Marlene felt the old anger rise.
Then she took a slow breath.
"My father spent twenty years gathering the information that made these fields possible."
Grant waved one hand.
"Fine. And you should be rewarded for it."
She looked toward him.
"Then offer terms that don't put the entire ranch at risk."
For several seconds, he stared.
Then he laughed bitterly.
"You're impossible."
Marlene smiled faintly.
"I've heard."
Grant gathered his papers.
Before leaving, he turned toward the hills.
"Somebody's going to buy this production eventually."
Marlene shook her head.
"Somebody may buy what I choose to sell."
He looked irritated.
Then walked toward his truck.
As he drove away, Daniel approached from the barn.
"Another no?"
Marlene nodded.
"Another no."
Daniel looked toward the fields.
For a moment, he seemed thoughtful.
Then asked, "What if we need the money?"
Marlene took a breath.
"We might."
He waited.
She continued.
"But I don't want to find out during an emergency that we've promised away the one thing keeping this ranch alive."
Daniel looked toward her.
Then smiled faintly.
"Guess we're keeping the reserve."
Marlene nodded.
"We're keeping the reserve."
The winter of 2008 brought less rain than Marlene hoped.
By January 2009, the soil in much of the surrounding region was unusually dry.
Pasture grass had little opportunity to recover.
Several ranchers began purchasing additional hay.
Others reduced their herds, hoping the weather would improve before summer.
Marlene watched the changes carefully.
Then began making calls.
She contacted Elena.
Samuel Bennett.
The local livestock agent.
And several neighboring producers who had shown interest in drought planning.
Her questions were practical.
How much emergency supplemental forage could the ranch safely harvest without damaging its long-term production?
What equipment would be required to prepare suitable cactus material for livestock?
How should animals be introduced to it under professional guidance?
What other feed components would be necessary?
And what would happen if several ranchers needed help at once?
The answers were complicated.
Cactus could provide useful moisture and part of an emergency ration, but it wasn't a complete substitute for all forage or for water. Safe feeding depended on proper preparation and balanced nutrition. Transport, labor, and access to complementary feed would be major constraints.
Marlene wrote down everything.
Then she built a plan.
She didn't call it the drought rescue program.
She called it the Caldwell Reserve.
It consisted of identified harvest areas, equipment and handling arrangements, estimated daily capacity, records of available material, and agreements with people who could provide additional hay, mineral supplements, veterinary advice, and transportation if an emergency occurred.