Shawn Jadrnicek had long loved prickly pear cactus for its tasty fruit, so when he heard the plant could also be used as animal fencing, he was curious. After first creating a pen for his own backyard chickens, the farmer and arborist helped South Carolina's Wild Hope Farm install a fencing system to keep deer out of its vegetable garden. The natural barrier was such a success that he brought the design to community gardens in Roanoke, Virginia, where he works as an associate extension agent for Virginia Tech. "I've found this fence design tremendously useful as a farmer, as it not only reduces the maintenance involved with fencing, but it also generates income and will last as long as the cacti," says Jadrnicek.