03x02 - When Cows Attack

[bunniefuu]

[ Coyote howling ]

Matt: listen!

They're starting
to move around.

They're waking up.

[ Howls ]

You take one out,
there's thousands behind them.

♪♪

Hyah!

[ Cows mooing ]

This place is tough.

We're going to make
your homestead fort conex.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Not a good time to chat.

The whole entire thing
is crazy to me.

Look out!

♪♪

Narrator:
marty raney's been building
homesteads for 40 years.

Marty:
I was raised off-grid

In the toughest place
on earth, alaska.

And I've taught my kids
everything I know.

Misty: a homestead needs to be
nurtured every day.

You get out what you put in.

Matt: I have the utmost respect
for wildlife.

Hunting is a privilege
and a necessity.

Narrator: together,
the raneys save homesteads...

Marty: misty,
shut it down!

...on the edge of disaster.

It's going to
get struck by lightning.

Let's get out of here!

-This is crazy!
-Look out!

[ Voice breaking ]
I'm really worried that
we're not gonna make it.

Ah!

Marty: my résumé?

I'll show it to you
right now.

♪♪

--Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

♪♪

Marty: you know you're in
the middle of nowhere

When the state flower
is a cactus.

It's hot here.

We need some scissors
and cut those jeans

Into some daisy dukes.

Remember mom?

You would cut your jeans,
and you...

Do we have to talk
about that right now?

You would have it like
britney spears.

It'd be like pockets.

The pockets would be hanging
down, and you would be, like,

Mowing the lawn, no shoes,

No shirt with these
tiny, little panties.

I don't even wear
my shorts that small.

Narrator:
the raneys have been called
to the high desert plains

Of arizona,

Where free-range cattle graze
over endless acres of dry land

And hungry predators
comb the plains

Desperate for their next k*ll.

Land can be cheap,
at 1,500 bucks an acre,

But 60-mile-per-hour windstorms,




Mean only the toughest survive.

[ Howls ]

Danielle:
this is my favorite place.

I feel like I am just
on top of the world.

I can have my whole "titanic"
moment and stand up here

And just --
I can see everything.

Narrator: 19 months ago,
the crownovers uprooted

From the state capital, phoenix,
fleeing an urban nightmare.

Paul: one day,
michaela came home,

And somebody had
driven up to the park,

Stopped, and just started
sh**ting a p*stol into the park.

[ Sirens wailing ]

It was extremely traumatic, and
at least one person was k*lled.

I don't want my kids there.
I don't want to be there.

Michaela: that was
her moment right there,

That my mom said
she couldn't do this anymore.

She couldn't live in phoenix.

Narrator: they spent their
savings of $98,000

On 40 acres of desert land,

Converted a barn,
added solar panels,

Hooked up a water well,
and brought in livestock.

Paul: this is hambro.

Say hi.

And this is his brother,
hamdini.

He's quite the escape artist.

I have a master's degree
in business.

All right.
Come on, olivia.

So, hopefully, I'll find some
way to put that to use out here.

My goats aren't
super impressed with it.

Oh, good job, liv!

Oh, he's a beauty.

You did so good.

Look at him!

Really, everything
we've got is poured

Into this place,
you know, whether it's...

Financially, emotionally,
and blood, sweat, and tears.

Oh, yeah.

You know, our heart
and soul is here.

Narrator:
to pay the bills, paul works
away as a military advisor,

Leaving danielle
to run the homestead.

I do not enjoy leaving her.

I actually married her
because I like being with her,

And that's still true today.

So our goal is to
eventually get this place

So it can sustain
us financially.

Really, we do want to be
self-sufficient, but, yeah, no.

Right now, we're not doing it.

My garden failed.
A lot of my plants died.

It was just...it gets
really brutally hot up here.

Narrator: food in this
arid land is sparse,

Making hungry predators
bolder by the day.

[ Coyotes howling ]

Danielle:
do you see anything?

We're having a real
coyote issue out here.

[ Howls ]

Man, they're loud.

You know, there's
coyotes so close,

And they have
k*lled our animals.

It's pretty scary being out
here, especially at night.

[ Coyotes howling ]

Danielle: when they start
getting brazen,

The only thing you can do
is to sh**t them.

Paul: you silly chickens,
I wish you would learn

From your fellows
that fell to the coyotes.

Stay in the fence.
You're not safe out here.

[ Chickens clucking ]

Narrator: with livestock at risk
and a limited food supply,

The crownovers' homestead dream
is turning to dust.

If this homestead didn't work

And we had to move back to
the city, it would be horrible.

It would be horrific.

So we really need the raneys,
and we really need help.

'Cause we will not
let this fail.

We just can't fail.

♪♪

Narrator: the raneys
have just seven days

Before they move on
to their next family in crisis.

All fixes must pay
for themselves,

Using materials
sourced from the land.

♪♪

Misty: they have
a lot of goat.

Look at this fence.
Looks all mangled.

I wonder
what smashed this up.

I mean, the goats aren't
doing this, right?

-Hello!
-Hi!

-Hi.
-I'm guessing you're danielle.

I'm danielle.
Marty raney.

It's good
to meet you, marty.

You must be the man
of the house -- paul.

Yes, sir.

-Hi.
-Michaela.

-Misty.
-Misty.

Okay, so you look like a young,
healthy, strapping young lady.

I mean, do you take part
in the chores out here?

Yeah, I do.

I help around with the homestead
as much as I can.

Do you like it out here?

Yeah, it's a lot better
than living in phoenix.

Misty: you have
a lot of livestock.

-We do.
-How is it going?

Well, we've lost probably


You hear them at night,
probably.

-Yes.
-Oh, yeah.

And we shot a coyote
about a week and a half ago.

Mm-hmm. So you've got
a coyote problem.

Oh, we do.
Okay.

Matt: well, your fence looks
mangled on this side.

I was kind of
scratching my beard

Trying to figure out
what did it.

We have an issue with the
free-range cattle in this area.

So they're living off the grass
that you see around you,

And they would much prefer
the goats' alfalfa hay.

They're looking for
a free meal.

-Oh, absolutely.
-Mm-hmm.

You got a cow right there.

Its a*s is sticking up.

Paul: where?

Matt: they're getting
into the hay now.

Danielle:
there's two of them.
Ryan, ryan, ryan.

♪♪

Hyah! Get!

Look at all those cows.

Paul: oh, yeah.
They're everywhere.

Do you guys do this a lot?
Almost daily.

Like, every night?

Yeah, pretty much
every night.

That is crazy.

When we first moved in here,

I had a cow
come in the front door.

[ Laughing ] what?

Man.

It's coming back.

It's crazy to me to think
that those are

One of your guys'
biggest problems.

It's opened my eyes.
It really has.

We have come up against
predators such as mexican wolf,

Mountain lion, coyote,

But having a cow as a predator
on this homestead is a first.

[ Cows mooing ]

So the cattle are creating
holes in the fences,

Stealing grain and alfalfa,

And then the goats and chickens
get out of the fences,

And coyotes
can k*ll them, right?

Absolutely.

[ Goat bleating ]

♪♪

Matt: so your dad
drug this coyote down here.

Ryan: yeah.

And he was the one
that shot it.

Yup.

And there's all the hair
from the coyote, the remains.

Is that all that's left?

Yup,
that's all that's left.

There was a carcass
out here.

That's crazy.

This probably went
to coyotes.

It's so hard to
survive out here,

It is quite literally
dog-eat-dog.

[ Coyote howling in distance ]

♪♪

Do you hear that?

Yep. Every night
we hear the coyotes.

They're starting to move around.
They're waking up.

[ Howling continues ]

Matt: in arizona,
there are so many coyotes.

I mean, they're like
an unstoppable zombie army.

You take one out,
there's thousands behind them.

♪♪

Narrator: also at the mercy
of the destructive desert

Is the crownovers'


Misty:
what am I looking at?

Danielle:
you are looking at a mess.

What is your plan?
[ Chuckles ]

If we can be successful
with gardening, then,

You know, potentially,
we have the ability

To sell our produce.

And have you grown
anything in here?

We attempted tomatoes.

That didn't work.

Okay.

The carrots never came up.

Potatoes didn't work.

And all with this soil?

I mean, it looks like the
high plains desert, you know?

How does this look any different
from outside this fence?

-You know, it's rough.
-It is.

This region
that they live in

Takes three to five
more times water

Than your average homestead.

And if you look at what
appears to be danielle's garden,

It just looks like
desolate wasteland, sadly.

[ Chicken clucking ]

[ Wind howling ]

Narrator:
faced with the harsh climate
and encroaching predators,

Marty is on the hunt for a way

To instantly protect
their livestock.

We can start by seeing what's
inside these conexes, eh?

Absolutely.

♪♪

There's a lot
of square footage here.

Yes, there is.
A lot.

One of the things I want to do
is build a barn

Where I can take care
of the animals,

But it's hard to get
anything done

Because I work on
military exercises,

And so I've got to,
you know, go off

Because without an income,
this place folds.

Okay, so when's the next time
you're gonna leave?

The 21st of this month.

We're here till the 20th.

You leave the day
after we leave?

Yes.
How long will you be gone?

Two months.

That's a stark reality.

Who's going to take care
of this place?

Honestly, when I'm gone,
all the responsibility

Is all on danielle
and the kids' shoulders.

It's all on them.

My schedule
in the oil fields

Was exactly
paul's schedule --

Two months away from home,
two weeks back at home.

This homestead has amazing
resources not being used.

What are they?


Conexes --

Instant solution to many
problems this homestead has.

Narrator: marty plans to connect
the three 4-ton conexes

And create one huge,
secure livestock barn,

With birthing, feeding,
and milking bays.

Misty will design
a crop irrigation system

So the plants can survive
the harsh desert heat and wind.

And matt must find
a way to ward off

The threat of the hungry
coyotes and cattle.

The optimum use of the conexes
would be an "h,"

And, with just two


We're going to make
your homestead a fortress --

Fort conex.

But they're heavy.
They're 40 feet long.

It's going to take all seven
of us to get this job done.

[ Laughter ]

It's not going to be
fun and games.

-All right?
-This is nervous laughter.

Yeah. I laugh
when I'm nervous.

Are you an awesome worker?

I have a great work ethic.
Okay.

I'm going to remind you of that
in the next few days.

[ Laughs ]

Misty: when we were growing up,
not only did my dad expect

All of his four kids
to be working,

But if your friends came over,
he put them to work,

And eventually, people
just stopped coming over.

Needless to say,
I don't have a lot of friends.

Narrator: straight ahead...

Get on the
other end of this!

...marty risks the mother
of all moves.

It's a bit chaotic.

I'm a little nervous
it's not going to work.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

♪♪

Narrator: in the high desert
of arizona,

The raneys have six days
to save a homestead

Threatened by
predatory coyotes,

Wild cattle,
and 120-degree heat.

Marty: I've worked for


Here's some
alaskan terminology.

"Skookum" -- it means "tough."

On this homestead, we're going
to make some housing

For these animals
that will be skookum.

Narrator: to build fort conex,

Marty wants to drag
three 4-ton steel containers

Into an h-frame
using the crownovers' backhoe.

She ain't the prettiest girl,
but she's a hard worker.

[ Engine starts ]

The arizona sun is setting.

I say we got about
less than two hours

To see if this plan's
gonna work, so stand by.

We're going to try to lift
one end of that thing up,

Slide those in, and slowly
try to roll that way.

That's if we can pick it up.
That's dangerous.

It's going to be
very dangerous.

When you handle this pipe,
wear gloves.

It's going to fillet you.

Stand back!

Ryan: yeah, the way
marty works is crazy.

He just jumps in there
and just does it.

You know, complete chaos,

But just pretty much
ba*ls to the wall.

-It's awesome.
-No kidding around.

Let's get on the
other end of this!

Lift it up.

Okay, lift.

Yeah!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Just roll it under.

-Don't grab the edge.
-Hey! With your foot!

No!

No!

Okay, get rid of it.

-Yeah!
-Whoo!

Let's try it.

All right.
Here we go.

♪♪

Danielle:
this is entirely crazy.

The whole entire thing
is crazy to me.

♪♪

Danielle: it's working!

Narrator:
the 4-ton block of steel

Is steadily being pulled
by the old backhoe.

I'm worrying about it losing
control, running into my goats.

I'm just really worried.

I think it's going to roll,
kick out a couple culverts,

And then the nose is going
to nosedive and stop.

[ Whistles ]

Okay, stop.

We got one free.

Please do me a favor
and move this one forward.

Narrator: the conex has moved


Ryan: slowly but surely.

...but now they're challenged
by a downhill slope.

Misty:
this could be really bad.

This thing could
pick up momentum,

And we might not
be able to stop it.

Paul: is this a crazy idea?

Yes.

Marty: hey, paul,
ease into it.

Let's go!
It's getting dark!

Whoa!
Whoa!

Hold it! h*!
Hold it!

♪♪

Oh, my gosh.

That thing took off.

[ Sighs ]

The good news is,
nobody died.

The bad news is,
we just crushed the backhoe.

Narrator: the conex sped
right off its rollers,

Smashing straight
into the backhoe...

Paul: I'm not getting
any more power.

Marty: is that thing running?

It just shorted out.

Narrator:
...taking the brutal force
of 4 tons of steel.

This is not good.

Listen, I take
full responsibility

For what just happened.

I was the one
giving hand signals.

I was yelling.
I was screaming.

And you had a 40-foot conex
screaming down the hill at you.

Paul: this afternoon was
basically just chaos.

Somebody was going
to get k*lled.

Danielle:
I'm a little overwhelmed.

I'm actually kind of
emotional, so, yeah,

It's kind of crazy right now.

Everything's a bit crazy.

This conex is nose-down
in the dirt.

We're not even halfway
to the destination.

It's not looking good.

[ Coyotes howling ]

♪♪

[ Roosters crowing ]

Narrator: the next morning...

It looks worse
in the daylight.

...the 4-ton conex
is stuck on a hill,

And with nothing powerful
enough to move it,

Marty needs a new plan.

We do have one
slight ray of hope.

We actually have
an arizona contact,

And there might be something
that he has

That we can use here

That will fix
all of our problems.

Don't cross your fingers,
'cause I don't believe in luck.

In the meantime,
we can do other projects.

Where are we going to
put that garden?

Is it going to stay here?
Does it need to be this big?

Misty:
you can almost understand where
danielle was coming from --

"Let's build the world's
largest garden

And try and be able
to profit from it."

But it's not going to happen.

And now what I need to do
is build a garden

That danielle
can actually manage

And be successful with --
scale it way back.

Misty: there is a technique
that the native americans used

Called waffle gardening.

Have you ever heard of this?
I have.

It's gonna be little
squares in rows...

Okay.
...exactly like a waffle.

It will work --
and has worked for centuries.

Narrator: individual trenches
will collect rainwater

And protect new crops
from the harsh winds.

Downsizing and moving the garden

To a protected area
behind fort conex

Will give danielle
a chance to grow enough

To be self-sufficient.

Let's just be honest.

That garden over there
is too big.

It was too ambitious.

We need to scale it way back

So that you will grow food
for your family.

♪♪

Danielle: I can't see
how it's gonna work.

Our ultimate goal is to be
earning off of our garden

'Cause the only way we can
bring my husband home

Is if we are making
our living here

So that he's not out
having to earn money

To support the homestead.

I totally understand
what you're saying.

But first, let's start
with something small,

Attainable,
and manageable for you.

Don't start with
the big, big dream,

Which is what
that previous garden was,

Because right now,
you're not to that place.

My mom is a little emotional

And having a hard time
with everything,

But they asked for help,
and they know they needed it.

I mean, the garden can now
kind of be, you know, a long...

Well, what about expansion
for the garden, babe?

'Cause we're talking
about this --

Look.
I mean, no, wait.

Here's the thing.

In order for us
to reach our goal,

You need to be able
to stop working at a job

That's taking you
away from me,

Which means we need our farm
to make money.

So our garden needs
to be expandable,

So when I'm thinking about
all this, my long-term plan,

I'm not looking 10 years out
for him to be home.

I'm looking two years out.

I need him home.
I can't do this by myself.

Paul: honey. Honey.
Just give me a minute.

♪♪

Narrator: in arizona, the raneys
are trying to save a homestead

With no crops,
surrounded by predators.

[ Howls ]

We're going to make
your homestead a fortress.

The job -- moving three
massive steel containers

To build fort conex

And protect
the vulnerable livestock

With secure feeding,
milking, and birthing pens

Enclosed with a coyote-
and cow-proof steel fence.

But a broken backhoe has
forced the fort conex build

Into shutdown.

Paul: honey. Honey.
Just give me a minute.

And with plans to downsize
the garden upsetting danielle,

Everyone's
feeling the heat.

[ Voice breaking ]
everybody, including you,
is telling me how wrong I am,

Starting yesterday,
and it just continues,

And I'm feeling picked on

'Cause I'm always
getting shot down.

And I am not
confrontational.

I know you're not, babe.
That's why you walked away.

Okay. [ Sighs ]
let's do this.

Okay.

Marty: hey, listen,
danielle.

I'm very sorry that this
is getting emotional,

And please don't be upset.

I'm talking about a garden.

I'm not talking about
a 10x10 little plot.

Danielle:
I'm just trying to visualize.

You will be way better off
than we found you.

I promise.

Okay.

I don't know if this is
the right direction or not,

So we'll find out
down the road if it works.

Marty: hold on. Listen.

-We might want to...
-Listen!

It happened!
Follow me.

Come on. This is it.
This is the game changer!

♪♪

You have, like,
a sixth sense

When it comes
to finding equipment.

[ Chuckles ]

Danielle: whoo!

A friend in need
is a friend indeed,

But a friend with
an excavator is better.

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Narrator:
this excavator is 10 times
as powerful as the old backhoe.

You know what's
going on, right?

I want to see all homesteaders
on deck, so let's go.

-Let's go.
-All right.

♪♪

This time, marty plans
on dragging the conex

In one mega move.

This is it right now.

♪♪

Producer: what are we
doing now, marty?

Not a good time to chat.
I could k*ll somebody. Stand by.

Straight on back!

♪♪

That's going faster!

Michaela: we're moving
so much faster.

We can get much more done
with this machine.

Paul: go to your right.

As marty reaches
the neighboring conexes,

He gets stuck on uneven ground,

Leaving him close
to tipping over.

That's bad.
That's really, really bad.

Paul: marty, move in.

They're acting
like a brake.

Hey, paul. I want to be able
to lift it up.

Got it.

♪♪

How far am I going,
for goodness' sakes?!

Straight back!

Oh, my god.
This is crazy.

Straight back, marty.
Straight on back.

You're almost there.

Narrator:
the risky move has paid off.

Marty's fort conex build
begins to take shape,

And danielle
starts to have faith.

-That's good.
-I'll tell you what.

I'm just getting more excited
now about all the plans

And just seeing it
all come together.

Marty, I'm going to hook you
up to this one next.

Let's go.

♪♪

[Bleep]

That thing look
like an "h" yet?

Almost.

♪♪

This is our third
conex going in,

And now our "h"
is complete.

Misty! [ Whistles ]
how's it look?

I think it's good!

♪♪

Marty:
when it comes to doing a job,

I don't care how big
or how dangerous.

I'm going to get the job done.

Danielle will see that
my motives are pure

And we are here truly
because we want to help them.

What were you thinking
yesterday

When we had a conex 100 yards
away going slower than a snail?

That you were
somewhat crazy.

But you made it happen.

You're not as crazy
as I thought.

I take that
as a compliment.

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

[ Roosters crowing ]

♪♪

Danielle: oh, nice!

Narrator:
early the next morning,

Fort conex is needed
more than ever,

As a new addition
to their livestock arrives.

You're just the cutest!

Yes, you are!

With danielle busy
guarding the newborn kid...

How's your berm?
Is it working with the water?

Michaela: it is.

...daughter michaela
is helping misty

Dig out berms
for the new garden.

When's the last time
you did any gardening?

Ah...

Been a while?
A while. Yeah.

'Cause you were raised
in the city, right?

Yup.

What was that like?
Do you miss the city?

Not at all.
[ Laughs ]

Not even for a second.
Really?

There was a lot of complications
growing up in the city

That you wouldn't have
growing up out here.

Such as?

Well,
g*ng violence is one.

Like, people would
pull out their g*n

And sh**t people
while they're driving!

And it's crazy.

I wouldn't stay.
No.

And I see the desperate look
in your mother's eyes.

You know, she is going to make
this work, no matter what.

Misty: they had enough.
They're out of there -- done.

And it's even more
of a reason for myself

And for my family to work
as hard as we possibly can,

Because this is their dream
and this is all that they have,

And they're never
going back to the city.

Narrator: if the family are
to produce enough crops

To be self-sufficient,

This arid soil will need
a constant supply of water.

Have you ever heard of
olla pots, those clay pots?

-Yes.
-Okay.

We are going to
try and mimic it

-Reusing these plastic bottles.
-All right.

So we're going to put holes
in the bottom,

So there's this slow-release
drip system underground.

Sprinkler bottles will be
placed into each waffle,

With individual tubes
connected to their water tank.

Misty hopes gravity will feed
water back into the ground,

Creating a controlled
irrigation system.

Stand back.

♪♪

-All right.
-What you think?

I think that
it's gonna work.

Michaela:
if the garden could be watered
with just one switch

And we pull it off, this could
really be big for my mom --

Really big for all of us.

Narrator: but before misty
can test her plan,

She's called to a crisis.

Is everything okay?

No.

The doe that gave birth
has an infection

And is starving
the newborn kid of milk.

-Have you treated this before?
-No.

You seem really worried.

[ Voice breaking ]
I'm really worried.

Why?

[ Sobbing ]

Sorry.

Okay. Why?
Why are you so upset?

Just because I haven't
had to do this before,

And I feel
really inadequate.

It's really
freaking me out.

Misty:
she's really upset, and I get
what she's coming from.

You know, she doesn't fully
know what she's doing.

It's scary.

She really cares
about these goats.

She tries really hard.

So...let's see.

My god.

I'm just really worried
about the baby.

He seems super sickly.

He's really thin.

He's on the decline.

This is, like, really bad.

♪♪

Narrator: in the high plains
of arizona,

There's just three days left to
get a homestead up and running

Before the raneys
and husband paul

Leave danielle and the kids
to fend for themselves.

Fort conex is under way
to protect livestock and feed

From predatory coyotes
and hungry cattle.

But a newborn kid
is in imminent danger

Of being starved of milk.

Misty: he seems super sickly.

He's really thin.

So we'll just supplement
and give him a jump start.

Misty: we need to start
bottle-feeding the kid.

He needs to put on
some weight.

Danielle: okay.
I know.

This is different, but
you'll see -- it's really good.

With baby kid now getting
the nutrition he needs,

Misty turns her hands
to the doe's udder infection.

Let's grab the water.
Let's move it underneath.

Ooh, nice temperature.

Obviously,
milk isn't coming out,

So if we can
clear that up...

Just get a lot of
hot water on it.

Massage it, and just kind
of work it through.

It'll be totally fine.

Bathing the udders,
along with medication,

Will clear the infection.

Until then, danielle will have
to regularly feed milk

To the newborn kid.

You have to bottle-feed him
every two hours.

That's pretty frequent.
Yeah.

And we'll just
monitor his weight.

I'm going to
call you crispin.

That's your name.

You and I are going to be
such good friends after this!

Yes, we are!

No wonder the stakes are
so high at this homestead.

When paul does leave
and she is left

With these situations
by herself,

That's a recipe for disaster.

♪♪

Narrator:
now there's even more pressure
to finish fort conex

And make this homestead
easy to manage

When struck with a crisis.

What's the most
dangerous tool on the job?

The grinder -- 10 times more
dangerous than a chainsaw.

Paul: I did not know that.

Okay, here we go.

Marty's cutting out windows
and doors to all the conex bays.

Man, that's hot!

Welcome to arizona.

No, not that!

Hot shards of metal
flying up my dress.

Whew!

Ready?

Marty: I'm in!

Okay.
There's your first hole.

What do you think?

It's no longer a conex.
It's the beginning of a barn.

Paul: and we're not going to
have to come back

And worry about the
infrastructure for our goats,

So we can move forward
on things like the garden

And expanding it,
'cause me and danielle,

We do have big plans
for this homestead.

She's just excited
to get it further along

So we can actually
make a living out here.

I understand,
and I get it.

But I'm going to give you
some advice.

Slow down a little bit.
Take a deep breath.

Look after you and danielle
and those kids first.

What I've seen on this homestead
in the short time I've been here

Is where you guys have basically
built a structure

And you've bypassed
the foundation.

Absolutely right.

And you can build a foundation
out of straw,

You can build one
out of wood,

And you can build one
out of bricks.

Remember that story?
Yeah.

Well, you built
one out of steel.

[ Cows lowing ]

But fort conex is still
not secure from cows

Who want free feed,

And with coyotes on the hunt
for fresh blood,

The livestock
is still at risk.

♪♪

I don't want to come onto
anybody's homestead and say,

"Hey, let's just sh**t
everything in sight."

So we have to find some way
to defend this homestead

So that they're
not able to get in

And threaten their livestock --
or else.

Narrator: matt needs to act fast
to keep the unwanted out.

Matt: so we got to make a fence
that's strong enough

To withstand a cow,

But then, on top of that,

I want to make sure that coyotes
can't dig underneath here,

And so I'm going to have to put
something down on the ground,

Like barbed wire.

Ryan: yeah, sounds like
a good idea.

To enclose their fort conex,

Matt and ryan start
by digging a foot-deep trench,

Which will be filled
with barbed wire

To prevent coyotes
digging under.


With ultra-durable steel fencing

Will stop cattle stomping over.

This thing is going to be
cow-proof, coyote-proof,

Goat-proof.

I mean, it's like the house
made out of sticks

Versus the house
made out of bricks.

♪♪

We have to make this fence
strong because if we don't,

Then the survival
of this homestead

Is going to be
continually threatened.

[ Cow lowing ]

Narrator: in arizona,
it's the raneys' final day

On this once-struggling
homestead.

♪♪

The finishing touches
are being added to fort conex.

Both of our weight right now.
Give it your all.

[ Grunts ]

And the new garden system
is now ready to be tested.

Do you think
it's gonna work?

I think I hope it works.
[ Laughs ]

When the raneys arrived, they
were faced with a huge garden

That had produced no crops

And was at the mercy of the
scorching heat and harsh winds.

Now it's been relocated
to a sheltered area

With 50 individual waffles dug
out to protect planted crops,

All hooked up to an off-grid
irrigation system.

This is
the moment of truth.

Do you want to cross
your fingers?

♪♪

You see any water yet?

Not yet.

I have a sprinkler!

That's a really good sign.
Do you have water?

Yes! I finally
got water over here.

Whoo-hoo!

I didn't even know
if it would work.

Don't tell the crownovers.

But it works, and it's amazing!

Narrator:
piping connected to the tank,

Gravity feeds water
into the individual bottles.

Each sprinkler cost
just 3 bucks --

A cheap fix for
an expensive problem.

Dad! Mom!
You got to see this!

-Oh, my goodness!
-That's amazing!

Danielle: look at that.

Paul: it looks like a project
a mad scientist came up with.

Misty:
we are kind of mad, but...

Matt: first of all,
this is awesome.

This is going to make all
the difference in the world.

And there are going to be
plants in our garden.

I'm a happy girl.

This is amazing.
We should shut that one off.

[ Laughter ]

♪♪

Narrator:
but the biggest job of all
was the triple conex build.

Three huge


Were dragged into place
to make fort conex.

That thing look
like an "h" yet?

Danielle: come, guys!
Check this out!

Paul: we are occupying
fort conex.

Narrator: last week,
the livestock were living

In fragile, unprotected pens --
vulnerable to predators

And exposed to the
harsh environment.

Today, all the animals,

Including
a healthy kid crispin...

Danielle: look at you!

...can be safe in a secure,
predator-proof pen

Surrounded by steel fencing.

Look at that.

Marty: this is probably
the most genius idea of all,

Because you never have to
come outside to feed them.

The goats' feed,

Which previously enticed
stampedes of cattle,

Is now security stored
and easily released

Through six
secure feeding bays.

What do you think?

Look at those feeders.

This is amazing,
'cause all of my goats,

In five minutes, are fed.

For real,
this is life-changing.

How's the goat
going to feel? Better?

I think they're
going to like it.

Come through this door.

♪♪

Paul:
here is your milk room.

♪♪

The old milking station,
a dark and stuffy container,

Has been transformed into
a light and spacious zone

With ramps,
doors, and windows.

Danielle: look at this!

I can milk
some goats in here.

It's so cool.
This is so nice.

I mean, the breeze...
This is fabulous.

Look at all the light!

Does this help you?

Immensely.

I'm a bit more confident
that I'm going to be able

To manage
at this point now.

I mean, this is going to make
all the difference in the world.

[ Bleats ]

Misty: what do you think?

-Awesome.
-It's good, right?

So good.

[ Bleats ]

[ Laughter ]

Danielle: we've got this
incredible new start,

So I think we're in
a better place now

To reach the ultimate goal,

Which is for paul to be home
and to be with me.

♪♪


You're going to be gone...

Yep.
...for two months.

And I want to believe
that we made

That easier for you
specifically.

Well, I don't think. I know
you guys accomplished that.

And bottom of my heart,
there's always a place

At our campfire
for the raneys.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

My heart's lightened.

That's really
the best way to put it.

I feel like she's being left
in a much better position

Than we were,
you know, 10 days ago.

Thanks for being
so much fun.

Paul and danielle
looked me in the eye and said

What we did here
for them was life-changing.

And I can live with that.

♪♪

Paul: I recently just got back
from my two-month trip.

For me, it was good to know
that danielle was in a position

Where it was
a lot easier for her

To maintain the farm
while I was gone.

Well, the good thing is,
I came home,

And there's a garden here.

Danielle: you can see we have
squashes in and growing.

These are all plants
that I had started.

I think I even see a strawberry
on one of my strawberry plants.

Nice.

Still a few cow problems.
The bucks were able to get out.

And you can see where
we've made a repair here

Because the cows
pushed the gate in,

So we're going to replace
these gates at some point

With something a little bit
more goat-proof.

Crispin is doing great.

He's enormous.

Here he and his mama
are eating right now.

We are really, truly
blessed and thankful

That you were able
to come out and help us

And help rescue
our homestead, I guess.

Thanks.