthy.
01:01:27Oh, money?
01:01:31Just a little dirty.
01:01:32Just a little dirty.
01:01:34Give it a chance to clear up.
01:01:36It's going to be crystal clear
01:01:37in 15 minutes.
01:01:39You think after seeing water
01:01:41come out of the ground,
01:01:42out of a pipe, that it would
01:01:44become mundane.
01:01:45But every time you see water
01:01:47coming from where it
01:01:49wasn't before, you know
01:01:51that you've just changed
01:01:53the lives of the
01:01:54homesteaders.
01:01:59Okay, so 10,000 gallons a
01:02:02week is coming out of there.
01:02:0410,000 gallons a week.
01:02:06We need it.
01:02:06We need it.
01:02:07So thank you, Wayne.
01:02:08Thank you, Wayne.
01:02:10Having Wayne come out and
01:02:12help us like that and having
01:02:13a neighbor so close just kind
01:02:15of confirms what we've learned
01:02:16so far with rural living and
01:02:18how great our community is
01:02:20about circling around their
01:02:21neighbors and helping where
01:02:22they can.
01:02:23We've got work to do.
01:02:24We're going to leave you with
01:02:25your new well.
01:02:27Thanks a lot, Wayne.
01:02:28Appreciate it.
01:02:30Don't blow away, sir.
01:02:31I think we got the muscle to pick
01:02:55it up, but let's see.
01:02:57Later that day, Matt and Garrett
01:03:00enact the final step in
01:03:02completing the bison chute
01:03:03project.
01:03:04The alleyway is beefed up for
01:03:06bison.
01:03:07Now we've got the excavator in
01:03:09here and see if we can lift up
01:03:10that new bison chute and put it
01:03:12into place.
01:03:14You're good.
01:03:14Just come straight down.
01:03:17Let's go.
01:03:18And over at the windmill,
01:03:20Marty and Clint launch back
01:03:24into the fencing for the
01:03:25rotational grazing project.
01:03:27Is that good?
01:03:29Today, we're bouncing around
01:03:30projects.
01:03:31So back to business here.
01:03:33We're going to put a fence right
01:03:35down the center of this property,
01:03:36right where the windmill is.
01:03:38There's going to be a gate here
01:03:39and then the gate on the
01:03:40opposite to create rotational
01:03:42grazing for these buffaloes.
01:03:44Pond it in there.
01:03:45While concrete is laid in the
01:03:55shop.
01:03:57Can you help me with
01:03:59something?
01:03:59Yeah.
01:04:00Misty and Melissa borrow Clint
01:04:02with an idea for a simple yet
01:04:04potentially game changing
01:04:06solution to the canceled well.
01:04:09We have the dry canceled well,
01:04:11right?
01:04:12But we have water.
01:04:13Yeah.
01:04:13From the main water supply at the
01:04:15house, which has gone dry.
01:04:17My dream come true would be
01:04:19to have a self-contained
01:04:20watering system for this garden.
01:04:22A holding tank sitting right
01:04:23here separate from everything
01:04:25else.
01:04:25And I think literally it's just
01:04:26a liner in the dry canceled
01:04:28well.
01:04:28Perfect.
01:04:29We should plumb up, move
01:04:31everything outside this dry
01:04:32well and put the shutoff valve
01:04:34in a place where you can reach
01:04:35it.
01:04:35Oh, great.
01:04:37Let's start digging.
01:04:38Okay, here we go.
01:04:40Right now I'm working on the
01:04:42well with Misty.
01:04:44Obviously more water in the
01:04:45garden is going to be super
01:04:47beneficial so that our crops have
01:04:49water all the time, regardless
01:04:51of what happens to our other
01:04:53water source.
01:04:54What do you think?
01:04:55Should I dig with a shovel?
01:04:56I didn't want you to hit the
01:04:57pipe.
01:04:59We'll dig the rest out by hand,
01:05:01run some new plumbing, get the
01:05:03shutoff valve and the stick it out
01:05:04here.
01:05:04Done.
01:05:05Okay.
01:05:06Water's off.
01:05:07Water's off.
01:05:07Turning this decommissioned well
01:05:11into a reliable water source for
01:05:13the garden is a necessity.
01:05:16Cut those flush.
01:05:18Once this is a complete system and
01:05:20the bison are complete system,
01:05:22doesn't matter what's happening,
01:05:24the homesteaders are completely
01:05:25set up for success.
01:05:27Okay.
01:05:28Go ahead and attach that.
01:05:30I want you to do the honors.
01:05:31Okay.
01:05:32First time, hopefully, that water's
01:05:34in the garden.
01:05:41Yeah, I'm so pumped.
01:05:43It's going to be so helpful.
01:05:45We have water for the first time,
01:05:47which to me, I'm looking at
01:05:48guaranteed food, right?
01:05:50No matter what happens, your goal.
01:05:52We'll just get a lid on this
01:05:53thing, done.
01:05:54Yep.
01:05:57Water in the garden.
01:05:58Woo!
01:06:04It's the final day at the Cooper
01:06:15family's 265-acre bisonstead.
01:06:19Here we go.
01:06:21Over by the garden, crucial
01:06:23deliveries arrive for Misty.
01:06:25First, a truckload of topsoil
01:06:27through the garden beds.
01:06:29All of these beds.
01:06:31Melissa's finally going to be
01:06:33a successful gardener.
01:06:37And later, new pine trees
01:06:40to reinforce a wind barrier.
01:06:43Somebody over some trees?
01:06:45Hi!
01:06:45The plan is to kind of create
01:06:48this wind barricade across
01:06:49the front of the house.
01:06:50Okay.
01:06:53Right here.
01:07:00Thank you so much for coming
01:07:01and helping.
01:07:02We'll get these trees in
01:07:03thanks to you, and we'd
01:07:05really appreciate it.
01:07:06Like, what a generous thing.
01:07:13Okay, here we go.
01:07:15At the barn, Matt and Garrett
01:07:17survey the newly restored
01:07:19facility before livestock
01:07:21finally arrives.
01:07:23You can see every improvement
01:07:24we made to this entire barn.
01:07:27Just in this one corner that
01:07:28we made for the pigs,
01:07:29we beefed up some fencing
01:07:31just by using some two-by-sixes,
01:07:34upcycled old gates.
01:07:35We have new posts.
01:07:38Actually safe wiring,
01:07:39not just for outlets,
01:07:41but for lights.
01:07:42Absolutely.
01:07:43It's incredible in here.
01:07:45The barn is spectacular.
01:07:46It is not just a leaky building
01:07:49for storage.
01:07:50We can put animals
01:07:51in this building now,
01:07:52and that was what Kevin and Melissa
01:07:54needed for this homestead.
01:07:55We didn't beat this barn up
01:07:56for nothing.
01:07:57Yeah.
01:07:58Wait till you get a load of this.
01:07:59I got a pig surprise for you.
01:08:03All right.
01:08:04How you doing, sir?
01:08:05How are you?
01:08:06What's your name?
01:08:06Brad.
01:08:07Brad.
01:08:08You're the man with the pigs.
01:08:09I am.
01:08:10Pigs are probably ready
01:08:10to get out of here, right?
01:08:13All right.
01:08:14Move them in.
01:08:15Starting with the barn
01:08:17and getting it ready
01:08:18for livestock
01:08:19was important to the homestead
01:08:21because you can't just
01:08:22really run a bison ranch
01:08:24on the bison alone.
01:08:26You have to diversify,
01:08:27and that is really
01:08:29where the barn
01:08:29is going to come into play
01:08:31big time.
01:08:32I want to see the pigs.
01:08:34Hey, Melissa,
01:08:35we beefed up the barn
01:08:37for bacon.
01:08:41Oh, they're so cute.
01:08:42I love them.
01:08:45The ultimate goal
01:08:45is to diversify the homestead.
01:08:47Right.
01:08:48This is definitely
01:08:48a big step in that direction.
01:08:51These four little pigs,
01:08:52they're just the beginning.
01:08:53You could raise anything in here.
01:08:56Hey, look.
01:08:56They look so happy.
01:08:57They look so happy, yeah.
01:08:58Tails wagon.
01:08:59Thank you so much.
01:09:00This is amazing.
01:09:01I'm so excited.
01:09:02That's music to my ears.
01:09:04See you later.
01:09:04All right.
01:09:06Let's go check out
01:09:07that buffalo squeeze.
01:09:09Let's do it.
01:09:10So the bison are going to
01:09:12walk down through here
01:09:13and then you corral them.
01:09:15That is correct.
01:09:16They'll be coming
01:09:17down the alley now.
01:09:18Yeah.
01:09:18Into the squeeze.
01:09:21Brashing through here
01:09:22and then go bam.
01:09:24Now squeeze them in there.
01:09:28Okay.
01:09:29Now let me out.
01:09:33You come right out here.
01:09:35And go back to being a buffalo.
01:09:38These animals stay on the property
01:09:40and working them right here
01:09:41and that's going to make it
01:09:43as stress-free as possible.
01:09:45I agree.
01:09:46I agree.
01:09:46We want stress-free animals.
01:09:48It's going to keep
01:09:49stress-free homesteaders
01:09:50and that's key.
01:09:52Words can't explain
01:09:53the transformation.
01:09:54For the rainies
01:09:54and the locals
01:09:55and the community
01:09:56just coming together,
01:09:57it's a blessing.
01:09:58Everything revolves
01:10:00around the bison
01:10:01on this homestead.
01:10:02And I think that we have
01:10:03helped the bison
01:10:04the best way that we could.
01:10:05I agree.
01:10:06This is great.
01:10:06Seven days ago,
01:10:11the Cooper family
01:10:11had a leaky,
01:10:13unstable barn
01:10:14that was unsafe
01:10:15for additional livestock
01:10:16and they had no way
01:10:18to contain their bison
01:10:19for vital care
01:10:21and handling.
01:10:22Today,
01:10:23they have a completely
01:10:24renovated barn
01:10:25with new roofing,
01:10:27support beams,
01:10:28and electrical wiring
01:10:29now ready to house
01:10:31sources of protein
01:10:32and profit.
01:10:33They also have
01:10:35a new bison shoot
01:10:36where they can work
01:10:37animals safely
01:10:38on the homestead,
01:10:39allowing for a
01:10:40stress-free environment
01:10:41and helping to make
01:10:43this a viable
01:10:44ranching operation.
01:10:46I feel really good
01:10:47leaving this homestead
01:10:48because I know
01:10:49that this is going
01:10:50to come in real handy
01:10:51and it's going to
01:10:51save buffalo lives.
01:10:53Absolutely.
01:10:54I think our work
01:10:55here is done.
01:10:56Let's go.
01:10:56Here we go.
01:11:05In the pasture,
01:11:07Marty, Kevin, Sean,
01:11:08and the rest of the team
01:11:10race to finish
01:11:11the fence line
01:11:12that will allow
01:11:13rotational grazing
01:11:14for the bison.
01:11:16These last couple of hours
01:11:17have gotten a little hectic.
01:11:19It has literally
01:11:19come down
01:11:20to the wire.
01:11:22I can sense
01:11:23the buffalo
01:11:23are kind of tired
01:11:24of me being here.
01:11:25They're getting closer
01:11:26and closer
01:11:27every day.
01:11:28So we've got to
01:11:29get this done
01:11:30quickly.
01:11:38We've got a crew
01:11:39down there
01:11:39with some barbed wire.
01:11:41But from that corner
01:11:42to that far corner,
01:11:44it's about
01:11:451,000 feet.
01:11:49So if we do
01:11:50five strands,
01:11:51we've got a mile
01:11:52of barbed wire
01:11:53to stretch now.
01:11:55They're here.
01:12:05Now, these guys
01:12:06have decided,
01:12:07wait a second,
01:12:07there's a whole group
01:12:08of people up there.
01:12:09They're going to move up
01:12:09a little closer
01:12:10to protect these buffalo
01:12:11that they basically
01:12:11sent up here
01:12:12to investigate us.
01:12:13There's water over here,
01:12:14so at some point,
01:12:16we might have to
01:12:17wrestle them
01:12:17if they want water.
01:12:19Either that
01:12:19or we've got to move.
01:12:20We want them
01:12:21to drift through
01:12:21nice and slow,
01:12:22nice and calm.
01:12:24No pressure.
01:12:25All you're doing
01:12:26is acclimating
01:12:27these new fence lines
01:12:27we've put up.
01:12:28What you don't want
01:12:29them is running.
01:12:30If they run,
01:12:30they don't see that fence.
01:12:31They run right into it.
01:12:32They've tear it all down.
01:12:33They're like,
01:12:33oh, that's how easy
01:12:34it is to tear it down.
01:12:34I'll do that next time, too.
01:12:37She's going to go
01:12:38check all this out,
01:12:39decide if she likes it
01:12:40or not.
01:12:41Whenever they start
01:12:41shaking their head,
01:12:42you start paying attention.
01:12:43Now, if they shake
01:12:44their head,
01:12:44they're basically
01:12:45getting themselves
01:12:45just like you would
01:12:46in a bar fight.
01:12:48She is shaking her head.
01:12:49She doesn't like it.
01:12:50We're just going to
01:12:51back up and give them space.
01:12:54Oh, my gosh.
01:12:56What you're really watching
01:12:57is they go from
01:12:58the head shake
01:12:58to their tails.
01:13:00A tail goes up,
01:13:01we need to get in the truck.
01:13:12Congratulations.
01:13:13on picking the windiest
01:13:14day of the year
01:13:15to fall trees
01:13:16that are leaning
01:13:17towards your house.
01:13:18Melissa wanted us
01:13:19to take out a few trees
01:13:20and then pull the stumps.
01:13:22Sure, we did it.
01:13:24But when we pulled
01:13:25the stumps out,
01:13:26I thought, man,
01:13:26that stump looks like
01:13:28we could carve it
01:13:28into something.
01:13:29Maybe that could be
01:13:31a buffalo.
01:13:34This horn starts off
01:13:35as a tree branch
01:13:36and then we set it
01:13:39at the store.
01:13:43The buffalo's talking.
01:13:52But I'll guarantee you this,
01:13:54out of all the people
01:13:55with a buffalo story
01:13:56in Colorado,
01:13:57there's only one
01:13:58that is a buffalo head
01:14:01carved out of a stump
01:14:02this big around.
01:14:05You'll be the first photo,
01:14:06Vinnie.
01:14:07Woo-hoo-hoo!
01:14:15So, we've got work
01:14:16to do, but...
01:14:17The problem you run into
01:14:19is sometimes you just
01:14:19got to let buffalo
01:14:20be buffalo.
01:14:22Find out how good
01:14:22you put those
01:14:23in the ground now,
01:14:24won't you?
01:14:24Oh, my Lord.
01:14:30He just bent the post!
01:14:31Oh, yeah.
01:14:32Look!
01:14:33No, he bent it.
01:14:34What do we...
01:14:34Well, I mean, what...
01:14:35We have to fix it.
01:14:37Hold on, stop, stop, stop.
01:14:38Clint's on the skid steer.
01:14:39Yeah.
01:14:40Is that okay?
01:14:40Yeah.
01:14:41She's not wanting Clint.
01:14:45She just wants
01:14:46a drink of water.
01:14:48Right?
01:14:48I've got to tell you,
01:14:48this makes me really happy.
01:14:50We spent a better part
01:14:52of two, two and a half days
01:14:53trying to get that thing
01:14:54to produce water.
01:14:56And there you go.
01:14:57See how calm this is?
01:14:59I have no more head shaking.
01:15:00Everybody now is looking at,
01:15:02oh, we've got a hole,
01:15:03I've got water,
01:15:03when's it my turn?
01:15:05Oh, this is amazing.
01:15:07This is it.
01:15:08Done.
01:15:08This is why you do
01:15:09what you do.
01:15:11And you know,
01:15:11you don't think about it,
01:15:12but they didn't really
01:15:12need to do this
01:15:13at this time of day.
01:15:14This is almost them
01:15:15coming over and telling you
01:15:16thank you.
01:15:18So what we just witnessed,
01:15:19correct me if I'm wrong,
01:15:20was the herd
01:15:21getting familiar
01:15:22with all these changes.
01:15:23Absolutely.
01:15:24Coming out here
01:15:24and checking out the changes,
01:15:25seeing what the changes do,
01:15:27what they affect.
01:15:28I tell you,
01:15:29that's one of the coolest things
01:15:30I've ever witnessed.
01:15:31Oh, it's amazing.
01:15:37Now that the buffalo
01:15:38are gone,
01:15:39we've got to get to work.
01:15:41Time is way too precious
01:15:43on this homestead
01:15:43to stand around.
01:15:48I love this thing so much.
01:16:04It's so beautiful.
01:16:05And it's protecting
01:16:06one of the most important things
01:16:07on the homestead,
01:16:09the garden.
01:16:10Woo-hoo!
01:16:11I love it.
01:16:12It's amazing.
01:16:14We're missing one thing,
01:16:15plants.
01:16:16Yes.
01:16:17I think that letting the soil sit
01:16:19and getting it ready
01:16:20in the spring is perfect.
01:16:21Yeah.
01:16:21Obviously doing more
01:16:23than just bison ranching
01:16:24was the point.
01:16:25Yeah, I think it's going to be
01:16:27way more successful
01:16:28because of your help.
01:16:29We called the Rainies out here
01:16:30because we needed help
01:16:32on the property
01:16:33and in the last week
01:16:35they've really been able
01:16:36to transform it.
01:16:38All of the changes
01:16:39are going to make
01:16:39such a difference
01:16:40as far as being
01:16:42more self-sustainable.
01:16:43Having water storage
01:16:44is so important.
01:16:46It's huge.
01:16:47The idea was to take
01:16:48that cancel dry well
01:16:50and turn it into
01:16:52a reliable water source
01:16:53for the garden.
01:16:54You are going to be
01:16:55a successful gardener.
01:16:56I hope I don't disappoint.
01:16:57No, you won't.
01:16:58You won't.
01:16:59Should we go check out
01:17:00the shop?
01:17:00Yes, let's do that.
01:17:01Come on in,
01:17:06your new shop.
01:17:09Oh my gosh.
01:17:10This is amazing.
01:17:11I absolutely love it.
01:17:12It's so cool.
01:17:14I wanted to do
01:17:15something different
01:17:16and I was thinking
01:17:17why not be geared
01:17:18for kids?
01:17:19Let's have them
01:17:20learn about bison,
01:17:22maybe become
01:17:23bison ranchers themselves.
01:17:25That's what this space is.
01:17:26I think that's so cool.
01:17:27We just couldn't say
01:17:29how thankful we are
01:17:30for them coming out
01:17:33and helping us.
01:17:34Would you be willing
01:17:35to be the first person
01:17:36to sign the guest book?
01:17:37I would love that.
01:17:39It's just overall
01:17:39been a mind-blowing experience.
01:17:41It's been great.
01:17:43Seven days ago,
01:17:45the Cooper family
01:17:46had a garden
01:17:46wasted away
01:17:47by heavy windstorms
01:17:49and a lack of water
01:17:50from a dry well.
01:17:53Today,
01:17:53they have brand new
01:17:55garden beds
01:17:55with fresh topsoil,
01:17:57a wooden fence barrier
01:17:59with extra trees
01:18:00for wind resistance,
01:18:01and a nearby
01:18:02water storage cistern
01:18:04for the garden.
01:18:06To ensure
01:18:07their homestead business
01:18:08will thrive,
01:18:09they also have
01:18:10a restored bison shop
01:18:12complete with
01:18:13an educational area
01:18:14to make it accessible
01:18:16to kids
01:18:16and adults alike.
01:18:21That makes me so happy
01:18:23to see this reaction.
01:18:24You guys have worked
01:18:25really hard
01:18:26to get to this place.
01:18:27Yes, definitely.
01:18:28And when you look around,
01:18:29are you like,
01:18:30oh my gosh,
01:18:30we're going to be able
01:18:31to pull it off?
01:18:31Yeah, we're actually
01:18:32going to be able
01:18:33to do things
01:18:34that we've talked about
01:18:35and dreamed about.
01:18:37It's amazing.
01:18:38So thank you.
01:18:38You're welcome.
01:18:47Windmill's blowing.
01:18:48What's that sound?
01:18:51That is the sound
01:18:52of H2O.
01:18:53That's the sound
01:18:54of success.
01:18:55That's the sound
01:18:56of hope.
01:18:57That's the sound
01:18:58of the future,
01:18:59and it can come true
01:19:00if you've got enough
01:19:02water to keep it alive.
01:19:04Yes, sir.
01:19:06This whole water,
01:19:08fence,
01:19:09rotational grazing,
01:19:11I just can't even
01:19:12put into words
01:19:12how this is going
01:19:13to help us
01:19:14and the buffalo.
01:19:16In the short amount
01:19:17of time that we've had
01:19:18that water up and running,
01:19:19the bison actually
01:19:21have been going out
01:19:22there more than
01:19:22they've been coming
01:19:23into the corral,
01:19:24which is just a good
01:19:25indicator to me
01:19:26that the work that
01:19:27the Rainies have done
01:19:28here is really going
01:19:29to help us,
01:19:29and not just today,
01:19:30tomorrow,
01:19:31for years to come.
01:19:32One week ago,
01:19:34the Cooper family
01:19:35had a dry windmill well
01:19:37on a sparse pasture,
01:19:39causing bison mortality
01:19:40and preventing the
01:19:42expansion of the herd.
01:19:44Today,
01:19:44they have a working
01:19:46windmill well,
01:19:47capable of producing
01:19:48300 to 400 gallons
01:19:51of water.
01:19:52It's the central piece
01:19:53in a rotational
01:19:54grazing fence system
01:19:55that will allow
01:19:56the bison to feed
01:19:58on a portion
01:19:58of the pasture
01:19:59while the other side
01:20:00recovers,
01:20:02making for a healthy,
01:20:03productive herd.
01:20:05It actually gives us
01:20:07hope for the future
01:20:07that we can continue
01:20:09taking care of these
01:20:09great animals out here.
01:20:11It's a good moment.
01:20:12It's a fantastic moment.
01:20:21You know,
01:20:22it's a good day
01:20:23on a homestead
01:20:24when you've done
01:20:24your best
01:20:25and you've worked
01:20:27till the sun's set.
01:20:28Yeah,
01:20:29we totally whipped
01:20:30that barn into
01:20:31such good shape.
01:20:32There's pigs in there now.
01:20:34The Rainies are examples
01:20:35of what homesteading is
01:20:36and doing the unheard
01:20:38of for the Coopers.
01:20:40It's official.
01:20:41You guys went
01:20:42from ranchers
01:20:43to homesteaders.
01:20:44We showed up,
01:20:44you were very focused
01:20:46on the bison
01:20:47and we've shifted gears
01:20:48and now there's
01:20:50so much going on.
01:20:51Well, thank you guys
01:20:52so much.
01:20:53We want to give you this.
01:20:54It's a photo I took.
01:20:56Oh, wow.
01:20:57So thank you for you guys.
01:20:58That's so sweet.
01:20:59That's so awesome.
01:21:02From the bottom
01:21:03of my heart,
01:21:03her heart,
01:21:04and Garrett's heart,
01:21:05we absolutely appreciate
01:21:06what you guys
01:21:07have come out
01:21:07and done for us.
01:21:08You've accelerated us.
01:21:10You've given us hope.
01:21:11So thank you.
01:21:13I don't know
01:21:14what else to say,
01:21:14but thank you.
01:21:16A lot of the things
01:21:16that I took away
01:21:17from Marty
01:21:18is how to stay
01:21:19mentally tough.
01:21:20I know how to do
01:21:21a lot of things,
01:21:23but there's something
01:21:24with experience
01:21:24and mental toughness
01:21:26that comes through
01:21:27this style of life
01:21:28of homesteading
01:21:29and rural living.
01:21:30I'm extremely joyful
01:21:31for the things
01:21:32that the Rainies
01:21:33have done for us.
01:21:35It means a lot
01:21:36to me personally.
01:21:38Coming to their homestead
01:21:39was like a dream
01:21:41come true for me.
01:21:43To actually see
01:21:45wild buffalo
01:21:46roaming across
01:21:48the plains of Colorado
01:21:50is an experience
01:21:53I'll never forget.
01:21:54Go help somebody else!
01:22:02Since the Rainies left,
01:22:05things have been
01:22:06going great.
01:22:07We did have
01:22:08a big snowstorm,
01:22:10and so having the barn
01:22:12complete with a new roof
01:22:13and stuff
01:22:14was super helpful.
01:22:15Here's the pig pigs.
01:22:17They're doing great.
01:22:18Love coming out there.
01:22:19Little outdoor area
01:22:21as well.
01:22:23The water tank.
01:22:23That's working awesome.
01:22:25It's still got water flowing.
01:22:26The buffalo
01:22:26are drinking out of it.
01:22:27It's a big stress reliever.
01:22:29And one thing
01:22:30I'm really happy with
01:22:31on the garden
01:22:32is the windbreak.
01:22:33When the wind's kicking up,
01:22:35it really works.
01:22:36I'm just very excited
01:22:38for spring.
01:22:39The shop is absolutely amazing.
01:22:42The great thing
01:22:43with Garrett
01:22:43is he actually
01:22:44fell in love
01:22:45with the bison,
01:22:46and him and my sister
01:22:47and their kids
01:22:48are actually planning
01:22:49on moving out here.
01:22:50We're going to try
01:22:50to get them
01:22:51on the property with us.
01:22:52More the merrier.
01:22:53Thank you so much, Rainies.
01:22:55You're always welcome back
01:22:56any time for a burger
01:22:57or a steak.
01:22:58Appreciate everything
01:22:59you guys did.
01:22:59All right.
01:23:01That's fine.
01:23:02All right.
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