Daniel thought about that.
Then grinned.
"Fair point."
Marlene returned to the figures.
"And if you really want to help, check the fuel costs on that last delivery."
He laughed.
"Yes, ma'am."
In the spring of 2007, Marlene received a letter from a regional agricultural conference.
Elena had submitted a summary of the Caldwell project as an example of a producer using long-term observations to guide drought-adapted land management. The conference organizers wanted Marlene to discuss the experiment, including its failures, costs, and results.
Marlene nearly declined.
She had never enjoyed public speaking.
She was comfortable discussing cactus with farmers who asked questions beside a field, but standing in front of a room full of strangers made her nervous.
Elena called.
"Why are you hesitating?"
Marlene sat at the kitchen table.
"Because somebody else probably knows more than I do."
Elena laughed softly.
"Plenty of people know more about individual parts of the science."
"Exactly."
"But nobody knows your ranch better than you."
Marlene was quiet.
Elena continued.
"You're not being asked to present a miracle. You're being asked to explain what you tried, what failed, and what you learned."
Marlene looked toward the green notebook.
For a moment, she remembered her father writing rainfall measurements at the same kitchen table.
Then she nodded.
"All right."
The conference took place in a modest hotel ballroom several hours away.
Marlene arrived wearing a clean plaid shirt, dark jeans, and boots she'd polished the night before. She carried photographs, maps, planting records, and a copy of several pages from Curtis's notebook.
At first, her hands trembled.
Then she began speaking.
She explained the ranch's history, the failed cattle operation, and her father's observations.
She described the first twenty-acre test plot.
The plant losses.
The winter freeze.
The soil conditions.
And the slow expansion based on the results.
She didn't tell the audience that every acre could be turned into a thriving cactus field.
She explained why certain sections of her land were suitable and others weren't.
She also discussed market limitations and the work required to turn a drought-tolerant plant into a financially sustainable operation.
When she finished, the room was quiet.
Then someone raised a hand.
A cattle producer from another county asked whether nopal could completely replace hay during drought.
Marlene shook her head.
"No."
The man looked surprised.
She continued.
"It can provide useful moisture and forage when properly prepared and included in an appropriate feeding program. But animals still need balanced nutrition. We can't pretend one plant solves everything."
Several people nodded.
Another asked whether she expected the ranch to survive the next severe drought.