Below are detailed presentation descriptions (you will receive a printed program with the speaker schedule in it when you arrive at conference). Schedule is subject to change.
Friday 9:00 to 10:00 am
Don Tipping – Completing the Circle: Basic Seed Saving for Greater Garden Resilience
Seed saving is arguably the cornerstone of civilization and is central to perpetuating the plants that we know and love and those that nourish our families. Learn some basic rules and guidelines of reproductive biology that will support your success at allowing some of your garden favorites to produce ample seed. We will explore some basic botany, pollination and pollinators as well as understanding of the differences between self and cross pollinated plants, annuals versus biennials and tricks of the trade. Bolster your seed stash through expanding your knowledge of seed saving while preserving the unique heritage of our cherished heirlooms.
Dr. Ken Berry – The Principles of a Proper Human Diet
Explore the foundational concepts for achieving optimal health through nutrition. Dr. Berry examines the evolution of human diets over millennia, comparing ancestral eating patterns with modern practices, and delves into the essential nutrients-proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals-that our bodies need to maintain health. The talk contrasts whole, natural foods with processed options, highlighting the benefits of choosing minimally processed foods. It also addresses how dietary needs can vary based on genetics, health conditions, and lifestyle, emphasizing personalized nutrition. By exploring current scientific research and debunking common myths about diet, Dr. Berry aims to provide practical recommendations for making healthier food choices and implementing dietary changes for long-term well-being.
Tim & Sophia Eng – Beyond Acreage: Identifying the Ideal Property for Your Homestead
Join Tim Eng, a West Point Army Combat Veteran turned “Homesteading Realtor”, and Sophia Eng, a seasoned real estate agent and mortgage broker with nearly two decades of experience in California's competitive real estate market, as they share their proven blueprint for finding and securing your ideal homestead property.
As active homesteaders who have successfully worked land from 1/4 acre to 40 acres, they bring firsthand experience in raising dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, along with maintaining gardens to feed their family and community. Through their mission of answering the “Call To Farms,” they've helped reclaim hundreds of acres, transforming neglected properties back into thriving small farms and homesteads. Their work has empowered numerous families to break free from conventional living and embrace food sovereignty – from first-time homesteaders using VA loans to experienced farmers expanding their operations.
This practical session goes beyond basic property features to provide you with actionable strategies for identifying, evaluating, and acquiring land that will support your homesteading dreams. Tim brings his military precision and homesteading experience to teach you critical evaluation techniques, while Sophia shares her expertise in creative financing solutions that have helped countless families transition to their dream properties.
Shawn and Beth Dougherty – Beating the Feed Bill Blues
Even small, neglected pieces of land can be the basis for a secure, productive food system with grass-fed dairy ruminants and integrated, multispecies homesteading. Shawn and Beth Dougherty discuss how a homestead milk cow provides high-quality proteins for household use plus a steer, pig, and flock of hens. The small plot of ground that sustained most of the world for centuries is still capable producing food, fertility, and health without purchased inputs.
Friday 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Dr. Patrick Jones- Disease Management on the Homestead: Herbal Interventions for Viral and Bacterial Infections
In our changing world, novel infectious diseases have become more and more prevalent. Factory farming, world travel, immigration and biological terrorism have introduced pathogens not seen in modern countries for generations. You'll leave this lecture with real understanding of specific herbs and strategies that can be used to combat viral and bacterial disease in humans, pets and livestock.
Missy Irish- Raising Dairy Goats 101
Goats are the perfect solution for small scale dairy production. Let's debunk some goat myths and learn how best to choose a dairy goat for your homestead. We'll cover all the basics: from what breed is “best”, to what feed & minerals you should give, to how to train a goat to the milk stand. You'll leave empowered and ready to add this essential component to your homestead.
Ruthann Zimmerman – Seasonal & Regional Eating
Learn how to grow what you want to eat and eat what you grow in the garden with an emphasis on seasonal and regional eating. Practical tips on how to apply this to your garden for increased success (not trying to grow foods that don't thrive in your climate) and harvest, while lowering your food bill.
Robyn Jackson – Aging Cheese- The oldest form of preserving milk
In this presentation you will learn how fermentation is an age old method of preserving milk, and some common factors to understand when making aged cheese. We will also be looking at ways that you can age cheese on your homestead with the resources that you have available to you and how different aging techniques are capable of producing different cheeses. This presentation is suitable for anyone who has any experience in cheese making and would like to learn more about simple aging techniques and skills.
Seth Smith – Bee Smart: Affordable, Sustainable Beekeeping for Beginners
Discover the secrets to successful beekeeping with Seth, a seasoned expert with 17 years of experience managing thousands of hives. Designed specifically for beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest, this class will take you through the entire process—from setting up your first hive to harvesting your own honey and preparing your bees for winter survival. Seth will share proven techniques to keep your bees thriving year after year while teaching cost-saving strategies to make beekeeping more affordable. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your skills, this class will equip you with practical knowledge to build a sustainable and rewarding beekeeping journey.
Friday 2:00 to 3:00 pm
Blake & Stephanie Alexandre- Homesteading With a Family Milk Cow(s)
Learn from the founders of Alexandre farms, one of the first regenerative dairy farms, on keeping a family milk cow from evaluating your land and acreage requirements to choosing the right dairy cow breed – including what the A2/A2 “digestible dairy” protein is. Discuss types of feed and costs along with pasture management. Tips for milking and ongoing animal welfare.
Tim Eng – The Secure Homestead: Building Defensible into your Property Plans
Join Tim Eng, the Homesteading Realtor and West Point Army veteran, for an insightful discussion on creating a secure homestead. Drawing from his experience as an Army Engineer specializing in fortifications and obstacle breaching, Tim will guide you through essential strategies for ensuring the safety and defensibility of your homestead. In this talk, you'll learn how to assess potential properties for their defensive capabilities before purchase, and identifying key features that can enhance security.
Tim will also cover practical ways to bolster your homestead after moving in, including implementing multiple layers of protection against both human and animal predators. Discover how to protect not only your loved ones but also the food you grow. Whether you're a prospective buyer or a current homesteader looking to enhance your defenses, this session will equip you with actionable insights to fortify your future.
Daniel Salatin – How to Butcher a Chicken (Demo)
In this demo, you'll learn how to process a chicken from start to finish. Includes equipment tips, slaughtering, plucking, gutting, and cleaning so you can successfully provide a protein source from start to finish for your family at home.
James Barry – Unlocking the Nutritional Power of Organ Meats: Debunking Myths and Embracing Health
Discover the ultimate secret to optimal health hiding in plain sight—organ meats. Packed with essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, B12, iron, and zinc, these nutrient-dense foods have been cherished for generations but have faded from modern diets. In this engaging talk and demonstration, you’ll learn how to reintroduce organ meats into your meals in small, simple ways that transform your health and resolve chronic issues naturally. Explore how eating the whole animal strengthens your body’s natural communication pathways, enhances intuitive eating, and connects you to the rich traditions of our ancestors. This isn’t just about nutrition—it’s about reclaiming wellness from the inside out.
Matt Richards – Hide Tanning on the Homestead
Skins are one of the most useful and valuable resources that often go to waste, but it's really quite easy to tan your own hides using readily available and natural tanning agents. The process and transformation are extremely satisfying as are the beautiful and useful finished results. Learn how to set yourself up to tan hides from your livestock, hunting, and neighbors (so many hides going to waste!). We'll go over the differences between tanning methods, why you'd choose one or another for different projects (hair-on sheep, bark tanned cow leather, brain tan buckskin), proper skinning, salting and storing hides, scraping beams and tools.
John Chester – The Opposing Forces Of Nature That Saved A Little Farm
In this inspiring and highly visual multimedia talk, Award winning National Geographic filmmaker and biodynamic farmer John Chester shares his families idealistic journey to reawaken the ecosystem of an old industrial lemon farm. A decades-long journey to becoming one of the most biologically diverse farms in Southern California.
Drawing from his farming experiences at Apricot Lane Farms, John highlights the transformative power of curiosity for the many wild creatures who call the farm home. Through captivating stories and visuals from his Emmy award winning documentary work, he illustrates the unexpected ways wildlife returned to balance pests and disease epidemics.
It’s impossible to not draw similarities between the ways of nature and the human condition. The immune system of the farm was rebuilt by a diversity of misunderstood creatures with competing agendas. To unlock the infinite resilience of the land required his family to embrace a comfortable level of disharmony. No different than our human experience at a family thanksgiving dinner during an election year.
Friday 3:30 to 5:00 pm
Natural Medicine Q&A – Ask The Experts!
A panel of experts from diverse fields of natural medicine will be answering questions from the audience on health topics for your family and animals. Come and get the answers you've been looking for!
Panelists:
- Dr. Patrick Jones: Veterinarian, clinical herbalist, traditional naturopath, and founder of HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
- Dr. Jed Adamson: Naturopath, acupuncturist, naprapathic doctor, massage therapist, nutritionist, former EMT, and instructor on Homestead Academy
- LoriAnn Jones: Midwife, naturopath and herbalist, instructor HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
- Lucianne Walker: Instructor HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine, traditional naturopath, clinical herbalist, essential oil therapist
- Jenni-Leigh Rose: Clinical herbalist, Instructor HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine, full-time manager of Dr. Brandon Rose
- Dr. Brandon Rose, PhD: Published researcher in the fields of physiology, phytochemistry, and osteoarthritis. Dr. Rose is also an instructor at HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine.
Lisa Bass- Master the Art of Sourdough: Expert Tips and Hands-On Guidance (Demo)
Lisa from Farmhouse on Boone has spent over 13 years perfecting the art of from-scratch sourdough baking, and now she’s here to help you unlock the secrets to truly amazing sourdough. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, Lisa will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to elevate your baking. With personalized answers to all your sourdough questions and a live demo for hands-on learning, you'll walk away with the skills to create delicious, nourishing sourdough bread and baked goods from your own kitchen.
Matt Richards – Hair-on Hide Tanning (Demo)
Hides tanned with the hair on provide you with some of the most warm and cozy rugs, blankets and clothing that you can possibly imagine. Happy hair-on hide tanning is all about selecting the right hides, handling them so that the hair doesn't slip, and getting those skins thin and soft. We'll go over which hides you should put the effort into tanning, which ones are easiest to start with, which tanning methods to use, and how to learn the ins and outs. We'll discuss what is different about hair on tanning and the tools you will need. Lots of show and tell!
Bevin Cohen – Grow Great Vegetables
Discover how to plan, plant and grow your most productive garden ever! Learn from Bevin's decades of growing experience, including tips on soil health, seed starting and transplanting, mulching and weeding and when to harvest your perfect produce.
Trevor Hollenback – Sheep Shearing (Demo)
Learn from Trevor Hollenback – internationally trained professional sheep shearer – about what you need to know about sheep shearing on the homestead. In his presentation, he will perform a live shearing demonstration and will cover the following topics:
- When and why to shear your sheep
- Equipment selection and setup
- Shearing methods that reduce stress to both sheep and shearer
- Small scale wool production and sale
- Ways to use wool that has little value in traditional markets
Friday 5:00 to 6:00 KEYNOTE Will Harris
Join Will Harris from White Oak Pastures for an incredible talk on the transformation he's seen since taking their farm down the regenerative route, the struggles, the wins, and how it's changed not just their soil and farm, but the life of their entire town.
Saturday 9:00 to 10:00 am
Dr. Ken Berry – Ranchers are Better Than Doctors
Dr. Berry challenges conventional views on health and wellness by highlighting the vital role ranchers play in promoting public health. This talk explores how ranchers, through their management of livestock and land, contribute to the production of high-quality, nutrient-dense foods that are essential for a balanced diet. He contrasts this with the reactive nature of modern healthcare, which often focuses on treating diseases rather than preventing them. By showcasing the health benefits of consuming nutrient-rich, grass-fed meats and sustainably farmed produce, Dr. Berry argues that ranchers, through their sustainable practices and commitment to quality food production, provide a foundational element of preventive health that complements, and in some cases surpasses, traditional medical care.
Jenni-Leigh Rose and Lucianne Walker- How To Grow an Herbalist
America is experiencing a renaissance of natural healing. Many are feeling the call towards this important work but don't know where to start. Beginning herbalists and seasoned healers alike can make their personal journey truly impactful. How? Teach as you go!
Children and healing plants are among God's greatest gifts-so naturally, they belong together! In this lecture, Jenni-Leigh and Lucianne will teach you how to make herbalism part of your family and community culture, by nurturing a generation of healers who will use their gifts and knowledge to bless others! Let's change the world by raising up herbalists in every home in America!
Tim & Sophia Eng – Roots and Routines: Integrating Homesteading with Family Life
Join Sophia Eng, author of Nourishing Asian Kitchen, and Tim Eng, the Homesteading Realtor and a West Point Army veteran renowned for his expertise in time management and task prioritization, as they share their insights on integrating homesteading, homeschooling, and family life. In this talk, Sophia and Tim will guide you through balancing a busy schedule with homesteading practices.
Learn how to weave homesteading, cooking, and homeschooling into a cohesive family routine, transforming daily tasks into educational experiences for children and building skills in resilience. Whether you're in a rural setting or suburban neighborhood, this talk will equip your family to grow together with practical routines that enrich learning, foster sustainability, and deepen family bonds.
Missy Irish- Holistic Goat Care: Using Natural Remedies to Treat Common Health Issues
Are you struggling with caring for your goats naturally? Learn how to simplify holistic goat care and treat common illnesses, manage parasite prevention, mastitis, injuries and more by using what nature has given us. Come ready to take notes, this talk will be packed with information you won't want to forget!
Lisa Bass – Fermenting for Health & Home: Easy Gut-Healing Probiotics and Food Preservation (Demo)
In today’s world, gut health is more important than ever, and did you know you can create your own gut-healing probiotics right in your kitchen through vegetable fermentation? For over a decade, Lisa Bass from Farmhouse on Boone has been nourishing her family with delicious, home-fermented foods, and now she’s ready to show you how easy it is to do the same. In this class, Lisa will share her time-tested techniques for fermenting vegetables that support gut health and overall wellness. She’ll answer all your fermentation questions and even walk you through a live demo, so you can start fermenting with confidence and enjoy the powerful benefits of probiotic-rich foods every day.
Daniel Salatin – Multi Specie (Mob Grazing) – How to Increase Soil Fertility & Profit
Turning a homestead from a hobby into a profit center can mean the difference of loving and keeping it or disliking and losing it.
In this talk, Daniel from Polyface Farm, will cover how to not just graze your herbivores (cows, sheep, etc) on your pasture but how to add other livestock in “layers” for health and growth of the livestock, soil, pasture and ultamitely profit!
With over 50 of these practices being applied to Polyface land, Daniel will show you what's possible for your land. Knowing that “it” is possible a key to staying motivated when it looks like change is not happening. This talk will give you a vision and the steps to get there.
Bevin Cohen – Create Renewable Food Production with Perennials
Grow more food with less work! Once established in your garden, perennial food crops and herbs will produce bountiful harvests for years to come. Learn when to plant and how to care for a variety of crops including fruit and nut trees, perennial vegetables and healing medicinal herbs.
Saturday 10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Melissa K. Norris – Stocking the Pantry: Creating Shelf-stable Meat w/ Pressure Canning (Demo)
Your pressure canner is the answer to healthy shelf-stable meat and protein whether you're short on time for making dinner, the power is out, or in unstable times. In this presentation, Melissa of Pioneering Today, will show you how to can meat safely, dispel common myths about pressure canning, and enable you to preserve meats to feed your family year round. You will learn:
- How to confidently and safely can at home so you can fully stock your pantry
- Conquer your fear of pressure canners
- The #1 thing you must know about canning to stay safe that even seasoned canners miss
- How to can meat and have it turn out delicious and safe
Dr. Patrick Jones & Dr. Brandon Rose- Eat Your Weeds – Life Changing Nutrition Where You Least Expect It
Navigating the modern American diet can feel like wandering through a nutritional wasteland. Enter your expert guides: Dr. Patrick Jones, seasoned clinical herbalist, naturopath and veterinarian, and Dr. Brandon Rose, PhD, research scientist and physiologist. Together, they'll show you how common plants-often dismissed as weeds-are true superstars of nutrition.
Learn how herbal nutritives like alfalfa, burdock, and calendula can detoxify, regulate blood sugar, and protect against heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and more. These humble plants often outshine vitamin supplements, pharmaceuticals, and even your favorite garden vegetables.
Gain practical tips on incorporating these powerful plants into your diet to maximize your health. Whether you're a professional or simply curious about the science of food as medicine, this lecture will transform how you think about nutrition!
Don Tipping – Plant Breeding Techniques to Help Your Garden Adapt to Your Microclimate
Once you have mastered the basics of saving seed successfully from a variety of species, the next logical step is to begin practicing some basic selection and plant breeding techniques to help adapt varieties to your growing environment and the pests, diseases and other stresses that may be prevalent there. With careful observation it is possible to literally train plants over successive generations of thoughtful selection to perform increasingly better with less (or no) external crop supports. We will also delve into making controlled crosses to create new varieties and what very well may become the heirlooms of tomorrow!
Shawn and Beth Dougherty – Multi-Generational Homesteading: Passing on the Passion
Want your kids to love your homestead? Hoping they'll catch the passion and become the homesteaders of the next generation? Good food from the work of our hands – meaningful work shared with our loved ones – land made abundant and beautiful – are keys to passing on the passion. Shawn and Beth Dougherty share almost forty years experience of homesteading with their children, and the patterns that have kept them farming and producing food together.
Anne Briggs- Mushroom Mastery: Grow, Forage, and Thrive with Nature’s Superfood
Unlock the incredible benefits of mushrooms for your home, health, and homestead in A Beginner’s Guide to Mushrooming! This class will show you how to identify, grow, and enjoy these versatile fungi while enriching your understanding of their role in nature and nutrition. Discover how cultivating mushrooms can provide a sustainable, low-maintenance food source, enhance your soil health, and expand your foraging skills.
Seth Smith – From Hobby to Income: How to Produce Affordable Quality Queens
Unlock the secrets to producing high-quality queens at a fraction of the cost of store-bought options! In this hands-on class, you’ll learn how to create hundreds of queens from just two hives in as little as three weeks. Whether you’re looking to save money on your beekeeping hobby or turn your skills into a source of additional income, this class will equip you with all the tricks, techniques, and insider hacks you need to succeed. Gain the confidence and know-how to take control of your hives and transform your beekeeping journey.
Saturday 1:30 to 2:30 pm
Will Harris – Rural Revival
Ruthann Zimmerman- From-Scratch Mennonite Heritage Cooking
Using knowledge from her Mennonite heritage, Ruthann will share how to run your kitchen and pantry like an Old-Order Mennonite. Learn how to stock and use basic ingredients to reduce overwhelm and expense. Tips and systems for making meals and snacks that will save you money, improve your health and nourish your family.
Sophia Eng – East Meets Weston A. Price: Nourishing Asian Cuisine Re-imagined- Reclaiming Authentic Flavors Free from MSG & Excitotoxins
Join Sophia Eng, award-winning author of “The Nourishing Asian Kitchen,” as she shares her transformative journey back to authentic Asian cooking while exposing the hidden dangers lurking behind modern ingredient labels. Did you know MSG and other excitotoxins appear under more than 50 different names in our food supply? These hidden additives not only diminish the true essence of Asian cuisine but can also contribute to unexplained weight gain, headaches, and inflammation.
Drawing from both her Asian heritage and studies of traditional food preparation methods championed by Weston A. Price, Sophia reveals how generations of Asian families created deeply flavorful dishes long before artificial enhancers existed. Learn how to decode ingredient labels and spot hidden MSG in its many disguises, while discovering how to create authentic umami flavors at home using traditional techniques and whole ingredients.
Dr. Jed Adamson- Auricular Therapy: Relieve Pain and Other Issues Without the Use of Drugs or Chemicals
Throughout history there are techniques that have been used to decrease pain and promote healing without the use of drugs or chemicals. Many of these modalities are almost forgotten by modern society, but have been proven in research studies to be highly effective. Dr. Adamson will discuss the origins of Auricular therapy as well as some simple ways to help you manage back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, upset stomachs, and other conditions. You will leave class inspired and empowered to help your friends and loved ones find relief
Blake & Stephanie Alexandre – Regenerative Farming
Learn what is regenerative agriculture is with success stories of building soil health – how we went from soil depth of 2-3 inches to 12-15’ over a short time. Use the principals of regenerative agricultural with real life examples to reduce inputs/costs and build resilience to challenges such as drought on your homestead. Understand the vital role ruminants play in improving soil health and capturing carbon.
Matt Richards – Leather and Buckskin Hide Tanning (Demo)
Just about any hide can be tanned into useful leather or buckskin providing you with durable, comfortable clothing, belts, containers, sheaths, and more. We'll focus on bark tanning and brain tanning as the two best options for the homesteader, which method to use on which hide and for which results. Bark tanning allows you to make firmer grain-on leathers using plant tannins that you can grow or wild harvest locally. Brain tanning creates a material that is as soft as cotton but as durable as leather – fantastic for clothing, using woodsmoke and natural oils. Show and tell and demonstrations.
Daniel Salatin- Butchering Rabbits (Demo)
In this demo, you'll learn how to process a rabbit from start to finish. Includes equipment tips, slaughtering, skinning, gutting, and cleaning so you can successfully provide a quickly producing protein source from start to finish for your family at home.
Saturday 3:00 to 4:30
Q&A Panel
Come join an attendee favorite feature where you can ask speakers your questions and get real time answers from Will & Jenni Harris, Dr. Ken Berry, Ruthann Zimmerman, Daniel Salatin, Melissa K. Norris, and Lisa Bass.
Dr. Patrick Jones- Live Pain Free! Life-Changing Herbal Solutions
Join Dr. Patrick Jones for a discussion on medicinal plants that possess remarkable power to decrease pain. Modern medicines typically mask pain or numb the mind to its presence. Herbs get to the true root of pain and alleviate it as well or better than drugs without the side effects or risks of addiction. Dr. Jones will share his decades of experience on how to successfully manage various kinds of pain with medicinal plants and other natural tools. You'll leave this lecture empowered to manage pain for yourself and your loved ones using plants growing all around your homestead.
LoriAnn Jones- Herbs and Natural Supports for A Healthy Pregnancy, Birth and Post-partum Experience
Join LoriAnn Jones, midwife, traditional naturopath and herbalist for a discussion of herbal, dietary and other natural supports for a healthy pregnancy, delivery and post-partum experience. General principles for supporting Mom and Baby including strategies for minimizing complications and resolving common issues like morning sickness, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor and more will be discussed.
Robyn Jackson – Save Time & Money with Clabber (Demo)
In this presentation you will be learning how to make an array of different fresh dairy products including clabber culture, cream cheese, cottage cheese and more. If you have access to raw milk, clabber culture is the easiest way to not only create delicious products for your family, but also to streamline your dairy processing on the homestead.
Trevor Hollenback – Sheep Hoof Trimming – (Demo)
Learn how to trim your sheep's hooves with emphasis on the health of the sheep and limiting stress for both of you.
James Barry – From Offal to Delicious: Mastering Beef Liver and Organ Meats (Demo)
Unlock the hidden treasures of traditional cooking as we transform often-overlooked cuts into mouthwatering dishes. In this live cooking demo, you’ll learn three simple yet delicious ways to prepare beef liver, plus tips for perfecting beef tongue. Discover the secrets to bringing out the best in these nutrient-packed ingredients, ensuring they’re as flavorful as they are wholesome. Whether you're a seasoned cook or a curious beginner, this session will inspire you to embrace the art of cooking with organ meats!