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Source: hortweek.com
Dancing and singing about seed to spoon
A song and dance routine about seed to spoon, the theme of this year’s Independent Food Summit, was performed by the High Steppers.
The theme for the third annual Independent Food Summit was Seed to Spoon, and visitors from across Ohio, as well as several surrounding states, spent Wednesday and Thursday listening and learning about the many ways to make homesteading a healthy lifestyle choice.
From nonstop demonstrations and displays, to a series of workshops by nationally known presenters like Joel Salatin, Neal Kinsey and Anne Briggs, along with food and fun for the family, the two-day Independent Food Summit at Timbercrest Campground on state Route 515 in Walnut Creek, provided visitors and vendors alike plenty of learning opportunities.
“This has been a great couple of days,” said Jo Ellen Hummel, an employee of Lehman’s in Kidron, a business that sells all kinds of supplies that support the homesteading lifestyle. “At Lehman’s, we carry all the goods you need to make homemade foods. And with canning season close, now is a good time to get your supplies.”
Charlene Price, another Lehman’s employee, gave a demonstration of how to make butter, using a Kilner Butter Churner.
Lehman’s was one of 70 exhibitors that had wares on display. The event featured workshops on the main stage such discussing “Why homesteading reflects the image of God,” “Nutrient needs for soils and plants in your garden,” “The seeds of generosity” and “What’s holding you back from moving forward.”
There were demonstrations on meat smoking and beef stick making, sauerkraut and kimchi making, broom making and stitching, open-fire chili cooking and kettle corn, knife making, rope making, candle dipping and carving, cow and goat milking and a portable saw mill.
There also were a lot of children’s activities, such as a petting zoo, bounce house story time and horse drawn rides.
Liz Miller, a staff member at Superb Industries, one of the major sponsors of the event, said the crowds were steady both days, despite the heat.
She noted many agricultural people are used to working in the heat.
“We are grateful the rain stayed away,” she said.
Source: the-daily-record.com
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Media Contact
Company Name: The Homesteading Handbook
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email:Send Email [https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=the-homesteading-handbook-a-comprehensive-guide-to-selfsufficiency-and-sustainable-living]
Country: United States
Website: https://rebrand.ly/freehomesteadinghandbook
This release was published on openPR.
Source: openpr.com
Sara and Carl Davis moved in 2019 to their 25-acre farm on Gould Road in Shelburne. They are the parents of five children and the proprietors of Oak Hollow Livestock, which is more than just a business; it’s a thriving homestead where humans live alongside healthy animals, prioritizing environmental responsibility while engaging in practices like soil regeneration and grazing management. The road to their current situation wasn’t easy, yet the Davises have achieved an ambitious and workable lifestyle.
Some people use their residences for sleeping, storing possessions, and stopping by for a costume change between responsibilities and errands. Not so for the Davises, who raise Boer goats, Maremma sheepdogs, rabbits, and a variety of poultry. They always have at least one llama, and also care for a couple of elderly horses that’ve been in the family for decades. As everyone pitches in, it’s not just adults coordinating the children; the Davis youngsters are astoundingly self-possessed and responsible.
From age 7, Sara Davis grew up on a Goshen dairy farm which had llamas to protect the 40 cows from coyotes. “I discovered that I like how I feel when I’m around animals,” she said. When milk prices crashed in the early 1990s, the cows were sold in favor of focusing on less labor-intensive animals. “We raised, bred, and showed llamas,” said Sara Davis. “I learned about training and behavior through working with about 100 of these peculiar creatures. Llamas are fun; they’re as smart as dogs, but their personalities are more like cats.”
The Goshen farm also had Nubian goats, and at age 16, Davis obtained Oberhasli bottle baby goats. (Bottle baby goats are effectively orphaned due to the fact that their mothers’ milk is diverted to human consumption.) “My goats, Bonnie and Clyde, were entirely my enterprise,” she said. After high school, Davis was one of seven students accepted into a competitive veterinary program at Tufts. Since she was paying for her own education, however, she started at the University of Massachusetts, figuring she could attend Tufts later. Ultimately, the specter of future debt was daunting, so in her sophomore year Davis withdrew from the Tufts track and graduated from UMass in accelerated fashion, having earned an animal science degree with a pre-vet concentration.
During her junior year, Sara met Carl Davis, a student in the same program. They joined forces as spousal farmers, co-founding Oak Hollow Livestock in 2006 on leased land in Baldwinville. Carl Davis grew up on a Templeton farm with dairy cows and Nubian goats. “Carl’s always lived with critters,” said Sara. “He has six siblings, too, including two sets of twins.” Carl Davis is no stranger to living with a lot of activity and many living beings.
Sara and Carl Davis homeschool their children, ages 5, 7, 9, 12 and 13. “Four of our kids attended at least some public school, but we’ve settled on homeschooling. Each child has a different path,” said Sara. Their oldest child and only daughter, Madison, was in public school until the pandemic. “Virtual learning didn’t work well for her,” said Sara, “so we gave her the option of homeschooling. When schools went back to in-person, Madison decided to stay home.” Their second child was already homeschooling, so it wasn’t a foreign concept. ”Our son Nathan, age 12, is very motivated and interested in learning. Homeschooling fits well with our life since I’m mostly home anyway doing the farm. It seems like the best way to offer them everything we can while they’re figuring out who and how they want to be in the world.”
Zachary, age 9, typifies the flexibility of homeschooled children: he loves to bake and plays the clarinet with the Shelburne Falls Military Band. He also has his own rabbit, his own goat, and raises and shows ducks, as well. “A couple of our kids are especially social,” said Sara. “We make sure to get together with other families. Our kids have broad friendships that aren’t confined to classrooms.”
When asked about a typical day, Sara Davis laughed. “We don’t really have typical days,” she said. “With so many animals, though, we do have routines. Madison raises and shows dairy goats; they’re completely her responsibility. She milks them each morning, and when there’s extra milk, she makes cheese. She comes home (from shows) with great big ribbons and prize money … which she uses to buy more goats!” Madison also raises and shows Cayuga and Muscovy ducks, which benefit the farm by helping with insect control. “Ducks love slugs and snails, which host a parasite called meningeal worm,” said Sara, “a parasite that can cause severe neurological damage to small ruminants, which is of particular concern for our goats and llamas.” Each family member has responsibilities. Seven-year-old Gabriel raises Old English Bantam chickens and is responsible for one goat and one rabbit. Even 5-year-old Christopher has clear responsibilities.
Not all of the Davis kids’ learning happens on the farm, however. “Sometimes we go to a natural history museum for six hours,” said Sara. “Or we’ll go to the beach, but we’re exploring and learning the whole time. Kids’ brains don’t shut down outside of school hours; it’s amazing how they can learn when they’re not led to certain conclusions by a curriculum.”
In addition to mentoring their children, Sara and Carl Davis care for the land. They employ methods like silvopasture, which is regaining popularity. “It seems newish, but it’s actually been used for tens of thousands of years,” said Sara. “It’s a natural way to feed goats.” In addition to traditional mixed grass and legume pasture, the goats browse a variety of woody perennial shrubs. According to the Oak Hollow website: “Especially during times when the level of infective parasite larvae on pastures peaks, or during extreme drought conditions, we utilize browse to reduce our herds’ exposure to internal parasites and maintain a high level of nutrition.” The Boer breed of goats originates in South Africa. “They’ve been imported since the mid ’90s,” said Sara, “and have the most meat for their body weight.”
After searching for the best type of dog to protect livestock, the Davises settled on Maremma sheepdogs. “We finally found breeders who raise dogs with the type of temperament we wanted. They’re good with smaller acreage and frequent human interaction,” said Sara. “We have loads of coyotes here, and these dogs offer amazing predator protection.” The Davises are now themselves involved in small-scale breeding of Maremmas.
Sara Davis was drawn to environmentally responsible farming through her love of nature. “I started riding horses at age 3; as a child, I rode for hours on horseback through Goshen woods. Being immersed in the natural world made it part of me. I wanted to protect and foster nature.” The farm’s website explains the concept of soil regeneration: “The direct application of animal manure during grazing increases organic material on our pasture, leading to increased nutrient availability and drought resistance as a result of improved soil health. Preventing overgrazing and the exposure of bare soil helps us lessen the risk of soil erosion and compaction.”
Another important piece of the puzzle is outlined on the website: “We employ management intensive rotational grazing, which provides intense grazing pressure for short periods of time. This leads to more uniform grazing behavior and increases both biodiversity in plant species as well as the amount of forage produced per acre. Because our livestock are frequently moved to a new section of pasture, their exposure to internal parasite larvae is minimized and their level of nutrition is optimized.”
In addition to farming, Carl works at the Greenfield Farmers Cooperative and does woodworking. Sara has other work, too, doing marketing for Fabric of Life, a Shelburne based non-profit founded by local hero Becky Ashenden. “Carl and I are invested in the importance of sharing education and knowledge about farming, and how to connect the next generation with people interested in agriculture. Carl saw a job post for Fabric of Life and said, ‘This is your skill set,’ since I’d done marketing for an international company. I wasn’t exactly looking for a job, but it really is a perfect fit.”
Sara Davis has seen a lot of farmers age out, their skills dying with them, so she’s a believer in the Fabric of Life mission of helping traditional skills flourish in our modern world. In terms of what’s next for Oak Hollow Livestock, “we’d love to get into pasture raised pork,” said Sara Davis, “and to start a meat CSA program. And we want to offer more outreach and teaching, both for (non-farmers) to get to know where food comes from, and for other farmers and homesteaders. I’d like to share experiences of things I learned the hard way, to increase others’ chances of success.”
For more information: www.oakhollowlivestock.com
Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope.” To contact: eveline@amandlachorus.org.
Source: atholdailynews.com
First person
Katelyn Peach
Hi! I’m Katelyn Peach and I am the 2024 Valencia County Cooperative Extension Service intern.
I am currently studying business agriculture and economics with a double major in extension education and community development at New Mexico State University.
I have participated in New Mexico 4-H in Bernalillo County since I was 9 years old. I’ve held several officer positions and volunteer roles over my years in 4-H, and want to give back to the program because of the impact it has had on me. I used to be the kid who couldn’t even introduce herself at meetings because I was so shy, but because of my mom and this program, I have grown to not be afraid of things like presenting at competitions, running for a state officer position or talking in front of hundreds of people. Some of my favorite things to do in 4-H are the indoor exhibits, working with my dog and horse, traveling, competing and making a lot of friends along the way.
Through 4-H, I was able to find my passion for accessible healthy living through the Healthy Living Ambassadors Program. I was selected to join this team in 2020 and 2022. We attended a conference in Washington, D.C., and that was the first national conference I had ever attended. I really enjoyed all of the workshops provided along with the opportunity to network and meet people.
I learned healthy living has many aspects to it; being healthy is not just what you eat. It includes mental health, exercise health, dietary health and several others to make up overall wellbeing. All of these are interrelated and play a huge role in a person’s behaviors, actions and thoughts. One is not more important than the other because they are all connected and essential to a person’s overall positive wellbeing.
Everyone could stand to benefit from some healthier habits, whether mental or physical and the beauty of it is that each person’s needs are different so there is a lot of flexibility when trying to make your life a little healthier. I like to look at this topic specifically with the agricultural and rural communities in mind. I feel passionate about these specific groups because they are some of the most hardworking and genuine people I know but they also have a very limited access to resources due to what is available nearby or the affordability of different kinds of care.
I think a huge misconception in our society is that healthy living is expensive and takes too much time. The reality is that it’s just not true for everyone because healthier living doesn’t have to be a fancy diet or an expensive gym and workout program. Sometimes, it’s simply making it a goal to drink 32 ounces of water that day or taking your dog for a walk four times a week. Healthy living is something that can meet you where you are at and grow with you.
Homesteading can be a great way to incorporate some healthier habits into your lifestyle. Activities such as gardening your own vegetables and fruits for your family to eat offers several beneficial aspects to our lives. You can cook with your home-grown veggies and fruits right from the garden and you can grow what you want making it more fun to get more nutrients in your diet.
Going outside while gardening can help increase mental health through vitamin D exposure and breathing in the fresh air. Gardening also requires some physical activity, making it a great hobby to incorporate into a healthier lifestyle. It ultimately incorporates the three main aspects of health.
Physical wellness is important to your overall health depending on the amount of physical work involved in your job or daily activities. Stretching is one of the easiest ways to incorporate more body movement because while it doesn’t prevent injuries, it does relieve stress and increase circulation according to an article released by SOCHi.
There are a variety of stretches that are most beneficial based on your occupation but the pamphlet from Nebraska Extension outlines some of the easier and more beneficial ones for farmers. The stretches listed by CSU are also a helpful resource in finding stretches that may work well for you. Improving physical health should be a goal in our lives along with taking time to take care of ourselves and families.
This can be difficult with our busy lives and may even require some discipline and habit changes, but there are a lot of resources out there to find the thing that works best for you.
Program announcements
To register for an upcoming program, call the Valencia County Cooperative Extension Service at 505-565-3002. For more information, visit valenciaextension.nmsu.edu.
(If you are an individual with a disability who requires auxiliary aid or service to participate in a program, please contact the Valencia County Cooperative Extension Service Office at 505-565-3002 two weeks in advance of the event.)
Source: news-bulletin.com
