One main focus we prioritized was our water situation, and the need to irrigate paddocks for the livestock. We ran lines to the top of the property and the ridges so that our water system would be gravity-fed. Once the lines had been set and the watershed had been observed, we were able to locate the areas with heavy water retention throughout the summer, since the Rogue Valley tends to have hotter, drier growing seasons.
In these observations, we also found where the winter watershed would leach the soil of water-soluble nutrients. This information helped decide where to plant our beds, with proper irrigation and healthy soil. Observing, identifying and working with this system, we were able to begin our gardens and build our nutrient load.