FRONT ROYAL — Kelly Brown, of Lynchburg, was one of 5,000 homesteaders who descended on the Warren County Fairgrounds on Friday and Saturday for the Homesteaders of America (HoA) Virginia Conference. Brown, like so many, woke up early Friday morning for one reason: to learn how to continue to live a modern, conservative yet sustainable lifestyle.

Brown, who was a nurse for over 35 years, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had to leave the profession. While her mobility may be her biggest obstacle when it comes to tending to her raised beds, rather than letting it defeat her she said she’s playing the hand she was dealt.

“I love it,” Brown said when talking about her small homestead. “I’ve learned that I don’t have to have chickens — I can source the other items I need. Recently we acquired a cow.”

Growing a plethora of items in her gardens, Brown, like so many, has taken to homesteading.

Started by homesteaders for homesteaders in 2016 by founder Amy Fewell, HoA seeks to make homesteading normal again, their website explains.

“We are men, women, children, old, young, college-educated and high school dropouts. We are simply people taking control of our lives to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Growing gardens, raising farm animals, and becoming self-sufficient – in a backyard, on a rooftop or on 100 acres.”

The ultimate goal of the two-day event was to bring together homesteaders from across the county for education, explained Jean Robey, HoA executive manager. Robey, who joined the team in 2020 after volunteering, said homesteading is a community of like-minded individuals.

“There’s people of all different races, ethnicities, and beliefs,” Robey said. “ Left and right. And we all come together to learn how to take care of our families, less the government, and not necessarily the way the pioneers learned, but in a more modern way. Things haven’t been passed down the way they once were.”

Robey said that to her, homesteading is family.

“Back to when families worked off their own land, lived off their land, helped the community. A time when everybody helped one another. It’s more than raising food for yourself, it’s also about community,” she said.

Homesteading has grown in popularity since the pandemic but it has been around since the 19th century, when millions of individuals were drawn to America for land. Hardworking homesteaders have been seen for generations tending to their crops and sowing their fields while sharing their harvest with their neighbors. While trying to stay relevant and yet modern, homesteading has slightly shifted to use more contemporary technologies while allowing homesteaders to continue to stay independent.

Adam and Leslie Martin, who began their homesteading before the pandemic in Tennessee, started on their bee adventure about five years ago after leaving the West Coast.

“We wanted to be able to grow our own food and be able to live more agrarian,” Adam said. “We were ahead of the game before the pandemic because we were already living the life we wanted. Which honestly, we’re so thankful for. There are people who are starting today and there are people waking up who have been doing it for years.”

Adam Martin, owner of Bee Kept with his wife, explained that after failing miserably in their first season of beekeeping, they decided to use those failures as opportunities to learn outside-the-bee-box methods.

“Can you imagine if you bought nine cows and eight of them died in their first year?” he said. “I did better than losing half my bees. I lost eight out of nine colonies in my first year.”

Devastated, he sought additional resources and opportunities. He began catching feral swarms and placed them into swarm traps he built at home. Surprisingly, he said the bees survived the winter months.

“I was sold right there,” he said. “That’s sustainability.”

He credits those bees with helping him find his path. From there he learned about horizontal hives and is now part of the School of Traditional Skills, a homesteading website that allows homesteaders across the country to learn from seasoned homesteaders.

Adam Martin was one of many speakers who presented on topics that included growing food in small urban spaces, dairy fermentation, old-fashioned parenting, homesteading infrastructure, and legislation. Cassandra Daniel, Mike Dickson and Shawn and Beth Dougherty were among the weekend’s speakers.

Over 100 vendors at the event were selling goat cheese, handmade wooden tools, honey, and T-shirts, while in-depth hands-on workshops took place around the fairgrounds. Children were able to learn about homesteading in “kidsteader” classes designed to teach entrepreneurship for kids, as well as crafts including basket making and rabbit crafts.

This is the homesteading event’s fifth year at the fairgrounds and Dennis Grove, Warren County Fair Association entertainment director, said he is pleased with this year’s turnout. Overlooking the grounds from the upstairs office, he noted that in conversations he’s had he’s glad to hear that people are supporting the town and country.

“This even is excellent for the county,” Grove said. “It brings in visitors from all over the country to our town. They venture downtown where they’re enjoying dinner at Element and Pavemint. Hotels are booked. Airbandb’s are booked. They’re supporting our local economy — something I think people forget.”

With over 5,000 in attendance, it’s no wonder the event sells out. Tickets were $95 for two adults. Grove said that while driving around in his golf cart at the event he is meeting families from Maine, Georgia, California and Pennsylvania.

Those who wished to camp on-site had the option, Grove said. Electricity and water were offered for a fee and a camping area was set up for families with young children as a play area.

Source: nvdaily.com