Our community fosters individual self-reliance built on access to affordable land and water rights provided by the Cooperative. With this in place, shareholders can raise food for their families and as they wish pursue collaborative opportunities to develop internal and external sales. We cultivate shared knowledge to strengthen practical skills, develop trusted relationships, and create a supportive culture. We work together and help each other.
Our Purpose Statement:
We are a community of homesteaders striving to become both self-reliant in each household, and mutually supportive as a group. We create resilience through hard work, skill development, continuous learning, land and water stewardship, agriculture, and strong connections with nature, God, and each other.
Our Guiding Values:
Community Connection
At Riverbed Ranch, each person is essential, with all the life experience and knowledge they bring. Our relationships are our most precious asset. We strive to create a culture of mutual support, love, and service.
Land & Water Stewardship
As we build generational homesteads, our community encourages regenerative practices to care for the health of our soil, land, air, plants, animals, and people. We honor our valuable water rights.
Food Connection
We grow clean, nutrient-rich food that nourishes body and soul while supporting vibrant health for everyone who enjoys it. As we grow with different practices, we learn and share our successes as well as our failures. We are all committed to protecting—and enhancing—the health of our air, water, and soil for our families, neighbors, customers, and those who follow after us.
Divine Connection
In our community, we acknowledge a deep connection to the divine. This shared recognition fosters humility, kindness, and a commitment to live with purpose while caring for one another. Our community respects each individual’s unique spiritual path and relationship with God. Many shareholders express their spiritual connection as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Honesty & Transparency
We strive to be honest and transparent — as individuals and as a community. We also endeavor to celebrate successes, openly name challenges, and communicate with the good of the whole in mind. We seek to speak truth directly and politely, even when it’s uncomfortable, while respecting and protecting personal privacy. When inviting people to join our community, our goal is to be direct about the realities and challenges of ranch life, ensuring every applicant can make informed decisions. We believe honesty and integrity are the foundation of enduring trust.
Self-Reliance
Our community has a goal of self-sufficiency as a lifelong journey, not a fixed outcome. We seek freedom, resilient living, and mastery of essential homesteading skills to pass on to future generations. As each homestead becomes progressively more self-reliant in terms of food, water, power, sanitation, health, and housing, we grow stronger together—becoming a vibrant, mutually supportive community.
Management & Decision-making
We value the opinions of our community, and strive to establish transparent, legal management and decision-making processes in which members participate. We operate legally according to federal, state, and county laws, in cooperation with county and state authorities. Our Board of Directors, elected by members, is responsible for managing operations transparently while safeguarding each member’s legal and financial rights in the cooperative. We prioritize member participation in key decisions through open discussion and voting. These processes continue to adapt based on member input.
Balancing Freedom and Community
We believe true freedom grows under conditions of mutual respect. We strive to honor each person’s path of self-reliance, spiritual growth, and family homestead life. At the same time, we endeavor to create thoughtful policies that protect our shared physical and financial well-being, secure members’ rights, and minimize conflict. We recognize the importance of balancing personal needs with the needs of the community, so everyone can thrive without disrupting a neighbor’s peace.