One of our goals is to become self-supporting. The plan is for revenue to be generated through food sales. But we have to grow it first! In order to do that, we have to build a fence that will keep out rabbit, javelina, coyote, and deer. That will cost a pretty penny.  

I poured all my savings into the ranch and started Resilient Agriscaping to generate income. Unfortunately, I found out after a six-month certification process that to be successful, Agriscaping Certified Educators need a market of about 250,000 people. That's double the population of Cochise County! Sierra Vista is the largest town in Cochise County, and its population is about 45,000. Part of the certification process has you begin offering classes, so I proceeded and gave it 90 days but it just never gained enough traction to justify continuing to pay the monthly fees required to maintain certification status.

So, back to the drawing board. I am now looking for work. It seems inescapable that ranch work will slow way down. Weeks of 100+° temperatures is also slowing us down (we're at a lower spot in the valley that gets hotter than others). In addition to building an adequate fence, there will also be the cost of installing irrigated rotational paddocks designed to produce lots of food (and shade), building more domes, and we should also get an economy car for commuting. 

The need for Sabbatical Ranch isn't going away; it's only increasing. Word has begun to get out to the mold-avoidance community. More people may start helping. Lord willing, we'll keep developing this ranch into a place that can bless increasing numbers of people who need it, even if it takes longer than we'd like. That's our hope and prayer.