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00:00:00Oh, yeah.
00:00:19Can you hear that?
00:00:22The prairie winds can play this thing better than I do.
00:00:25They say buffalo like music.
00:00:28It's what everyone I've met has said.
00:00:31You see a stampede, those people are right.
00:00:38Welcome to the Wild West.
00:00:41We really didn't have a lot of experience.
00:00:44Eastern Colorado does come with a lot of wind.
00:00:48Having the bison has really challenged me in a couple ways that I haven't anticipated.
00:00:52It's like I'm seeing dinosaurs.
00:00:55We feel overwhelmed.
00:00:56With 90-mile-an-hour winds, this thing doesn't stand a chance unless we beef it up.
00:01:01We've got to get to work.
00:01:04Everything just keeps on getting bigger and badder.
00:01:07This is a little bit bigger of a project than we anticipated.
00:01:11A lot of wind.
00:01:12Go slow.
00:01:14Hold, hold.
00:01:16Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:17Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:19Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:20Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:20Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:24Hold, hold, hold, hold.
00:01:25Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:29Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:31Hold, hold.
00:01:32Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:33Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:34Hold, hold, hold.
00:01:36Hold, hold.
00:01:37Look out there.
00:01:38You know what you're looking at?
00:01:40The Wild West.
00:01:43Namely, Colorado.
00:01:45Look at these turbines.
00:01:49So do you see a lot growing?
00:01:52No.
00:01:53It's really dry.
00:01:55It's really harsh.
00:01:57It's at elevation, and it's really windy.
00:02:01Wind is the invisible predator for every homestead that has it.
00:02:07And on that note, Colorado, bring it on.
00:02:10In the expansive prairie lands of eastern Colorado, the Rainies respond to an SOS from one of their largest homesteads yet, a sprawling 265-acre ranch.
00:02:24With 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.
00:02:35However, when the drought hit in 1890, many fled, leaving only the most dedicated who adapted farming techniques more suitable for a semi-arid environment.
00:02:47Today, 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.
00:03:01And for the inexperienced, like the Cooper family, big ambition can lead to big problems.
00:03:12I'm Melissa Cooper.
00:03:14I'm Kevin Cooper.
00:03:15And this is our 265-acre homestead in eastern Colorado.
00:03:21We've been here four years now.
00:03:23We have actually talked about homesteading for as long as I can remember in our relationship.
00:03:31We love the lifestyle.
00:03:32We love being able to walk outside, hear birds chirping, see a beautiful sunset, and then see the buffalo walk across, you know, the prairie.
00:03:40Spurred by the pandemic and an unexpected health scare, the Coopers moved to their homestead and were confronted with some harsh realities.
00:03:49We would absolutely love to be able to sustain everything here, have our own food in our garden.
00:03:55But when we first moved out to the homestead, we really didn't have a lot of experience.
00:04:00We are the couple of city kids that came out here who don't have any background in agriculture.
00:04:07We jumped into something with big dreams, and we weren't ready.
00:04:13Eastern Colorado does come with a lot of weather as far as wind.
00:04:18The wind is killing the garden.
00:04:20We have a really hard time starting plants on the homestead.
00:04:24We've tried multiple different methods, but as you can see, we've had very little success with the beds.
00:04:31We want to be more self-sustainable and grow vegetables, but we don't see it being feasible.
00:04:37One of our goals is to have livestock.
00:04:40We want pigs, but the barn's not a safe living environment right now.
00:04:45The panels on the roof have been blown off.
00:04:47There's structural beams that are no longer structurally sound.
00:04:53We're new to this whole process.
00:04:55There's so much that we're still learning, and we feel a little overwhelmed.
00:04:59Right now we have bison and chickens.
00:05:02We do process our bison, but managing them is starting to be a threat to our livelihood.
00:05:08Bison are a very dangerous animal.
00:05:12If bison do not have heat and water, they will go find it.
00:05:15So all of our fencing we have, if they want to go through it, they will.
00:05:19On the south end of the homestead, we have a functioning well, but we don't have water out on the pasture for the bison.
00:05:28Recently, we had a new calf, and we found the baby dead.
00:05:33The cause was the heat and the lack of water.
00:05:36And those are hard moments.
00:05:38Buffalo are number one and putting ourselves number two.
00:05:41We've already had those situations where you see Kevin and I snap at each other because the stress gets to us.
00:05:49You know, your dreams slowly turn into nightmares, and we're trying to make it work the best that we can.
00:05:55We're just failing.
00:05:56Marty, Misty, Matt, we need your help.
00:06:06Hello.
00:06:07Hello.
00:06:08Hi.
00:06:10Well, who are we meeting?
00:06:12I'm Melissa.
00:06:13Melissa.
00:06:14Kevin.
00:06:14Kevin, are you?
00:06:15Husband and wife.
00:06:16Garrett.
00:06:16Who's this big guy?
00:06:17How does he fit in this road?
00:06:18Your brother-in-law.
00:06:19Your brother-in-law.
00:06:20Well, nice to meet you guys.
00:06:23How big is this homestead?
00:06:24It's 265 acres.
00:06:26And what are you doing with 265 acres?
00:06:29We have a small herd of bison.
00:06:31How many?
00:06:3116.
00:06:33So you called us here.
00:06:34Let's talk about some of those reasons.
00:06:39We actually met while I was still in high school.
00:06:42We have been together for 20 years.
00:06:44We've been married for 12, and we have two kids together.
00:06:48A boy who is 18 and a girl who is 9.
00:06:52We lived in a suburb of Denver.
00:06:55We just wanted to chase our dream to be more self-sustainable.
00:07:00We had been researching different types of livestock that we wanted to potentially raise
00:07:04and have decided on bison.
00:07:06Bison are native to this area.
00:07:08They're literally the main animal that roamed our prairies and our lands before they were almost extinct.
00:07:15Being just out on the property, there is rolling hills.
00:07:19It's definitely big sky country.
00:07:21I think it's beautiful.
00:07:22But it was more than nature that drew the Coopers to this way of life.
00:07:28It was Kevin's surprise cancer diagnosis.
00:07:32Anybody who's ever experienced any kind of big health anything can relate to the fact that it just changes your perspective on life.
00:07:42His cancer diagnosis made us start thinking about what the values were most important to us
00:07:49and how the time we had, we wanted to spend it.
00:07:53Having the bison, it's really challenged me in a couple ways that I haven't anticipated.
00:07:57Oh, shoot.
00:08:00Got yours up?
00:08:01Nope.
00:08:02The bison take about eight, nine hours of my day every day.
00:08:06All right, I got the back.
00:08:07The bison are a full-time job.
00:08:09They don't always have that direct time to fix all the needs on the property.
00:08:17I try to repair things and fix things as I can, but we haven't installed and updated vital things for the bison,
00:08:24like getting that new bison shoot in.
00:08:26Right now, we have to transport our animals every time we need to do something to them.
00:08:32So whether that's a sick animal that needs to be vaccinated for something or our yearly roundup.
00:08:39The stress of feeling like it could fail, we've really invested everything.
00:08:45We've left all of our friends and everything.
00:08:48You know, I may have a big, tough facade on the outside, but on the inside, mentally, that's definitely my weak side.
00:08:54And the thought crossed my mind, did I make a mistake?
00:08:58It is pretty mentally anguishing.
00:09:00You do feel sometimes like quitting and waving the flag.
00:09:06But it would absolutely destroy my wife if we had to move out of this situation.
00:09:12Looking out my window and seeing the herd come in over the hill is something that I never thought I'd experience, but it's so peaceful.
00:09:19Being here for almost four years, I can't imagine not living here, having to go back to city life.
00:09:31It just seems, I just don't know how we would do that.
00:09:37Sorry.
00:09:37Let's talk garden.
00:09:48So we started with these six beds.
00:09:51We felt really good our first year gardening.
00:09:54And what did you grow?
00:09:55We grew tomatoes and jalapenos, cucumbers.
00:09:58We had a nice zucchini crop.
00:09:59Did you try to plant anything this year?
00:10:01We did.
00:10:02We tried to plant a few things.
00:10:03Did anything grow?
00:10:04No.
00:10:06Is this wind pretty relentless?
00:10:08Yeah.
00:10:09I mean, this is mild for out here.
00:10:11And so how windy does it get?
00:10:12I mean, on a bad day, 90 mile an hour winds, it gets bad.
00:10:17What?
00:10:19When you're dealing with gardening and wind, you're dealing with something that is drying out your soil twice as fast.
00:10:24It's devastating to your plants, whether it's the stem or the leaves.
00:10:28And it kills seedlings so you fail before you even start.
00:10:32You need twice the amount of water when you're trying to garden in the wind.
00:10:37Right.
00:10:38Do you have water?
00:10:40We do have water, but it's also the same water that our house runs on.
00:10:45We only have one well that produces water.
00:10:47So when something goes wrong with the water, we're out.
00:10:51And it just goes to the bison?
00:10:52Yeah.
00:10:53Okay.
00:10:53We have a well over here, but it's dry.
00:10:56Okay.
00:10:57Can you show me?
00:10:57Yes.
00:10:58Okay.
00:10:58Melissa is successfully growing weeds.
00:11:02And if that weren't bad enough, there's no water.
00:11:05Growing food here is not going to be an easy thing.
00:11:16Cool.
00:11:17After you.
00:11:18So this is our stables, corrals.
00:11:22Is this a huge barn?
00:11:23It's a big, big barn.
00:11:24And they're not using it for anything right now?
00:11:28Not right now, storage.
00:11:30How old is it?
00:11:31About 1950s.
00:11:33We're a good 70, 80 years old.
00:11:37It definitely looks like the water's leaking, you know, down into the rafters.
00:11:43Yes.
00:11:43When we look at, you know, just the integrity of the building, open wires, bird's nests, feces, just the holes in the ceiling.
00:11:54I mean, we're just trying to make sure that this building is going to be secure enough for housing animals properly.
00:12:01They're talking about bringing pigs in and, you know, pigs, a horse, you know, eventually utilize some of the stables in here.
00:12:09These homesteaders want to expand their livestock so they can have another source of protein and make more money.
00:12:15Correct.
00:12:15Because they probably need it.
00:12:17Correct.
00:12:17Got a lot of potential.
00:12:18Getting that barn whipped into shape and ready for livestock could be the ultimate game changer for this homestead.
00:12:25It'll give a chance outside of those bison to be self-sustainable.
00:12:29So now we're heading out to our windmill for the water.
00:12:38Oh, right there.
00:12:39Yep.
00:12:41That's not functioning.
00:12:42We've never had time to get to it.
00:12:45Right now they're walking all the way in for water to the corral.
00:12:50Earlier this year we had a hot spell come through and one of the calves died about 100 yards from the water tank.
00:12:57No way.
00:12:57From the corral.
00:12:58No.
00:12:59Dehydration is kind of what we assumed happened.
00:13:01How hot did it get?
00:13:02104, 105 was the max.
00:13:08I feel privileged to be able to see buffalo or bison.
00:13:12Seeing this site is how it's supposed to be.
00:13:14This is the way it was meant to be.
00:13:16The people in Alaska that raise bison will tell you that animal can go through any fence if it wants to.
00:13:24Fences are suggestions.
00:13:25Buffalo, also known as bison, are the largest mammal in the United States.
00:13:31Prior to European settlers, millions of bison roamed North America, nearly hunted to extinction in the late 1800s, ranchers, First Nations communities, and conservationists have worked to rebuild bison populations since the early 20th century.
00:13:51Commercial bison farming and ranching began in the mid-1980s.
00:13:57But the animals can be unpredictable and dangerous with charging speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
00:14:05They've caused serious injuries and at least one death in recent years.
00:14:10You've been here four years.
00:14:14You've never seen any water come out of here.
00:14:16Nope.
00:14:16Do you know any history on this well?
00:14:19We looked it up through the county to know that this was operational at one point in time.
00:14:23Once upon a time, there were homesteaders here before Kevin and Melissa.
00:14:29Word is they raised cattle.
00:14:32And maybe those cattle relied on the water produced by the windmill, which now doesn't work and produces zero water.
00:14:42It's a matter of life or death on a place like this.
00:14:46We've got to get it fixed.
00:14:47All right, guys, this is what I really appreciate about these homesteaders.
00:14:55They want to step back in time and help replenish the plains with buffalo.
00:15:04So how are we going to help them?
00:15:05Their mission and their dream, it was amazing.
00:15:09But homesteading isn't just a one-faceted thing.
00:15:12How are they bringing in a garden here and keeping it alive?
00:15:15How are they bringing other livestock?
00:15:17What's that bigger picture plan look like?
00:15:20I have ideas, but is there going to be enough time in the day after they've tended to the bison?
00:15:25And what did the three of us combined know about buffalo?
00:15:29Not that much.
00:15:31We're going to have to get real creative because we're a little bit out of our league.
00:15:36All right, folks, let's just start with what you guys are doing here is cool.
00:15:47That said, there's a lot to do here.
00:15:50When it comes to having a successful garden here, the biggest challenge is the wind.
00:15:57I have a lot of ideas.
00:15:58I'm ready to get to work in the morning.
00:16:00Sounds great.
00:16:01Garrett showed me the barn.
00:16:04And the real money is in the barn itself and putting livestock in there.
00:16:10Whether it's trying to figure out what's happening with the well out there, resurrect and make functional a barn, or try to grow anything, if you will, that's what we do.
00:16:21That's all called homesteading.
00:16:22But we're not buffalo whisperers.
00:16:27Well, I've got a proposition for you.
00:16:29There is a neighbor ranch that we have a good relationship with.
00:16:32I say we go take a look at their place tomorrow and get you guys more familiar with the bison and the buffalo.
00:16:38How's that sound?
00:16:39That sounds like a blast.
00:16:40Crash course.
00:16:41It's crash course.
00:16:42We'll meet you there.
00:16:43Let's do it.
00:16:43See you in the morning.
00:16:44Get some sleep, guys.
00:16:45See you, guys.
00:16:47See you later.
00:16:47Wow, there's a big one over here.
00:16:54Where, where, where?
00:16:55Dad, here comes the big guy.
00:16:56Oh!
00:17:08Here we go.
00:17:10As a new day dawns in eastern Colorado.
00:17:12This is the land where the buffalo roam.
00:17:17You!
00:17:18The Rainies travel for their crash course on one of America's most legendary animals.
00:17:26Hello.
00:17:28How are you guys?
00:17:29Good.
00:17:29How are you?
00:17:30Doing well.
00:17:31This is quite a spread.
00:17:33This is 2,700 right on here.
00:17:352,700 acres.
00:17:37Yeah.
00:17:37Is it all buffalo?
00:17:38All buffalo.
00:17:39I'm Sean Bennett.
00:17:41I run Prairie Ridge Buffalo Ranch.
00:17:44And I met Kevin and Melissa Cooper about five years ago.
00:17:48They had a dream.
00:17:49They wanted to come out and raise bison.
00:17:51And it's like any business.
00:17:53It doesn't happen overnight.
00:17:54It's a very steep learning curve.
00:17:56And we're happy to help them as much as we can.
00:17:58So we're so excited to be here because being from Alaska, we are not bison experts.
00:18:05So we're here to like see your operation, kind of see what's been working for you and
00:18:09what hasn't been working for you.
00:18:11The Coopers are so overwhelmed on their homestead because of the bison.
00:18:15They take up so much time, so much energy.
00:18:18We need to figure out how they can grow their herd so that there's time left for homesteading.
00:18:25So is there anything we should know before we go out?
00:18:27First thing I learned in the buffalo business, sometimes it's best just to let buffalo be buffalo.
00:18:31It's kind of like raising kids.
00:18:32Very similar.
00:18:33We're going to jump in my truck.
00:18:34We're going to go out.
00:18:35We're going to go look at some buffalo.
00:18:37Let's load up.
00:18:38When you show up on a buffalo ranch and the owner of the ranch says jump in the truck,
00:18:43let's go for a drive.
00:18:45You get a little glimpse into history as you stand in awe of a herd of America's national animal.
00:18:58Oh my gosh.
00:19:01You know you're dealing with some dangerous livestock when you can't approach them on foot
00:19:06and have to make sure you're in a truck so you don't get caught in a stampede.
00:19:12Oh yeah, buffalo dust.
00:19:13Wow, look at these guys.
00:19:15Buffalo treats.
00:19:20What a beautiful animal.
00:19:24Visiting Sean's ranch is really amazing.
00:19:26It's like I'm seeing dinosaurs.
00:19:29It's like a triceratops.
00:19:30Look at this guy.
00:19:32Wow, there's a big one over here.
00:19:34Where, where, what?
00:19:35Dad, here comes the big guy.
00:19:36I'm back.
00:19:37That is the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
00:19:50Sean, what is that buffalo weigh?
00:19:51About 2,300.
00:19:52About 2,300.
00:19:532,300 pounds right there.
00:19:56This is like an incredible amount of water.
00:19:58Like how much water does it take?
00:19:59Typically a bison will drink about 16 gallons a day.
00:20:03With 265 acres, is that enough room to rotational graze?
00:20:07You know, I look at Kevin and Melissa where they're at right now.
00:20:10Where's your water sources?
00:20:12They need that windmill up and operating.
00:20:14For this homestead, having water is really important when it comes to 16 gallons a day per bison.
00:20:23But man, I'll tell you right now, they just don't have that set up at all.
00:20:28We're wanting to mainstream it as much as we can so there's room for other things.
00:20:33So you have to expand what you do on a ranch in order to make the ranch viable, in order to make it functional.
00:20:40So let's talk.
00:20:41What is it that you and your wife want to do?
00:20:45So right now, we're doing meat sales.
00:20:47So we are in that meat market.
00:20:50But that's where we've kind of got to get creative in bringing more money in to the homestead to kind of keep us moving forward and being successful.
00:20:57Copy.
00:20:59All right, well, that was fascinating.
00:21:01Thank you guys very much for coming out.
00:21:03That is the Buffalo Magic.
00:21:05So cool.
00:21:11All right, see if you can pry that sucker out of there.
00:21:15Later that day, Matt and the Cooper's brother-in-law, Garrett, returned to the faltering barn, hoping to restore it to safely house necessary sources of protein, like pigs.
00:21:27All right, I figured we started on the worst one and put a full-length stud in here.
00:21:37Right now, we are replacing studs.
00:21:39We already got two in.
00:21:40And the reason is, it's because of this.
00:21:43Look at all this.
00:21:45I mean, this wood is not, it's not rotten, you know?
00:21:49This is not termites.
00:21:51This is not water damage.
00:21:53This right here is livestock, rubbage, scratchage, and chewage.
00:22:00To prepare the Cooper's barn for future livestock, Matt and Garrett will fortify the existing structure with new support beams, replace dangerous exposed wiring, and seal the roof by replacing deteriorated fiberglass panels.
00:22:17Turning this once vacant barn into a full-bore source of food and, eventually, income.
00:22:29Working with Matt, it's a great experience.
00:22:31We work well together.
00:22:32We have the same mind goal for this barn, and that makes the process so much easier when we're thinking alike.
00:22:39How's it fit?
00:22:40Perfect.
00:22:40One of the really cool parts about Garrett is, he is just as invested into this whole bison ranch as the people that live on this ranch.
00:22:51That's a brother-in-law you want to keep, and he's tall.
00:22:56You got a big scrapping guy that can really put the studs in.
00:23:00You got a stud working with the stud, putting the studs in.
00:23:03It seems windier today.
00:23:17It is breezier today, definitely.
00:23:19Just outside the barn, Misty and Melissa are ready to defend the garden from Colorado's elements.
00:23:28No plant is going to survive in this.
00:23:30Crazy.
00:23:30Yeah.
00:23:31I don't want to tear down the existing fence.
00:23:34Okay.
00:23:34I just want to add wind protection.
00:23:36So I'm thinking, literally, just like a wood wall, a wood fence, that the wind can't penetrate.
00:23:42Yeah.
00:23:43I think that sounds amazing.
00:23:45Today's the day where we actually get to start homesteading.
00:23:48Clearly, the bison have taken top priority with Melissa and Kevin, but guess what my top priority is?
00:23:54It's feeding this family.
00:23:56We'll tie this guy off.
00:23:57Melissa and Kevin, they're successful ranchers, but moving to a place where they can actually grow food and setting them up for the spring is what I plan on doing.
00:24:08Okay.
00:24:09We know where the posts go.
00:24:10Easy enough, right?
00:24:11Yep.
00:24:11Let's grab the auger, the posts, and get them in.
00:24:13Sounds good.
00:24:15To protect the garden from eastern Colorado's intense winds, Misty will drill holes to install a protective wooden fence complete with 4x4 posts solidified in concrete.
00:24:27So the coopers can finally grow their own fresh food source on the homestead.
00:24:42We're still overwhelmed with all that we need to get done.
00:24:45So Misty working on the garden is a relief.
00:24:49And with the wind barrier, I think that we're going to hopefully be able to be much more successful in the future.
00:24:57We're going to call that good 4x4 post in.
00:25:01It's set in concrete because of 90-mile-an-hour winds, this thing doesn't stand a chance unless we beef it up.
00:25:08So we get the wind barrier in, we get it nice and sturdy.
00:25:10That way, Melissa can actually garden.
00:25:12Woo!
00:25:14Woo-woo-woo!
00:25:15Woo!
00:25:15Woo-woo-woo!
00:25:19I believe that's Wayne.
00:25:24I like this guy already.
00:25:26Over at the windmill, Marty and Kevin meet with a local expert who can hopefully get it in working order
00:25:32and provide a desperately needed water source to help the bison and the coopers' homesteading dream from dying.
00:25:42Wayne.
00:25:42Wayne, Marty Rainey.
00:25:44Kevin.
00:25:44We moved here about three, four years ago and never seen this thing up and running.
00:25:50So I'm wondering if you wouldn't have a little bit of knowledge on this.
00:25:54Won't know until we get it out of the cold.
00:25:56Okay.
00:25:57I'm holding you up.
00:25:59I like this guy.
00:26:00He's a man of action.
00:26:01These homesteaders have a house on the other side of the property with a well.
00:26:07But out here on this back pasture, it's dry.
00:26:11So we have to fix the windmill to produce all the water that 16 buffalo can drink.
00:26:18Relying on the expertise of Wayne, Marty and Kevin will first take the windmill well apart from the ground up,
00:26:27then establish at what depth the water is resting and rebuild the well accordingly.
00:26:32They'll also remove any obstructions and fix any broken parts, including the powering fan at the top.
00:26:40This will allow the coopers to not only water their herd of 16, but to add enough bison to make the ranch sustainable.
00:26:52I just met Wayne.
00:26:55And guess what?
00:26:56I've heard he's smart, he's talented, and he's a jack of all trades.
00:27:02We might just fix this windmill.
00:27:04Like your style.
00:27:05Woo!
00:27:05It's day three on the Cooper family's 265-acre Colorado bison stead.
00:27:30Fire in the hole!
00:27:32And with the windmill well disassembled and cleaned, Marty and Wayne make final preparations
00:27:39to provide a life-saving water source for the grazing bison.
00:27:46So 1336, minus 1227.
00:27:50109 feet, so how deep of this is?
00:27:52To the bottom of the well, yes.
00:27:55Okay, we're going to pull this out until we hit water on the rope.
00:27:58The reason that they go off a lot of windmills instead of electric pumps, because this can't pump that fast.
00:28:05This will only pump about two, three gallons a minute now.
00:28:08That's perfect.
00:28:09A lot of times you get in with an electric pump.
00:28:12Pump or drive?
00:28:13Yep.
00:28:13The first recorded evidence of windmills being used for pumping water and grinding grain was in Persia between 500 and 900 A.D.
00:28:24In the 14th century, the Dutch took windmills to a whole new level with their taller and more efficient tower mills.
00:28:33By the late 1800s and early 1900s, windmills were sprinkled all over the American landscape, becoming very useful in the Great Plains.
00:28:43When a windmill's fan spins on a shaft, it drives a geared mechanism in an up-and-down motion.
00:28:51That motion pushes a long pump rod inside of a pipe in the well, while a sealed plunger at the end of the rod forces the water up the pipe.
00:29:01With sufficient wind, an average windmill will produce up to 1,500 gallons of water a day.
00:29:08Right there's static water level.
00:29:1323 feet.
00:29:14It sounds like we're going to put this thing back together, and we're going to see what this well can do in real life.
00:29:19Yeah.
00:29:22Grinches?
00:29:24A little cross-threaded, Marty.
00:29:28Moment of truth!
00:29:32Well, you just rebuilt it.
00:29:33Now what?
00:29:34Now we'll see if it works.
00:29:38I think I can fit through that hole.
00:29:44Let's go.
00:29:45Oh, once you get the shoulders through, now the real test is the love handles.
00:29:50Let's see.
00:29:52While Matt begins the barn roof repair...
00:29:55Okay, so here's the deal.
00:29:57...Misty enlists Garrett for his expertise...
00:30:01I've heard that you have a little bit of a plumbing background.
00:30:03That's correct.
00:30:04...to revitalize a long, dormant water source.
00:30:07Let's take a look.
00:30:10What is this?
00:30:11That's a drywall.
00:30:13That used to be an old pump inside of there.
00:30:18Old breaker box.
00:30:20Black Widows.
00:30:21Do you think it's a power issue or a water issue because the shutoff valve's off?
00:30:26Well, we can jump in and...
00:30:27And just see if the shutoff...
00:30:28Just to see if the shutoff is active and see if we get any kind of fluid.
00:30:32I'm a little scared.
00:30:33Then somebody said Black Widow.
00:30:35I can see some.
00:30:37I'm going down in.
00:30:38So, unfortunately, I have to jump down into a well full of Black Widows, but we could have
00:30:46a secondary water supply that's huge.
00:30:49Oh, my God.
00:30:50It's going to get on me.
00:30:52It's going to get on me.
00:30:57And we've got water.
00:30:58We've got water!
00:30:59We've got water.
00:31:00Okay, coming out because it's too scary.
00:31:02There's water coming out of a pipe that's 70 years old.
00:31:06This is super exciting.
00:31:09Can you just check my back?
00:31:10Oh, yeah.
00:31:10No, you're good.
00:31:10You're clear.
00:31:11Like, can you just brush my whole body?
00:31:12Oh, yeah.
00:31:12We're good.
00:31:13Just get in there.
00:31:14Yep, you're good.
00:31:15I did not expect water to come out of that pipe at all.
00:31:19There's a secondary water source on the homestead.
00:31:22Like, this...
00:31:23What?
00:31:24The fact that we have water in here.
00:31:26The fact that we have water is huge.
00:31:28Is huge.
00:31:29Huge.
00:31:30Yes.
00:31:31Let's deal with the Black Widows.
00:31:32Let's get to a place where we can be down there safe and working.
00:31:35And we know what our materials list is, so let's just go get it.
00:31:38Let's do it.
00:31:42Family, come on over here.
00:31:50Come on, kids.
00:31:51With Misty finding a possible water source for the garden, 150 acres away, Marty gathers
00:31:59everyone out on the pasture to see if they can strike life-changing water for both the
00:32:05bison and the homestead.
00:32:08We may have water.
00:32:09If it's dry, we've got to go back to the drawing board.
00:32:12Wayne, what's the next thing that has to happen?
00:32:14We've got to put oil in the tranny?
00:32:16We can check it and see if there is any in there, if you can reach it.
00:32:19But I don't know if you're going to reach that from the platform.
00:32:21Clint can.
00:32:22Clint can do anything.
00:32:23Clint, get up here, please.
00:32:24Have you seen how long Clint's arms are?
00:32:26It would mean the world to have water on the homestead, not only just for us, but what it means for
00:32:38the bison is huge.
00:32:39There's times out here on the homestead where you feel in a bit over your head.
00:32:44Having the capability of having water out on pasture for our bison is a crucial step for
00:32:49us to get this going.
00:32:50We've got Wayne hooked the brake back up.
00:32:53We've got Clint ready to cut the chain and the wire.
00:32:57I think we're ready.
00:32:58Okay, so as soon as you let it go, Clint, it's going to want to start spinning when you
00:33:01let go.
00:33:02It's going to spin.
00:33:03Careful, Clint.
00:33:04It's going to spin and knock you.
00:33:06Clint, that's a lot of wind.
00:33:15Woo!
00:33:16There she goes.
00:33:17It's spinning!
00:33:18It's going up.
00:33:21Look how fast it's going.
00:33:23Woo!
00:33:25Look how fast it's pumping.
00:33:26Woo!
00:33:28Look at that dude!
00:33:29Come on, water.
00:33:30What is there, water?
00:33:31Come on, water.
00:33:32Come on, baby.
00:33:33Okay, I still don't see water.
00:33:35Okay, hold on.
00:33:35I mean, she's moving.
00:33:40Come on, come on.
00:33:42Where is it?
00:33:44Okay, now I'm getting nervous.
00:33:46You guys, we have to talk.
00:33:48No BS.
00:33:50What if water doesn't come out?
00:33:54I'm thinking you guys are screwed if this thing doesn't work.
00:33:58On the Cooper family's 265-acre bison stag.
00:34:11I'm thinking you guys are screwed if this thing doesn't work.
00:34:15The pivotal windmill has failed to strike water.
00:34:19Wayne, what do you think?
00:34:20We're going to have to pull it out and see what's wrong with it.
00:34:23Okay, so we're going to pull it all back apart and see what's going on.
00:34:28You want to stay and work on it?
00:34:29Yep.
00:34:30Okay, the rest of you guys go back to work.
00:34:31I'm really sorry.
00:34:32Let's go.
00:34:33We're going to start all over.
00:34:35I'm sorry, everyone.
00:34:35Kind of a bummer.
00:34:39You know, we were excited.
00:34:41We were, you know, all of us, the Rainies, ourselves, we got excited for the water and,
00:34:45well, it never came.
00:34:47All right, let's get an excavator.
00:34:49I'll take you down there.
00:34:50Let's grab the excavator.
00:34:51Never hear someone say, failure is not an option.
00:34:56What a ridiculous statement.
00:34:58We did a lot of work.
00:35:00We were 100% confident and no water came out.
00:35:05So now we'll learn from those mistakes and make a better, stronger.
00:35:10Well, cool.
00:35:11Just hold it right there.
00:35:12Okay.
00:35:13We're trying to get this windmill back up and running.
00:35:16So we've got the excavator up there.
00:35:18Stop the blade from spinning.
00:35:19And we're chaining up the blade right now.
00:35:21As soon as he gets done chaining up that blade, we're going to drop back down and pull all
00:35:25the pipe back out and see if we get water out of this.
00:35:35Yep.
00:35:35See, this right here has broke off.
00:35:37Oh, so the brake broke.
00:35:38Yep.
00:35:39That arm up there is supposed to hook into there.
00:35:42It sits right there.
00:35:43It usually sits right there when it's on.
00:35:45Are we going to be able to get a new one?
00:35:47Yep.
00:35:48Well, a used one.
00:35:48Use one.
00:35:49Use one.
00:35:50Okay.
00:35:51Okay.
00:35:52New to me.
00:35:52So the first issue is there's no brake system on this windmill.
00:35:57The next step, we've got to figure out what's going on down below.
00:36:02All right, get in here.
00:36:02Grab a pipe wrench.
00:36:03We're going back in.
00:36:06Can't hurt me.
00:36:07That car's our problem.
00:36:21Mud.
00:36:21What in the...
00:36:23It's full of mud.
00:36:24Badly full of mud.
00:36:26So we dropped it down too far.
00:36:27Yep.
00:36:29This is our filter, right?
00:36:30Look underneath here.
00:36:32We stabbed it that far.
00:36:37This far into the mud.
00:36:38The five or six inches of screen that draws the water in, we sealed off any chance of getting
00:36:46water out.
00:36:47We're convinced now that this thing's going to generate and pump water.
00:36:51However, we do need some critical parts so that this thing can operate safely with a brake
00:36:56system.
00:36:57So until we can fix the brake, we're sitting high and dry.
00:37:02The next morning, while the windmill team sources parts for the brake...
00:37:17Let's start with the worst one first.
00:37:20Matt and Garrett begin in the barn, reinforcing the post beams that support the roof.
00:37:26Okay, I think we're through.
00:37:27It's the first project on a daunting list of important repairs to make the barn safe for
00:37:33livestock.
00:37:34The biggest reason why these posts failed was because they were just sitting on the
00:37:41dirt.
00:37:41There's no way we're going to fix this post by putting a post back on dirt.
00:37:45We got to put that post on concrete.
00:37:48I say we fill the hole, set of posts on here, and then we'll just move on to the next one.
00:37:52Let's do it, man.
00:37:53But before that, I have kind of a surprise.
00:37:57We got a hold of some people.
00:37:59They're locals, and they're going to help us with electrical.
00:38:02Steve, Dryland Electric.
00:38:03Garrett.
00:38:03Thank you so much for coming.
00:38:05Yeah, we plan to light it up in here.
00:38:06Awesome.
00:38:07That's awesome.
00:38:07I don't want to get in your way.
00:38:08Let's just work around each other, because we just got to keep going.
00:38:11We got a lot of stuff to do, and I'm sure you're busy as heck.
00:38:14All right, let's get to work.
00:38:15Let's do it, guys.
00:38:15Hold this out.
00:38:23Okay, that worked really well.
00:38:26Matt and I are working in the barn.
00:38:27We're getting posts secured.
00:38:28We're pouring concrete in the ground to give integrity to the building.
00:38:32The electric guys are here.
00:38:33They're working fast.
00:38:34They're doing the updates and upgrades that this barn needs to make it safe and sound.
00:38:40You know, about yet?
00:38:42This thing's going to be bomb-proof, man.
00:38:45That's what we want.
00:38:50We got plenty of wind, but no windmill.
00:38:53I mean, look at this.
00:38:54This is pathetic.
00:38:55With work on the windmill still stalled until Wayne acquires a new brake part,
00:39:00Marty brings up something else that has been troubling him about the bison setup on the homestead.
00:39:07I've learned more about Buffalo in the last couple days than I've learned my entire life.
00:39:11After that tour, something was said that I picked up on.
00:39:16We can rotate through.
00:39:17So I can push a pasture during the summertime while it's growing and then pull animals off of it and allow it to grow.
00:39:23So, like, their winter pasture hasn't seen a buffalo in six months.
00:39:27The herd is on one side feeding, while the other half of that pasture is allowed to grow, to replenish, to get healthy.
00:39:38I sense that a fence straight across here would give you at least a start on rotational grazing.
00:39:46Yep, yep.
00:39:47That would be a good start.
00:39:48I brought some string.
00:39:49I've got about 75 T-posts.
00:39:51So we just get started.
00:39:52Let's just start putting posts in the ground.
00:39:54Identifying a lack of sufficient grass for bison due to overgrazing, Marty proposes a reinforced fence that covers one square mile to create rotational grazing.
00:40:07This will allow the bison to feed on one side of the fence while the other side regrows and then rotate every few months.
00:40:16In this crash course of how to raise a buffalo herd successfully, I've learned this.
00:40:30It would behoove us to put in a fence straight across the property, dividing that 265 acres into two parcels.
00:40:39The cool thing is, the windmill's right about in the center.
00:40:44If we could get it fixed.
00:40:45Next, they'll have access to life-sustaining water.
00:40:51Thank you so much.
00:40:55Push.
00:40:56Okay.
00:40:57Me and Marty started doing fencing today for our rotational grazing.
00:41:02We're essentially building a box around the water tank itself with an entry and exit point to the new pastures.
00:41:09So this is going to give them lots of room, and it's just going to really help with our soil and our grass.
00:41:13So that way we can get more livestock that produce more income.
00:41:19Off to a good start.
00:41:25Across the homestead...
00:41:27All right, Garrett.
00:41:28Garrett arrives with news that could set back the garden well project.
00:41:32So this well is labeled as a canceled well with the state.
00:41:41Oh.
00:41:41We are not able to get this well activated again unless we get the state involved.
00:41:48Why would they cancel a well?
00:41:52The reservoir underground is empty.
00:41:54We're going to be pulling dirt.
00:41:55So that water was coming from the pre-existing well from the house.
00:42:00Pre-existing well, existing lines in the property.
00:42:03Well, you're a real buzzkill.
00:42:06I'm sorry.
00:42:07Super bad news from Garrett.
00:42:11Yesterday there was the old windmill.
00:42:13That's a total bust.
00:42:14We have the canceled dry hole in the ground with my well.
00:42:18Thanks for all the information.
00:42:19Anytime.
00:42:19I appreciate it.
00:42:20Absolutely.
00:42:21As far as the big homesteading dream, there's not enough water here to sustain it.
00:42:27We're getting closer.
00:42:43With two days remaining on the Coopers' Colorado homestead, critical projects hang in the balance.
00:42:51Okay.
00:42:52That's pretty good.
00:42:53As Matt begins work on a door for potential livestock at the barn.
00:42:58You got cracked egg shells to make an omelet.
00:43:01Misty goes back to square one after the failed garden well plan.
00:43:06Do me a favor.
00:43:07Pick this one out right here, please.
00:43:10And while the windmill is still in need of parts.
00:43:14Marty and Clint repurpose building materials for the rotational grazing build.
00:43:19Anytime you see a bunch of telephone poles on a property and you're about to put in some fencing for buffalo,
00:43:28it's kind of cool to use them as the main races, if you will,
00:43:31because we've got to build not one but two gates in this rotational grazing program.
00:43:38Let's go.
00:43:39All right, Melissa.
00:43:49Here we go.
00:43:51Later that morning, Misty and Melissa pivot to the fence build that will protect the garden from Colorado's vicious windstorms.
00:43:59So I was trying to find one by of any kind.
00:44:03I found this.
00:44:04These are beautiful.
00:44:04I love them.
00:44:05Okay.
00:44:05They're great.
00:44:05So we'll use these as pickets.
00:44:07Okay.
00:44:07On the front side.
00:44:08It's going to look good.
00:44:09Right.
00:44:09But we care about blocking the wind so you're able to guard it.
00:44:13Yes.
00:44:13And you'll be able to do that when we get these on.
00:44:15So let's cut the straps.
00:44:16Okay.
00:44:18Today's the wittiest day on the homestead by far.
00:44:21It's time we put in the wind barrier.
00:44:25Okay.
00:44:26Timber.
00:44:27Whoa.
00:44:27First things first, we've got a four by four post and concrete so that this thing doesn't blow down.
00:44:35Ooh, I like it.
00:44:36I love it.
00:44:37I think it's fantastic.
00:44:38Are you excited that you're actually going to be able to garden?
00:44:41Yes, I'm very excited.
00:44:42I think that the wood with the exposed bark looks amazing.
00:44:47I think it's going to function really well.
00:44:49And I was excited about the project even the first time she explained it to me.
00:44:53But now with the new planks that she has found, I'm even more excited about it.
00:44:57I think it's going to work really well.
00:45:00Perfect.
00:45:01How far apart are your kiddos?
00:45:03About nine years.
00:45:04So I had Conrad when I was 19.
00:45:06So we were pretty young.
00:45:06And then Kevin was diagnosed with vesticular cancer.
00:45:12Shoot.
00:45:13How long ago?
00:45:14It's about 11 years now since his diagnosis.
00:45:17Kevin was barely into his 30s.
00:45:20At that young age, you don't expect to hear the C word.
00:45:24And so it's just a shock to the system.
00:45:28He was pretty fortunate in the fact that he had the less aggressive types.
00:45:33And I went and did the surgery.
00:45:34And he was about a week out of recovery.
00:45:37And I had been feeling kind of sick for a week or so.
00:45:41And of course, because we had just got a cancer diagnosis, he was like, oh my God, you're dying.
00:45:45And so he made me go to the doctor.
00:45:48And I went to the doctor and I found out I was pregnant with Lily.
00:45:51Oh my goodness.
00:45:52So she's sort of our miracle baby.
00:45:56We both have lost people to cancer.
00:46:02It's so...
00:46:05It just has a big impact.
00:46:08It changes your perspective on everything.
00:46:13Oh, yeah.
00:46:14Yeah.
00:46:14Oh, that's so cool.
00:46:16Oh, it looks so good.
00:46:17I love it.
00:46:17I think it's great.
00:46:19I'm so happy that Melissa opened up to me about Kevin and his battle of cancer.
00:46:23I think for me, it's just motivating me, right?
00:46:26This is their make it or break it moment.
00:46:28They know how fragile life is.
00:46:29This is their dream.
00:46:30And no matter what, we have to make it work.
00:46:34I love the fact that there's a wind barricade.
00:46:36I love the fact that there's ventilation.
00:46:38I love the fact that we didn't create a wind catch, right?
00:46:41We don't want a solid wall.
00:46:42Yeah.
00:46:42It's going to protect the plants but allow air to go through.
00:46:45Yeah.
00:46:45Done.
00:46:46Okay.
00:46:46So that's one, two, three, four, five.
00:46:49We just literally have a million more.
00:46:50A hundred to go.
00:46:51Should we keep moving?
00:46:52Yep.
00:46:52Let's do it.
00:46:52All right, pin it.
00:47:02Okay.
00:47:03That ain't going anywhere, man.
00:47:04Not staying there.
00:47:06Later that day, with the barn repair well at hand...
00:47:10I'll pull you.
00:47:10All right.
00:47:11Right over here.
00:47:12Melissa peels off the fence project to task Matt and Garrett with another homestead need.
00:47:17So I wanted to bring you over here because I was going to see if you guys could help us with our bison shoot.
00:47:23Okay.
00:47:23This is a cattle shoot.
00:47:25It was here when we moved onto the property.
00:47:27It's too small for bison.
00:47:29Yeah, right?
00:47:30So we got a bison shoot that we just need to swap the two shoots so that we can start working bison on our property instead of having to load them all up and take them over to Sean's property to vaccinate them or check them for pregnancy or any of those kind of things.
00:47:45Okay.
00:47:46Well, heck, let's take a look at the bison shoot.
00:47:48All right, come this way.
00:47:50Once upon a time on this homestead, there was cattle here.
00:47:54The coopers have an old cattle shoot, which is perfect if you want to put a cow in there.
00:48:00But the bison are substantially bigger.
00:48:04They're a lot more agile, and they need a bison-sized alley and shoot.
00:48:11So this is a bison shoot.
00:48:13So this is a bison shoot.
00:48:14Wow, this thing is massive.
00:48:17Heavy duty for a heavy-duty animal.
00:48:19Oh, my gosh.
00:48:20I mean, it's just a solid steel contraption.
00:48:22So basically, with this one, it works the same way as the other one does.
00:48:26The bison come running through the shoot, and they hit their heads on the crash gate on that black wall.
00:48:31That'll cause them to back up, and then we can squeeze them into the shoot.
00:48:36You've done this before?
00:48:37Yes.
00:48:38Once a year?
00:48:38Yeah, all 15 females get on a trailer and spend the night at Sean's ranch so that we can work them.
00:48:44That does sound stressful.
00:48:45Well, and we've lost a cow before during the process.
00:48:47Really?
00:48:48They get really stressed out in the pen, and we woke up the next morning, and she was deceased.
00:48:52That's really unfortunate.
00:48:54Yeah.
00:48:54So this is a necessity.
00:48:55Yeah.
00:48:56This is a necessity, absolutely.
00:48:57Not only is it stressing out the buffalo, but it seems like it's stressed out the homestead quite a bit.
00:49:01Yes.
00:49:02Okay, well, out with the old, in with the new.
00:49:04Love it.
00:49:04To safely allow bison to move to and from the property and receive life-saving medications, Matt will install a bison chute.
00:49:16First, he and Garrett will lay a thick cement slab where they will anchor the three-ton bison squeeze chute.
00:49:23Then, they will make the alley bison-ready by raising the walls.
00:49:28Finally, they will build a runway along the side of the alley from which the handlers can coax the bison once inside.
00:49:37Bring in the tractor!
00:49:40Come on in!
00:49:41This is a bison ranch.
00:49:44Obviously, the cattle chute's not going to work for us here, so we have made a game plan, and we went and grabbed Kevin so he could give us a little assistance getting that old cattle chute out of there.
00:49:54I think that's going to work.
00:49:55All right.
00:49:56Stay clear.
00:49:58Oh, let's go!
00:49:59Oh, let's go.
00:50:00That's perfect.
00:50:01Easy.
00:50:02Easier than I thought.
00:50:04That's perfect.
00:50:05All right, should we unhook it?
00:50:07Yes.
00:50:09Awesome, man.
00:50:10Well, hey, thanks a lot, Kevin.
00:50:12Glad I can help, boy.
00:50:14Cool.
00:50:15That came out awesome.
00:50:17Yeah, it really did.
00:50:19So, let's measure the new chute, figure out how big of a footprint we need to put here, and then once we know that, we'll start forming up our forms for the concrete slab.
00:50:29Let's do it.
00:50:29Okay, kids, first of all, good morning.
00:50:48Just 48 hours remain until the Rainies leave the Coopers' 265-acre homestead.
00:50:55Let's talk a little bit.
00:50:57As they push to finish their multitasking masterclass, the Rainies meet to enact a plan to juggle their many projects.
00:51:05The rain falls mainly on the plains.
00:51:10It is definitely false.
00:51:11I've not seen one drop of rain since we've been out here.
00:51:14It's been hot.
00:51:15It's been dry.
00:51:16And everything we're doing needs water.
00:51:19We've completely rebuilt the windmill from the top to the bottom, and we still have no water.
00:51:28In the meantime, we've moved on to the next aspect, which is rotational grazing.
00:51:33So, right now, if we can pull this off, we've hopefully got water, rotational grazing, and we're well on our way to helping these guys be buffalo ranchers.
00:51:44I have a backup plan, I hope, for the canceled well.
00:51:47But slowly but surely, we're getting there when it comes to wind protection for the garden.
00:51:53And I want to spend these next couple days shifting my focus to the bison.
00:51:58I'd love to be able to take a little section of that barn to be able to create a shop and a space where people can come, support the ranch, and create this learning facility.
00:52:10I want to focus on kids.
00:52:11That's a really good idea.
00:52:12So, Garrett and I have talked to Melissa and Kevin, and there is a surprise project that I think is going to help the buffalo immensely.
00:52:23And it has to do with being able to work the buffalo in the proper chute with the proper alley going in.
00:52:32But it's no small project.
00:52:34My biggest contribution for the bison is this alleyway and the chute, and we will literally save lives.
00:52:42All right, let's hit it.
00:52:48Kevin, thanks for joining us.
00:52:50Yeah, what have we got?
00:52:51I wanted to show you this awesome slab.
00:52:54Near the barn, Matt and Garrett bring in Kevin for some advice on their ambitious bison chute project.
00:53:02What do you think of this?
00:53:03That's a slab.
00:53:05You think this is going to hold the big old buffalo chute?
00:53:08I think so.
00:53:10I'm jacked about it, man.
00:53:12This is a huge value to us.
00:53:14The new bison chute is going to be critical for us to work our animals here on our property and give them vaccinations and take care of them.
00:53:20One, for the time that we're not going to waste hauling our animals to get them work somewhere else.
00:53:25And number two, it's going to keep the stress low on them working them here.
00:53:28We got to talk about this little runway here.
00:53:31Yeah.
00:53:31So just like the old chute was made for cows, I think this area was also made for cows.
00:53:37Yeah.
00:53:37Not bison approved.
00:53:39Yeah.
00:53:39Bison are pretty big.
00:53:41Do you think that this is too small?
00:53:42Yeah.
00:53:43They'll jump over these.
00:53:44So it's too short.
00:53:46Yeah, for sure.
00:53:47And then the other thing is a lot of the working facilities, they actually have a walkway about three feet off the ground.
00:53:53You just need to have access in to see them and to get them to move forward.
00:53:58It's got to remember this is a stressful process for them.
00:54:00So you want to make it as quick and painless as possible.
00:54:03Get them in, get them out.
00:54:05This is all great info.
00:54:06So we got a lot of work to do over here.
00:54:08This is a little bit bigger of a project than we anticipated.
00:54:11There was a little more bit off than Matt and I thought we were chewing.
00:54:15I mean, these are big animals.
00:54:16We need to make sure that this chute is going to work properly for these animals.
00:54:19Matt and I are putting up the side panels.
00:54:46We got to make it the right height, about seven feet.
00:54:51Okie doke.
00:54:53I think we've definitely raised the fencing high enough, but I think we need to make it so that these animals can't see through it.
00:55:01Yeah, we do need to block this up.
00:55:02They get scared of us just as much as we can be scared of them.
00:55:05Okie, so next step is, let's wall off our fencing.
00:55:09Let's make it happen.
00:55:13We're going to get the blinders put up.
00:55:14It's really exciting stuff because we're going to be able to work these animals properly.
00:55:18Less stress on the animals, less stress on the ranchers.
00:55:20We're good to go.
00:55:22One, two, three.
00:55:23Ah, perfect.
00:55:30Perfect height, dude.
00:55:32Yeah.
00:55:35Let's kick it down.
00:55:36Yeah, there you go.
00:55:37All right.
00:55:38Is it sturdy?
00:55:39Oh yeah, it's...
00:55:40Jump around up here.
00:55:41I can get in here.
00:55:42Yeah?
00:55:43I can work animals, keep them moving forward, and I'll be safe.
00:55:44Everything just keeps on getting bigger and badder, like those bison.
00:56:02It looks so good!
00:56:09With the new garden taking shape, Misty asks Melissa to show her the business end of the
00:56:15homestead.
00:56:17What is this space?
00:56:19So this space, currently we use it as our makeshift shop for the ranch, so when we have
00:56:26visitors, they come in here first, and this is also where we store all the meat to sell
00:56:30to customers.
00:56:31Okay, nice.
00:56:32Is it this?
00:56:33Yes.
00:56:34So show me.
00:56:35You have your different cuts?
00:56:36So we have our cuts and our price sheet, and then right now...
00:56:39Yeah!
00:56:40This is our meat selection.
00:56:41Certified.
00:56:42Yeah.
00:56:43Like ready to go.
00:56:44Ready to go.
00:56:45You're in business right now.
00:56:46Yep.
00:56:47Man, this is amazing.
00:56:48So you're just, you're already a small scale operation.
00:56:50Yes.
00:56:51Would you like to do something pretty official when it comes to what you're doing already?
00:56:56Yes, I'd love to have a place that customers can come in and they feel like it's an actual
00:57:01store.
00:57:02Okay.
00:57:03I would love to be able to do that.
00:57:06Now that we have sort of got the garden almost finished, Misty called me over to talk
00:57:11about our storefront for the ranch.
00:57:14Misty wants us to work together on giving that shop a facelift so it's a little bit more
00:57:18presentable when we have customers come and visit the ranch.
00:57:21So I feel like we take this country store, we add to it and possibly turn it into something
00:57:26else as well, if there's time, and we just make it happen.
00:57:29Let's go.
00:57:30Let's do it.
00:57:31Over at the windmill, the project to make it functional is at a standstill.
00:57:41The moment of truth.
00:57:43With the clock ticking to bring vital water to the herd, Marty and Kevin need Wayne to
00:57:50come through with the break part.
00:57:52Good news or bad news?
00:57:54Good news.
00:57:59For real?
00:58:00I have the parts.
00:58:01You have the parts.
00:58:02I got to be honest, I wasn't the least bit surprised.
00:58:05Were you?
00:58:06No, I knew Wayne would pull through.
00:58:11Tell us what to do, please, please.
00:58:15We're ready to go up with it.
00:58:17It's gonna get western.
00:58:18It's gonna get western.
00:58:25Getting a little crazy out here.
00:58:26The wind's howling.
00:58:28The fans are designed to move in the wind.
00:58:31Bring it on over.
00:58:33Trust me.
00:58:34Those galvanized fins are sharp.
00:58:38And yet, Wayne, Clint, and I, we're trying to keep it stable.
00:58:43So we can remount it and go for our second test to produce water.
00:58:48It coming loose.
00:58:50Regardless of that wind, we don't have time to spare.
00:58:53We're gonna go for it.
00:58:54If you can just hold it right there away from the tower.
00:58:57Right there.
00:58:58Okay, you got it.
00:58:59Going up.
00:59:00A lot of wind.
00:59:01A lot of wind, Wayne.
00:59:10Go slow.
00:59:11Hold, hold.
00:59:12Whoa, whoa, whoa.
00:59:20A lot of wind.
00:59:21A lot of wind, Wayne.
00:59:22Whoa, whoa, whoa.
00:59:25Whoa, whoa, whoa!
00:59:26Go slow!
00:59:30We're trying to keep it stable.
00:59:33That's heavy, dude.
00:59:35While Wayne at the top is hanging onto the tower
00:59:38with one hand, and with the other hand,
00:59:40he's trying to guide the mass of the windmill and motor
00:59:44onto a little shaft.
00:59:45And those galvanized fins are sharp.
00:59:53Careful there.
00:59:55OK.
01:00:03There you go.
01:00:07She's set.
01:00:08You're amazing.
01:00:19We're good.
01:00:20OK.
01:00:21Should work.
01:00:24I hope it works.
01:00:25Well, you've got plenty of wind for it today.
01:00:30We're about 10 seconds from having water.
01:00:31Everybody get up here.
01:00:44OK.
01:00:45Come on over here.
01:00:46This morning, we kind of woke up.
01:00:48We were a little bummed because of the water situation.
01:00:50There was a lot of anticipation and buildup
01:00:53for there to be no water.
01:00:55So today, we were kind of waiting with bated breath.
01:01:00I'm hoping that this is the one.
01:01:01I'm hoping that this is the one.
01:01:04It was deja vu all over again.
01:01:06Same people, same place, no water.
01:01:09And I'm telling them, it's coming this time.
01:01:12It's coming.
01:01:13I hope that's true.
01:01:18What do you think, Wayne?
01:01:19Give us an update.
01:01:20Well, I hope it works this time.
01:01:21Come on, baby.
01:01:35Keep it coming.
01:01:36It's coming.
01:01:37Let's go, man.
01:01:37Let's go, man.
01:01:43Having that water up and running out on the windmill,
01:01:45out on pasture, is a major, major game changer for us.
01:01:49Woo!
01:01:50We can start doing rotational grazing,
01:01:52and that's just going to help the buffalo and the grass
01:01:55and the soil all be healthy.
01:01:57Oh, ho, ho.
01:01:59Muddy?
01:02:01Just a little dirty.
01:02:02Just a little dirty.
01:02:04Give it a chance to clear up.
01:02:06It's going to be crystal clear in 15 minutes.
01:02:09You think after seeing water come out of the ground,
01:02:12out of a pipe, that it would become mundane.
01:02:15But every time you see water coming from where it wasn't
01:02:19before, you know that you've just changed the lives
01:02:24of the homesteaders.
01:02:29OK, so 10,000 gallons a week is coming out of there.
01:02:3410,000 gallons a week.
01:02:36We need it.
01:02:36We need it.
01:02:37So thank you, Wayne.
01:02:39Thank you, Wayne.
01:02:40Having Wayne come out and help us like that
01:02:43and having a neighbor so close just kind of confirms
01:02:45what we've learned so far with rural living
01:02:48and how great our community is about circling around
01:02:51their neighbors and helping where they can.
01:02:53We've got work you do.
01:02:54We're going to leave you with your new well.
01:02:57Thanks a lot, Wayne.
01:02:58Appreciate it.
01:03:00Don't blow away, sir.
01:03:01I think we got the muscle to pick it up, but let's see.
01:03:27Later that day, Matt and Garrett enact the final step in completing the bison shoot project.
01:03:34The alleyway is beefed up for bison.
01:03:37Now we've got the excavator in here and see if we can lift up that new bison shoot and put it into place.
01:03:43You're good. Just come straight down.
01:03:46Let's go!
01:03:48And over at the windmill...
01:03:50Right there!
01:03:52Marty and Clint launch back into the fencing for the rotational grazing project.
01:03:57Let's go!
01:03:59Today, we're bouncing around projects.
01:04:01So back to business here.
01:04:03We're going to put a fence right down the center of this property, right where the windmill is.
01:04:08There's going to be a gate here and then a gate on the opposite to create rotational grazing for these buffalo.
01:04:14Pond it in there!
01:04:21Woohoo!
01:04:23While concrete is laid in the shop...
01:04:28Can you help me with something?
01:04:29Yeah.
01:04:30...Misty and Melissa borrow Clint with an idea for a simple, yet potentially game-changing solution to the canceled well.
01:04:39We have the dry canceled well, right?
01:04:41Mm-hmm.
01:04:42But we have water from the main water supply at the house, which has gone dry.
01:04:46My dream come true would be to have a self-contained watering system for this garden.
01:04:52A holding tank sitting right here, separate from everything else.
01:04:55And I think literally it's just a liner in the dry canceled well.
01:04:58Perfect!
01:04:59We should plumb up, move everything outside this dry well, and put the shutoff valve in a place where you can reach it.
01:05:05Oh, great!
01:05:06Let's start digging.
01:05:07Okay, here we go!
01:05:09Right now I'm working on the well with Misty.
01:05:13Obviously more water in the garden is going to be super beneficial, so that our crops have water all the time, regardless of what happens to our other water source.
01:05:23What do you think?
01:05:24Should I dig with the shovel?
01:05:26I didn't want you to hit the pipe.
01:05:28We'll dig the rest out by hand, rent some new plumbing, get the shutoff valve and the spigot out here, done.
01:05:34Okay, water's off.
01:05:36Water's off.
01:05:37Turning this decommissioned well into a reliable water source for the garden is a necessity.
01:05:46Cut those flush.
01:05:48Once this is a complete system and the bison are complete system, it doesn't matter what's happening, the homesteaders are completely set up for success.
01:05:56Okay, go ahead and attach that.
01:05:59I want you to do the honors.
01:06:00Okay.
01:06:01First time, hopefully, that water's in the garden.
01:06:05Yeah, I'm so pumped.
01:06:13It's going to be so helpful.
01:06:15We have water for the first time, which to me, I'm looking at guaranteed food, right?
01:06:19Yeah.
01:06:20No matter what happens, your goal.
01:06:22We'll just get a lid on this thing, done.
01:06:24Yep.
01:06:25Water in the garden.
01:06:28Woo!
01:06:29It's the final day at the Cooper family's 265-acre bison stead.
01:06:48Here we go.
01:06:50Over by the garden, crucial deliveries arrive for Misty.
01:06:55First, a truckload of topsoil through the garden beds.
01:06:59All of these beds.
01:07:01Melissa's finally going to be a successful gardener.
01:07:07And later, new pine trees to reinforce a wind barrier.
01:07:13Somebody to wear some trees?
01:07:15Hi!
01:07:16The plan is to kind of create this wind barricade across the front of the house.
01:07:20Okay.
01:07:23Right here.
01:07:30Thank you so much for coming and helping.
01:07:32We'll get these trees in, thanks to you, and we really appreciate it.
01:07:35Like, what a generous thing.
01:07:43Okay, here we go.
01:07:45At the barn, Matt and Garrett survey the newly restored facility before livestock finally arrives.
01:07:52You can see every improvement we made to this entire barn, just in this one corner that we made for the pigs.
01:07:59We beefed up some fencing just by using some 2x6s, upcycled old gates.
01:08:05We have new posts.
01:08:07Actually safe wiring, not just for outlets, but for lights.
01:08:12Absolutely.
01:08:13It's incredible in here.
01:08:15The barn is spectacular.
01:08:16It is not just a leaky building for storage.
01:08:20We can put animals in this building now.
01:08:22And that was what Kevin and Melissa needed for this homestead.
01:08:25We didn't beat this barn up for nothing.
01:08:27Yeah.
01:08:28Wait till you get a load of this.
01:08:29I got a pig surprise for you.
01:08:33All right.
01:08:34How you doing, sir?
01:08:35How are you?
01:08:36What's your name?
01:08:37Brad.
01:08:38Brad.
01:08:39You're the man with the pigs.
01:08:40I am.
01:08:41Pigs are probably ready to get out of here, right?
01:08:43All right.
01:08:44Move them in.
01:08:45Starting with the barn and getting it ready for livestock was important to the homestead because
01:08:51you can't just really run a bison ranch on the bison alone.
01:08:55You have to diversify.
01:08:57And that is really where the barn is going to come into play big time.
01:09:02I want to see the pigs.
01:09:04Hey, Melissa.
01:09:05We beefed up the barn.
01:09:07Yes?
01:09:08For bacon.
01:09:10Oh, they're so cute.
01:09:12I love them.
01:09:13The ultimate goal is to diversify the homestead.
01:09:16Right.
01:09:17This is definitely a big step in that direction.
01:09:20These four little pigs, they're just the beginning.
01:09:23You could raise anything in here.
01:09:25Hey, look.
01:09:26They look so happy.
01:09:27So happy.
01:09:28Yeah.
01:09:29Tails wagons.
01:09:30Thank you so much.
01:09:31This is amazing.
01:09:32I'm so excited.
01:09:33That's music to my ears.
01:09:34See you later.
01:09:35All right.
01:09:36Let's go check out that buffalo squeeze.
01:09:38Let's do it.
01:09:39So the bison are going to walk down through here.
01:09:43And then you corral them.
01:09:45That is correct.
01:09:46They'll be coming down the alley now.
01:09:47Yeah.
01:09:48Into the squeeze.
01:09:50Bashing through here.
01:09:52And then go bam.
01:09:54Now squeeze them in there.
01:09:58Okay.
01:09:59Now let me out.
01:10:03We come right out here.
01:10:04And then go back to being a buffalo.
01:10:07These animals stay on the property and work in them right here.
01:10:11And that's going to make it as stress-free as possible.
01:10:15I agree.
01:10:16I agree.
01:10:17We want stress-free animals.
01:10:18It's going to keep stress-free homesteaders.
01:10:20And that's key.
01:10:21Words can't explain the transformation.
01:10:24For the rainies and the locals and the community just coming together.
01:10:27It's a blessing.
01:10:28Everything revolves around the bison on this homestead.
01:10:31Absolutely.
01:10:32And I think that we have helped the bison the best way that we could.
01:10:35I agree.
01:10:36This is great.
01:10:39Seven days ago, the Cooper family had a leaky unstable barn.
01:10:44It was unsafe for additional livestock.
01:10:47And they had no way to contain their bison for vital care and handling.
01:10:52Today, they have a completely renovated barn with new roofing, support beams, and electrical wiring.
01:11:00Now ready to house sources of protein and profit.
01:11:04They also have a new bison shoot where they can work animals safely on the homestead.
01:11:09Allowing for a stress-free environment and helping to make this a viable ranching operation.
01:11:15I feel really good leaving this homestead because I know that this is going to come in real handy and it's going to save buffalo lives.
01:11:22Absolutely.
01:11:23I think our work here is done.
01:11:24Let's go.
01:11:25Here we go.
01:11:35In the pasture, Marty, Kevin, Sean, and the rest of the team race to finish the fence line that will allow rotational grazing for the bison.
01:11:45These last couple of hours have gotten a little hectic.
01:11:48It has literally come down to the wire.
01:11:52I can sense the buffalo are kind of tired of me being here.
01:11:55They're getting closer and closer every day.
01:11:58So we've got to get this done quickly.
01:12:08We've got a crew down there with some barbed wire.
01:12:11But from that corner to that far corner, it's about a thousand feet.
01:12:20So if we do five strands, we've got a mile of barbed wire to stretch now.
01:12:32They're here.
01:12:36Now these guys have decided, wait a second, there's a whole group of people up there.
01:12:39They're going to move up a little closer to protect these buffalo that they basically sent up here to investigate us.
01:12:43There's water over here.
01:12:44So at some point, we might have to wrestle them if they want water.
01:12:48Either that or we've got to move.
01:12:50We want to drift through nice and slow, nice and calm.
01:12:53No pressure.
01:12:55All you're doing is activating these new fence lines we've put up.
01:12:58What you don't want them is running.
01:13:00If they run, they don't see that fence.
01:13:01They run right into it.
01:13:02They tear it all down.
01:13:03They're like, oh, that's how easy it is to tear it down.
01:13:04I'll do that next time too.
01:13:07She's going to go check all this out, decide if she likes it or not.
01:13:10Whenever they start shaking their head, you start paying attention.
01:13:13Now if they shake their head, they're basically getting themselves just like you would in a bar fight.
01:13:18She is shaking her head.
01:13:19She doesn't like it.
01:13:20We're just going to back up and give them space.
01:13:24Oh my gosh.
01:13:25What you're really watching is they go from the head shake to their tails.
01:13:30A tail goes up, we need to get in the truck.
01:13:42Congratulations on picking the windiest day of the year to fall trees that are leaning towards your house.
01:13:48Melissa wanted us to take out a few trees and then pull the stumps.
01:13:52Sure, we did it.
01:13:53But when we pulled the stumps out, I thought, man, that stump looks like we could carve it into something.
01:13:59Maybe that could be a buffalo.
01:14:04This horn starts out as a tree branch.
01:14:07And then we set it at the store.
01:14:17The buffalo's talking.
01:14:18But I'll guarantee you this, out of all the people with a buffalo store in Colorado, there's only one that is a buffalo head carved out of a stump this big around.
01:14:35You'll be the first photo of Minnie.
01:14:37Woo-hoo-hoo!
01:14:45So, we've got work to do, but...
01:14:48The problem you run into is sometimes you just got to let buffalo be buffalo.
01:14:52Find out how good you put those in the ground now, won't you?
01:14:54Oh, my lord.
01:15:00He just bent the post!
01:15:01Oh, yeah.
01:15:02Look!
01:15:03No, he bent it.
01:15:04What do we...
01:15:05Well, I mean, what...
01:15:06We have to fix it.
01:15:07Hold on, stop, stop, stop.
01:15:08Clint's in the skid steer.
01:15:09Yeah.
01:15:10That okay?
01:15:11Yeah.
01:15:12Clint.
01:15:15She just wants a drink of water.
01:15:17Right?
01:15:18I gotta tell you, this makes me really happy.
01:15:20We spent a better part or two, two and a half days trying to get that thing to produce water.
01:15:26And there you go.
01:15:28See how calm this is?
01:15:29I have no more head shaking.
01:15:30Everybody now is looking at, oh, we got a hole, I got water, when's it my turn?
01:15:35Oh, this is amazing.
01:15:37This is it.
01:15:38Done.
01:15:39This is why you do what you do.
01:15:40And you know, you don't think about it, but they didn't really need to do this at this time of day.
01:15:44This is almost them coming over and telling you, thank you.
01:15:48So what we just witnessed, correct me if I'm wrong, was the herd getting familiar with all these changes.
01:15:53Absolutely.
01:15:54Coming out here and checking out the changes, seeing what the changes do, what they affect.
01:15:58I tell you, that's one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed.
01:16:01Oh, it's amazing.
01:16:02It's amazing.
01:16:07Now that the buffalo are gone, we got to get to work.
01:16:11Time is way too precious on this homestead to stand around.
01:16:14I love this thing so much.
01:16:15It's so beautiful.
01:16:16And it's protecting one of the most important things on the homestead.
01:16:21The garden.
01:16:22Woo-hoo!
01:16:23I love it.
01:16:24It's amazing.
01:16:25We're missing one thing, plants.
01:16:26Yes.
01:16:27I think that letting the soil sit and getting it ready in the spring is perfect.
01:16:28Yeah.
01:16:29It's amazing.
01:16:30I love it.
01:16:31It's amazing.
01:16:32We're missing one thing, plants.
01:16:33Yes.
01:16:34I think that letting the soil sit and getting it ready in the spring is perfect.
01:16:35Yeah.
01:16:36Yeah.
01:16:37Obviously, doing more than just bison ranching was the point.
01:16:39Yeah.
01:16:40I think it's going to be way more successful because of your help.
01:16:41We called the Rainies out here because we needed help on the property and we were
01:16:42in the last week.
01:16:43They've really been able to transform it.
01:16:44All of the changes are going to make such a difference as far as what we're going to
01:16:49do.
01:16:50I love it.
01:16:51I love it.
01:16:52It's amazing.
01:16:53We're missing one thing, plants.
01:16:54Yes.
01:16:55I think that letting the soil sit and getting it ready in the spring is perfect.
01:16:56Yeah.
01:16:57Obviously, doing more than just bison ranching was the point.
01:16:58Yeah.
01:16:59I think it's going to be way more successful because of your help.
01:17:00We called the Rainies out here because we needed help on the property and in the last
01:17:05week, they've really been able to transform it.
01:17:08All of the changes are going to make such a difference as far as being more self-sustainable.
01:17:14Having water storage is so important.
01:17:16It's huge.
01:17:17The idea was to take that cancel dry well and turn it into a reliable water source for
01:17:24the garden.
01:17:25You are going to be a successful gardener.
01:17:26I hope I don't disappoint.
01:17:27No.
01:17:28You won't.
01:17:29You won't.
01:17:30Should we go check out the shop?
01:17:31Yeah.
01:17:32Let's do that.
01:17:35Come on in, your new shop.
01:17:38Oh my gosh.
01:17:40This is amazing.
01:17:41I absolutely love it.
01:17:42It's so cool.
01:17:44I wanted to do something different and I was thinking, why not be geared for kids?
01:17:50Let's have them learn about bison, maybe become bison ranchers themselves.
01:17:55That's what this space is.
01:17:56I think that's so cool.
01:17:58We just couldn't say how thankful we are for them coming out and helping us.
01:18:04Would you be willing to be the first person to sign the guest book?
01:18:07I would love that.
01:18:08It's just overall been a mind-blowing experience.
01:18:11It's been great.
01:18:13Seven days ago, the Cooper family had a garden wasted away by heavy wind storms and a lack
01:18:20of water from a dry well.
01:18:23Today, they have brand new garden beds with fresh topsoil, a wooden fence barrier with
01:18:29extra trees for wind resistance, and a nearby water storage cistern for the garden.
01:18:36To ensure their homestead business will thrive, they also have a restored bison shop complete
01:18:43with an educational area to make it accessible to kids and adults alike.
01:18:49That makes me so happy to see this reaction.
01:18:54You guys have worked really hard to get to this place.
01:18:57Yeah, definitely.
01:18:58And when you look around, are you like, oh my gosh, we're going to be able to pull it off.
01:19:01Yeah, we're actually going to be able to do things that we've talked about and dreamed
01:19:06about, and it's amazing.
01:19:07So thank you.
01:19:08You're welcome.
01:19:09You're welcome.
01:19:10You're welcome.
01:19:16Windmill's blowing.
01:19:18What's that sound?
01:19:20That is the sound of H2O.
01:19:23That's the sound of success.
01:19:25That's the sound of hope.
01:19:27That's the sound of the future.
01:19:29And it can come true if you've got enough water to keep it alive.
01:19:33Yes, sir.
01:19:36This whole water, fence, rotational grazing, I just can't even put into words how this
01:19:43is going to help us and the buffalo.
01:19:46In the short amount of time that we've had that water up and running, the bison actually
01:19:51have been going out there more than they've been coming into the corral, which is just
01:19:54a good indicator to me that the work that the Rainies have done here is really going to
01:19:59help us, and not just today, tomorrow, for years to come.
01:20:02One week ago, the Cooper family had a dry windmill well on a sparse pasture, causing bison mortality
01:20:11and preventing the expansion of the herd.
01:20:14Today, they have a working windmill well capable of producing 300 to 400 gallons of water.
01:20:21It's the central piece in a rotational grazing fence system that will allow the bison to feed
01:20:27on a portion of the pasture, while the other side recovers, making for a healthy, productive herd.
01:20:34It actually gives us hope for the future, that we can continue taking care of these great animals out here.
01:20:40It's a good moment.
01:20:42It's a fantastic moment.
01:20:43You know, it's a good day on a homestead when you've done your best, and you've worked till the sun's set.
01:20:57Yeah, we totally whipped that barn into such good shape.
01:21:02There's pigs in there now.
01:21:03The Rainies are examples of what homesteading is and doing the unheard of for the Coopers.
01:21:09It's official.
01:21:10You guys went from ranchers to homesteaders.
01:21:13We showed up.
01:21:14You were very focused on the bison, and we've shifted gears, and now there's so much going on.
01:21:20Well, thank you guys so much.
01:21:22We want to give you this.
01:21:24It's a photo I took as a thank you.
01:21:27Nice.
01:21:28That's so sweet.
01:21:30That's so awesome.
01:21:32From the bottom of my heart, her heart, and Garrett's heart, we absolutely appreciate what
01:21:37you guys have come out and done for us.
01:21:38You've accelerated us.
01:21:40You've given us hope.
01:21:42So, thank you.
01:21:43I don't know what else to say, but thank you.
01:21:46A lot of the things that I took away from Marty is how to stay mentally tough.
01:21:51I know how to do a lot of things, but there's something with experience and mental toughness
01:21:56that comes through this style of life of homesteading and rural living.
01:22:00I'm extremely joyful for the things that the Rainies have done for us.
01:22:05It means a lot to me personally.
01:22:07Coming to their homestead was like a dream come true for me.
01:22:13To actually see wild buffalo roaming across the plains of Colorado,
01:22:20thank you again, is an experience I'll never forget.
01:22:24Go help somebody else!
01:22:35Since the Rainies left, things have been going great.
01:22:37We did have a big snowstorm, and so having the barn complete with a new roof and stuff was super helpful.
01:22:45Here's the pig pigs. They're doing great.
01:22:48Love coming out there. Little outdoor area as well.
01:22:52The water tank. That's working awesome.
01:22:55Still got water flowing. The buffalo are drinking out of it.
01:22:57It's a big stress reliever.
01:22:59And one thing I'm really happy with on the garden is the windbreak.
01:23:03When the wind's kicking up, it really works.
01:23:06I'm just very excited for spring.
01:23:09The shop is absolutely amazing.
01:23:11The great thing with Garrett is he actually fell in love with the bison.
01:23:16And him and my sister and their kids are actually planning on moving out here.
01:23:19We're going to try to get them on the property with us.
01:23:22We're going to try to get them on the property with us.
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