2022 Fall Review - The Heartland Homesteading Conference

Early last year we were approached by members of the Homestead Preparedness Network and asked if we would be interested in partnering to host and co-produce an event focused on homesteading education.  What is Homesteading you ask? Homesteading is a sometimes difficult concept to put fully into words, but in its most basic iteration, it's a lifestyle focused on self-sufficiency and subsistence agriculture.  For most homesteaders, this means growing one’s own food and raising one’s own meat, food preservation, employing the principles of permaculture, repairing one’s own tools, equipment, clothing, and other items, and practicing good stewardship of the land. 

We realized that not only is Homeplace the perfect facility for a homesteading conference, but that these are the very values our local culture is built upon. So when we had the opportunity to partner with the wonderful Homestead Preparedness Network, we felt like it was a match made in Heaven. Thus, the Heartland Homesteading Conference was born!

This three-day family-friendly conference was from September 16th to the 18th.  Attendants could come for one, two, or all three of the days and had the option of camping right on the grounds so they could mingle and build new friendships.  We had guest speakers from 7 different states.  They did demonstrations and spoke on all these incredible topics:

• Gardening tips
• Cultivating fruit trees
• Guide to hoof health
• An introduction to blacksmithing
• Raising and breeding milk goats
• A beginners guide to raising Alpacas and processing their wool
• How to build and use a ram pump (pumps water from source with no electricity)​
• Raising and processing rabbits
• Processing chickens
• Processing pigs
• Bee keeping
• Managing a healthy Homestead
• Managing a productive and prepared Homestead
• Medicinal herbs and trees
• Edible native plants
• And more!

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Homeplace on Green River is Proud to have found a new Partner with The Homestead Preparedness Network, now called the Mutual Assistance Group Network, to organize and host Central Kentucky's Homesteading Conference.  Homeplace and the M.A.G. Network share a mission to create programming and content which promotes responsible land management and stewardship, best environmentally conscious practices, self-reliance, and foster fellowship and the sharing of knowledge and resources amongst like-minded people interested in the lifestyle of homesteading.  
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Our event was attended by over 200 people and we believe this is just the beginning. We know that the homesteading community, especially amongst the younger generation, is strong and getting stronger.  While the movement has been gathering speed for several years, the pandemic most assuredly added fuel to the fire and we feel there has never been a better time to get involved in a big way with homesteading education.

The next conference has already been set for September 29th-October 1st of 2023.  We can’t wait!

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Enjoy this slide show of images from the conference!