Vast field of purple wildflowers with a hill in the background under a blue sky.

Riverbed Ranch Homesteading Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Town/Small City

Founding year

  • 2017

What we do

We are creating a self-reliance community where families can extract themselves from being dependent on the power grid, gas company, city water, and grocery stores in the city. This is not a political or religious statement, it’s an agricultural cooperative created for the benefit of its members.
We are building 250 family online-but-off-grid, self-reliance community as an agricultural co-op under Title 3 of the Utah Code. Every 2-acre lot comes with at least 4 acre feet of water shares (very important in the dry Western US!).
There is no HOA to tell you what you can and can’t do with your 2 acre paradise. However, since this IS an agricultural co-op, each shareholder…
A) agrees to build an off-grid home, well, a shop, barn, garden and greenhouse,
B) is required to engage in some form of pesticide-free agriculture – anything from raising worms to horses to fruits and veggies.
C) can eventually sell their surplus produce through the co-op which will try to get an account with Associated Foods or the like.
D) can sell products or services of their home-based businesses.
E) can save around 20-30% on the cost of building their home, barn and greenhouse through bulk purchasing arranged by co-op members.
Why do developers never create such cooperative communities like this? Because there’s no profit in it! This is a non-profit agricultural co-op, created under Utah law for the benefit of the shareholders.

Our Mission

Our mission is to make it as inexpensive as reasonably possible for a family to leave the lifestyle of dependencies in the city and transition comfortably to a country culture of cooperation and self-reliance, debt-free and surrounded by other self-reliant families.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage
  • Intentional Neighborhoods
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2017
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2020
  • Started living together
  • 79 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
149

How to join

1. Watch our update videos to see that we’re really doing it! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCefJX23MKjnPm2Ta65e9V4Q/videos
2. Watch our 1st and 2nd introductory videos – https://OSRcommunity.com/introduction-utah/
3. Attend a Q&A zoom call – https://www.eventbrite.com/o/academy-of-self-reliance-27972265747
4. Tour Riverbed Ranch – https://www.eventbrite.com/o/academy-of-self-reliance-27972265747
5. Meet with our board to answer any remaining questions, review the shareholder application, and pay for your share in the co-op ($30,000).
6. Assuming the board of directors finds that you are serious about putting in the work to becoming self-reliant, and you have the resources to build out your 2.0 to 2.4 acre homestead (at least $235,000), your application will be approved.
7. Pick your lot!

Basic expectations or agreements for members

To tour the Riverbed Ranch property, home of the Utah OSR Land Co-op, just browse to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/riverbed-ranch-27972265747

Primary decision-making authority

  • Single Leader or Founding Couple

One person or partnership has ultimate authority.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

Specifically, like typical cooperatives, we are governed by a board of elected representatives from among our shareholders. One share = one vote, and one adult can only own one share. This prevents any single person or company from wresting control of the co-op from the shareholders.
There is a movement among some of our shareholders to explore adopting Sociocracy, as we don’t like the fact that majority rule = minority loses.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $30000
Regular fees: $0
Our goal is to help people get out of a lifestyle of dependencies in the city. This includes getting out of debt. You’re not truly self-reliant if the bank can take away your home! Each household will want to generate revenue to sustain itself, through traditional employment, and/or selling goods and services provided to customers both within and without the community. Also, the co-op itself hopes to eventually produce revenue through various agricultural projects. It is hoped (but not guaranteed) that these revenue-generation projects will eventually replace the need for a monthly maintenance fee.

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Library, Workshop, Hot tub or hot springs, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)
  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Muslim
  • Hindu

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Family-focused (many children and parents)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Land Trust, Home Owners Association, or corporation

Setting

  • Town/Small City

Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Intentional Neighborhoods

    Geographically close groups of independently-owned homes whose residents actively cultivate community relationships and shared values.

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems

Self-produced energy

  • 33 - 66%

Energy sources used

  • Wind
  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Over 66%

Food systems

  • Greenhouse / aquaponics
  • Land area size
    1245 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Utah, United States

Riverbed Ranch Homesteading Community

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

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1 week ago

Turn-key commune opportunity on 30 acres in beautiful rural Minnesota (~$500-550k)

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Offer
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1 month ago

Cohousing Home for Rent in Snohomish WA

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