Homesteady - Stories of Living off the Land
Have you ever dreamt of starting a farm? Do you picture living on a homestead, gardening and raising chickens? Do you love foraging for wild edibles? Do you spent the fall season, in the crisp autumn wood hunting for wild game? Is your perfect morning spent drifting downriver, fishing for the night's dinner? Homesteady is a show that focuses on living a more sustainable life. We talk about all the ways a modern Homesteader can put food on the table, from the fields, streams, gardens and woodlands. Our roads may be rocky, but with the right skills and knowledge we can make Homesteady.
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Starting a Successful Craft Butcher Business from Scratch
02/24/2020
Starting a Successful Craft Butcher Business from Scratch
The Heritage Craft Butchers didn't learn to cut meat in the super market. They learned in a barn. Cutting up their own home grown pigs, and curing the meat in an old refrigerator, the guys decided they would try to follow their passion and start a butcher shop. They found an old bank in the middle of Pennsylvania farm country. Perfect. Lots of elbow grease, experimenting with old world recipes, and bourbon, and here they are running a successful butcher business from scratch. Check them out at their or at
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LIVESTOCK - The 10 Golden Rules
02/17/2020
LIVESTOCK - The 10 Golden Rules
I feel one of the best things you can do for yourself, and especially for your children, is to raise some livestock, even if only for a short time. The connection you and your family will form to these animals that are so dependent on you is powerful. And the rewards livestock give back are hard to beat! If you are thinking about getting some livestock in the future but are not sure how, you will enjoy this excerpt of the 4th Lesson in the , Your First Livestock. In this 4th lesson we will talk about The Golden Rules of Livestock What are the best kind of livestock for beginners Basic infrastructure for livestock that will make your life easier And MORE!!!! HOMEWORK
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Chickens, Ducks, Peacocks and Emus, HATCHING ALL KINDS of HOMESTEAD POULTRY featuring White House on the Hill
02/10/2020
Chickens, Ducks, Peacocks and Emus, HATCHING ALL KINDS of HOMESTEAD POULTRY featuring White House on the Hill
Want to hear the extended version of this podcast? BECOME A PIONEER HERE - https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/ Hatching and raising poultry on the Homestead can be a great way to feed your family, and entertain yourselves at the same time! Today we are joined by Jake and Becky of White House on the Hill to talk poultry! WHITE HOUSE ON THE HILL CHANNEL - WHITE HOUSE on INSTAGRAM - Jake , Becky and their three boys make up White House on the Hill. YouTubers and homesteaders in NW Missouri that are interested in growing their own food, hatching and raising birds, and starting a farm from scratch. They recently bought a large piece of property (previously renters on a small farm) where they plan to build a house, barn, big exterior fence so they can raise a number of animals for meat, some animals for fun, and explore a new life that they never thought was possible when they started doing this three years ago. Join us as we talk all things poultry and homesteading!
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OUR BIG HOMESTEAD PLANS for 2020
02/03/2020
OUR BIG HOMESTEAD PLANS for 2020
Join myself and a special guest for a live discussion on planning a great year on the homestead! Become a Pioneer HERE - FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM SUBMIT HOMESTEAD LESSONS LEARNED VIDEOS HERE - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h_VAsoscsEM1WyG4p88X9XBoj0vmm8JI
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START HOMESTEADING TODAY
01/20/2020
START HOMESTEADING TODAY
We are going to help you start homesteading this year! TAKE THE COURSE "I WOULD LOVE TO HOMESTEAD! BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!" If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. Over the last 2 years we have been doing a survey at our website. We found most of our followers are either new homesteaders, or are homestead dreamers. What was the number one thing people mentioned needing help with on their homestead? Not how to make money raising pigs Not how to raise enough food for your own family NOT EVEN how to fence in goats The number one problem people are having with regards homesteading? STARTING. So.... I WANT TO HELP YOU START YOUR HOMESTEAD THIS YEAR. No more waiting. No more dreaming. ALL DOING. I have been working on a course for the last year. Since we have moved to a new homestead in a new state I have been paying special attention to the things that need to be taken care of so someone can actually start AND MORE IMPORTANTLY continue homesteading without burning out! I have taken notes on all these steps, and compiled this info into a simple process that you can replicate, which will be presented to you as an online course. I am happy to announce we will be launching our new course next week! START HOMESTEADING TODAY the Start Homesteading Today course is a 5 lesson course designed to help you do just that... start today! The 5 Lessons are How To Start Homesteading Today Finding Your First (next) Homestead Your First Garden Your First Livestock Growing a Sustainable Homestead This course will walk you through the journey that it takes to take a dream and turn it into a farm fresh eggs on your plate each morning reality. HOW CAN YOU TAKE THIS COURSE? I will be starting this course on Monday Jan 13, at 5 P.M. Eastern Time. It will be a live webinar that you can join me for. After the 30 Minute Presentation there will be a Q and A session. This will be repeated each Monday after that for all 5 lessons. If you miss the live show you can watch the recording and leave questions in the chat box. This course is open to ALL Homesteady Pioneers. If you are a pioneer just join me in the on Monday and you will be able to be a part of the show. NOT A PIONEER? Try it free for a month! If you don't like it you still will have taken 4 lessons for free and can cancel your membership after that. Click below to sign up. You will need to put in your credit card info, but you will not be charged for 30 days. If you like the program, keep going. If not, cancel any time. I hope to see you Monday Night! Pushing People into the Pig Pen Aust
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NEAR BANKRUPTCY to OWNING 4 FARMS - Greg Judy talks Making a Living Farming
01/06/2020
NEAR BANKRUPTCY to OWNING 4 FARMS - Greg Judy talks Making a Living Farming
Greg Judy was on the brink of bankruptcy. 3 Yeas later he had paid off his house, 200 acre farm, and went on to buy 3 more farms and lease 12. How did he earn enough money from grazing livestock? Find out in this video. CHECKOUT GREG JUDY'S BOOKS Greg and Jan Judy of Clark, Missouri run a grazing operation on 1620 acres of leased and owned land. Greg and Jan went from near bankruptcy in 1999 to paying off a 200 acre farm and house in 3 years with custom grazing on leased land and are completely debt free. They own 4 farms and lease 12 farms. They graze cattle, hair sheep, woods pigs, pastured laying hens, sawmilling and grow shitake mushrooms. Greg wrote his first book in 2001, entitled “NO RISK RANCHING, Custom Grazing On Leased Land”, which details the methods they used to build their operation from scratch. In 2008 Greg wrote a second book “COMEBACK FARMS, Rejuvenating Soils, Pastures and Profits with Livestock Grazing Management”. Greg’s second book covers all the methods they use with Holistic High Density Grazing, multi-species grazing, grass finishing animals, eliminating costly inputs. Greg gives talks and schools all over the US, New Zealand, Germany, England & Canada teaching the benefits of Holistic High Density Planned Grazing, leasing land, multi-species grazing, custom grazing, agroforestry and wildlife management. The Judy’s hold an annual grazing school the first week of May each year at their farm teaching the principles of HHDG. Greg quit his off farm job in 2009 and is now a full time rancher. The Judy’s website is: greenpasturesfarm.net.
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SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS - LEARN TO BUTCHER YOUR OWN MEAT
12/23/2019
SAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS - LEARN TO BUTCHER YOUR OWN MEAT
You can save THOUSANDS of dollars every year by raising your own meat or buying farm fresh meat in bulk and removing the expense of butchering that meat by learning to butcher yourself! In this video we are joined by Butcher and Educator Jamie Waldron. Together we explore the world of home butchery and how it can greatly increase your home economy by taking control of how you purchase meat and providing you with more flexibility by purchasing whole carcasses. Jamie was born in Windsor, Ontario, and raised in the small rural town of Harrow. He started his career in a small country butcher shop as a teenager. Since then, he has dedicated 18+ years to the art of butchery. Jamie has worked at some of the top butcher shops in Canada, helped craft menus and meat programs for restaurant groups, consulted for butcher shops, and worked with and for abattoirs in Ontario. In 2013, he wrote the Home Butchering Handbook (Penguin/Alpha). It covers all aspects of traditional meat cutting, from whole carcass to usable cuts. JAMIE'S BOOK - JAMIE'S WEBSITE - JAMIE'S INSTAGRAM- JAMIE'S RECOMENDED KNIVES 6 Inch Boning - 8 Inch Boning - Saw - JAMIE'S RECOMENDED BOOKS River Cottage Meat Book - https://amzn.to/2Sq2AlZ Meat the Ultimate Companion - https://amzn.to/2EIMlrQ
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Your First Cow - Basics, Safety and Where to Start
09/23/2019
Your First Cow - Basics, Safety and Where to Start
Karin grew up on a mixed family farm in Alberta, Canada, raising and selling backgrounding stocker steers. Her main passion since she was little was with the cattle, from handling to pasture management. She currently works as a forage-beef extension specialist with the provincial government and is working towards getting into farming of her own some day. She shares thoughts, and advice on all things cattle at Karin is coming on the show to talk about working with Cattle. She will help us cover safety, how to make their life as comfortable as possible, and share some tips and tricks to working with cattle.
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17 Year Old's Secret - How She Built a Successful Family Farm Business With GOATS!
08/05/2019
17 Year Old's Secret - How She Built a Successful Family Farm Business With GOATS!
In this episode of the Podcast, we interview Rachyl Travis, of Travis Family Farm. At 9 years old, milking her first goat, Rachyl had no idea that someday she would be running a successful family farm business. A pet goat given to her at 9 years old soon turned into multiple goats, and when Rachyl wound up with 15 goats in milk, and 15 gallons of milk a day to process, she had to figure out something to do with all of the milk. Rachyl didn’t want the milk to go to waste. She enlisted the help of her older sister and together they came up with the first goat milk product: the famous goat milk soap. In June 2012, Rachyl’s Goat Milk Soap was born after family and friends raved about the soap they received as gifts and asked to buy it! Now Rachyl sells her product in many stores and farmers markets through out Rhode Island with her mom and sister at her side! Rachyl shares her story, and the secret to overcoming fear when starting your own farm business. CHECKOUT RACHYL AND TRAVIS FAMILY FARM at Travisfamilyfarm.com A new feature on our podcast will be a Q and A session, called ASK HOMESTEADY. Each episode we will feature Questions asked by our Audiance in the podcast. To have a question answered just leave a question in the comments section of our Youtube Channel with the hastag #askhomesteady. This episodes question... Goats Milk vs Cows Milk vs Sheeps Milk... which is best for your homestead? Sign up to our email list so you don't miss any of our videos here - https://www.thisishomesteady.com/join-homesteady-movement/ SUBSCRIBE to our PODCAST HERE - https://www.thisishomesteady.com/subscribe-podcast/ LOVE HOMESTEADY? Help us keep it going! Becoming a Pioneer - You get instant access to the new forum, discounts, and homesteading classes and podcasts! https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/ Are you shopping at Amazon? Shop through our Amsteady Link http://www.amsteady.com Just click that link then do your regular shopping, it doesn’t cost you any extra but we earn a commission for sending you there. AFFILIATE LINKS To The HOMESTEADING GEAR I use everyday -https://www.thisishomesteady.com/gear-use/ Get Homesteady Tee Shirts (and other clothing) Here - https://shop.spreadshirt.com/homesteady/
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10 Factors to Growing a PROFITABLE HOMESTEAD - with Accountant Mike
07/08/2019
10 Factors to Growing a PROFITABLE HOMESTEAD - with Accountant Mike
Homesteading roots began with people trying to turn their life around by making a profit. Signed into law in May 1862, the Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western United States, allowing any American, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land. Modern Homesteading is similar. Google pallet homestead projects and you will know, it's often people with little, that dream big. But dreaming and reality are 2 different things. Is it possible to run a profitable homestead? Let's see if our guest can help. GUEST INFO : Accountant Mike Mike currently works as a Senior Accountant at DiLeo & Charles. He has spent about a decade working providing accounting, tax, and consulting services to small business clients and high net worth families. He uses his extensive knowledge of tax and financial statements to help small business owners set and achieve business goals, both financial and otherwise. He currently specializes in strategic planning, income tax reduction, and cash flow management for small businesses. When he isn’t working Mike enjoys following Formula 1 and playing peek-a-boo with his infant daughter. What is a profit? Profit : a financial gain, especially the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent in buying, operating, or producing something. 2 - advantage; benefit. TO BE PROFITABLE SOMETHING MUST PRODUCE MORE THAN IT CONSUMES A profitable garden produces more than it consumes. A profitable chicken produces more than it consumes. A profitable Homestead produces more than it consumes. To find out if we are running a profitable homestead we need to identify what is produced, what is consumed, and see if there is a gain in the difference. The 7 Costs Every Homestead Has to Cover Startup Costs - land, Infrastructure, fencing (Generally Amortized Costs) Running Costs - more than feed, Electricity, water, taxes on land, Surprise Costs - Vet bills, storm damage Finishing costs - butcher, packaging, storage TIME and Labor Opportunity Costs - time spent raising egg laying chickens could be spent driving for uber WASTE - Veggies grown not eaten, eggs go bad The is good at this. 3 Ways to Profit From Your Homestead Direct Products - lettuce, eggs, milk, cheese, REPLACING WHAT YOUR BUYING Indirect products - manure, land management, (BUT NOT UNLESS NEEDED, if you don’t NEED manure in your life it’s not brown gold) Sales - selling excess How much do you charge above your costs? Accountant Mike suggests a MINIMUM of 10%!
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THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY YEAR 1 AT OUR NEW HOMESTEAD
05/06/2019
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY YEAR 1 AT OUR NEW HOMESTEAD
We are settled into our new homestead. Finally. But it was a LOT of work getting to this point. When our homestead in CT went onto the market to be sold things moved quickly. In just 10 days we had an offer on the place and accepted it. Suddenly we needed a place to live in PA WAY FASTER than we expected. We needed to figure out what we were going to live in. We have wanted to live in a Yurt for almost as long as we have been married. The dream of the yurt resurfaced. We needed a inexpensive structure that could house us for at least a few months, that we could put up quickly. The yurt seemed like a perfect idea. But a harder look at the yurt, and the expense, made us decide otherwise. On the family farm there was already a Pole Barn build, with insulated walls and electricity run to it. The shell was done, and upstairs above the pole barn was 1000 square feet of unfinished space. It was a no brainer. The yurt dream had to die… once again. Maybe someday K and I will wind up as empty nesters, living our days within the round cozy walls of a yurt. But for now, that remains just a dream. Work began on the pole barn. Turning an unfinished pole barn into a home takes a LOT of materials! The upstairs space was wide open. The floors were plywood, and the walls and ceilings metal. There was big LED lights on the ceiling and electric already run, but the rest of what we needed to put into the house we needed to buy or scrounge. We purchased lumber, sheetrock, flooring, paint, and all the hardware and supplies needed to build the interior. In addition to those supplies we needed to buy a toilett, 2 sinks, and bathtub. We put in a washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Also we added an electric hot water heater and 2 heat/AC units. The kitchen cabinets were a steal for us, as we had a family member who was turning a home into a salon and was getting rid of an entire kitchen, cabinets, stove and fridge. That we got for FREE and it was a big savings to us! The only added expense to the kitchen was the counter tops that needed to be made to match the new layout. We couldn’t DIY the entire project, we would need to hire some contractors. We wanted to finish the space all ourself, but unfortunately we still had a farm in CT to run (until move out day) and so we could only dedicate 1 week to working on turning the pole barn upstairs into a living space. We spent about $30,000 turning this unfinished space into a beautiful little living space for our large family. When the dust settled, about 12,000 was spent on supplies and materials for the space, and between the carpenters, electricians, and plumbers we spent about 18,000 on labor. All and all it was worth it. Our family had a great space to live in for the last year while the second house on the family farm was being built, and now that we are out of the pole barn, we have a great guest space for visitors, and I have a awesome office to run my business out of. Once the place we need to live in was built we could move onto the new homestead. Since we had moved onto a homestead once before we had a good idea of what NOT to do and what we should spend our time doing on our new homestead. 3 Things You Don’t Want To Do On Your New Homestead DON’T Invest a Whole Bunch Of Time and Money On Infrastructure. DON’T Get New Animals Right Away. DON’T Expect to Make Money Right Away. You are going to make mistakes the first year. Mistakes are a natural way we learn. The first time you burned your hand on something hot you learned not to touch hot things in the future. If you avoid these 3 mistakes you will be ahead of us when we were new homesteaders, and you will get to learn your own lessons the hard way 😉 So what should you spend time doing on your new homestead? Take walks daily on your new property. Get to know it. Spend some time learning it. Whatever you see on those walks… capture it. Photos, journals, videos, whatever way you can capture what you are observing on your walks. Setup temporary movable infrastructure. If you have animals or are getting a few new ones, don’t setup permanent fences and waterlines yet… use moveable electric, hoses, and whatever other moveable infrastructure you can to learn your property before investing in permanent changes. Fix what is broke. If you don’t spend a bunch of time and money on new permanent infrastructure you will be saving it for the things that are going to break on you. Our first year on our new PA homestead is done. We have settled in. What is in store for us? What farm plans do we have in our future? Find out in the next episode of the Homesteady Podcast. Sign up to our email list so you don't miss any of our videos here - https://www.thisishomesteady.com/join-homesteady-movement/ SUBSCRIBE to our PODCAST HERE - LOVE HOMESTEADY? Help us keep it going! Becoming a Pioneer - You get instant access to the new forum, discounts, and homesteading classes and podcasts! https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/ Shopping at Amazon through our Amsteady Link - http://www.amsteady.com Just click that link then do your regular shopping, we get a bonus! AFFILIATE LINKS To The HOMESTEADING GEAR I use everyday - Get Homesteady Tee Shirts (and other clothing) Here -
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Selling and Moving Away from Our Beloved Homestead was Hard
04/05/2019
Selling and Moving Away from Our Beloved Homestead was Hard
A year ago this podcast disappeared. We announced we were moving, selling our homestead in CT, and headed to a new farm in PA. We said that you would be getting updates from us as we went on this journey to our new home in the state of PA. Then silence. In our official Season 2 of Homesteady, we start to fill you in on what happened, where we went, and what is going to happen going forward. In this first episode, brought to you by the Homesteady Pioneers () we talk about selling Squash Hollow Farm, our farm in CT and Moving to PA. The truth is we have been talking about doing this for years. K's Dad has been trying to get us to move to PA for the last decade. K grew up on the 100 acre family farm, and her dad wanted us to take it over. K loved the land, the location, and was excited about the idea of being close to her family again. I was the hold out. My entire life was spent in CT. My friends, family, all my roots were there. The older a tree gets the HARDER it is to uproot it. Every year K's dad would pitch us the idea to move back home, and farm off the family farm. And every year I had an easy out. My business, my clients, the means of feeding my family, all of that was located in CT. Honestly it was too scary to shake that up. The idea of building a new business in a new place, searching for new clients, with a ever growing family to feed, that was too scary for me. But over the last few years something was slowly changing... As Homesteady grew, K and I started pushing towards making it our full time work and means of income. My business went from a local client based operation, to an internet business that allowed us to earn a living anywhere. Last winter K and I decided it was time to try to jump into doing Homesteady full time. This meant we were now making all our money off our online show, and no longer did it matter where we lived, as long as we could homestead and produce our show. We started discussing the idea of moving to a new place with a lower cost of living than Connecticut, and where we could own a larger farm. About that time K's Dad made his annual pitch to take over the family farm. Suddenly it all made sense. Taking over the family farm in PA would be the perfect move. Still, it was scary, and I needed a nudge. So I called the guy I always call when making big decisions... Accountant Mike. After a long discussion of goals, what we wanted in life, and looking at the hard logic of it all, it became clearer. PA was the right move for us. 10 Years of saying no, it was time to say yes to taking over the family farm. Before we could move to PA we needed to sell our farm in CT. Selling a farm is not easy, but we were able to get the offer we wanted in just 10 days. HOW? STEP 1 - CLEAN YOUR PROPERTY UP The first thing we did to our farm to sell it was to CLEAN IT! As a homesteader, we save a lot of random things that we think we could use to build infrastructure. These random things included random old metal bunk beds, lots of plastic barrels, pallets, pallets and more pallets.... These junk piles make your property look less valuable to a potential customer, and should be removed. SETP 2 - FIX WHAT'S BROKE You don't want potential buyers to see glaring issues. So walk your property, see what is broken, cracked, etc, and fix it. This does NOT mean remodel your farm, just find cracks in drywall, broken windows, or unfinished projects and make finish and fix them! STEP 3 - STAGE YOUR PLACE TO SELL Once the property is clean and fixed up, you want it to look like a place anyone could see themselves living in. This means removing your personality from your home and property, and make it a more blank pallet. We took down bunk beds, family photos, and even changed the sheets on beds to bright white sheets. The goal was to make the home look bright, white and warm, and the property big, beautiful and clean. STEP 4 - TAKE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES (and Marketing Materials) When your property is all staged and ready to be seen, help more people see it online with beautiful pictures. This does NOT mean snap a couple quick pics on your phone. We bought a lighting kit () and used a wide angle lens - ( ) on our canon camera to get the best looking photos. Good lighting and a wide angle lens makes your rooms look large, bright and beautiful. Then we put these in a brochure with our story and history of the property. Once the house was sold it was time to start packing up. This was NO small feat, with all the animals, farm equipment, feed, etc. But the hardest part of it all was saying goodbye to the homestead we loved so much... After spending years building a beautiful little homestead from the ground up, we were leaving Squash Hollow Farm forever. While we were excited to go to our new home, leaving the place with so many memories, a home we brought 3 little babies home to, was very hard to do. Selling and Moving was just the beginning, stay tuned to a future episode of the Homesteady Podcast, which will talk about Day 1 in PA, and living in a tiny home for 9 months.
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THE PODCAST IS COMING BACK! AND YOU CAN BE ON IT...
02/19/2019
THE PODCAST IS COMING BACK! AND YOU CAN BE ON IT...
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HOMESTEADY PODCAST? It has been almost 1 year since we released a podcast. What happened? We talk about that in this little announcement episode... I have been busy working on our Podcast studio! The studio is almost done, and now we are taking submissions to get you on our show! Do you have a homesteading story to share? Want to discuss a topic with us on the podcast? Submit an application to get on our show by CLICKING HERE --- https://www.thisishomesteady.com/guest-application/
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We Are Leaving Our Homestead...
03/12/2018
We Are Leaving Our Homestead...
A very big announcement on todays episode of the podcast! K and Aust sit down and share with you some very big news that you don't want to miss out on... Sign up to our email list so you don't miss any of our videos here - https://www.thisishomesteady.com/join-homesteady-movement/ In Friday’s Video we announced our big move. https://youtu.be/pMufdfVZN-A You had a lot of questions, so we address those, and hopefully more, in todays episode! SUBSCRIBE to our PODCAST HERE - iTunes - https://goo.gl/oWorJB Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/homesteady LOVE HOMESTEADY? Help us keep it going! Becoming a Pioneer - You get instant access to the new forum, discounts, and homesteading classes and podcasts! https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/ Shopping at Amazon through our Amsteady Link - http://www.amsteady.com Just click that link then do your regular shopping, we get a bonus!
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Goats - Evil Gremlins or Big Money Makers?
02/26/2018
Goats - Evil Gremlins or Big Money Makers?
On this episode of Homesteady, we continue our Homestead Business Side Hustle Series and interview Dan Arms, of the Arms Family Homestead (Find him and ). Dan's successful business? Goats. Would you believe that a goat solved the problems of an entire country? Believe it, and learn all about it here. We meet Dan through the story of the loss of his mom. He cites it as a strong influence in his first career as a state trooper. He was raised by his dad on a homestead with a small cattle herd, hunting, fishing, and spending his days outside. Growing up as a homesteader was a confidence building experience for Dan, and as an adult he took over the family farm after his dad's passing. After ending his cow raising days due to cost, Dan went back to the land as a hobby gardener. Unexpectedly, the garden grew into a small homestead business, as Dan's community started asking him for fresh fruits and vegetables from his garden. However, Dan's business growth was stymied when his work schedule as a state trooper limited the amount of time he was able to put into his garden. His schedule and logistics made the harvesting and delivery of produce for others unsustainable. Enter the goats. You know, Aust's LEAST favorite homestead animal. You know how we feel about goats, at this point, right? Before you think this is a sudden change of heart, a flip flop, a goat endorsement: heed the following rules: Even though the baby goat is cute, DON'T BUY THE GOAT. When you ignore us and buy the goat anyway: don't get more than one. When you ignore rules number one AND two: Remember that BABY GOATS GROW UP. Like . We warned you. If you need a really solid reminder, we have some NEW goat shirts in our ! Moving on. The third time trying a side-hustle was the charm: Dan's money maker on the farm, believe it or not, is GOATS. Beginning with from South Africa, Dan then identified from New Zealand as the best match for his homestead. Kiko Goats are great goats for homesteaders. Specifically bred by and Ann Batten for the . Aust was able to interview Garrick to discuss the step. by step development of the goat breeding process in New Zealand. Using the theory of , Gerrick was able to breed the Kiko goat to meet the needs of the farmer in New Zealand. () But back to Dan. Dan is able to breed, raise, and sell Kiko goats on his property. They an excellent match for his lifestyle, his property, and his family. Their grazing patterns also allow Dan to simultaneously feed the goats on his pastures and hay his fields. While not without challenges, Dan is able to make approximately $3000 per year on his side homestead hustle. In addition, he is able to write off farm equipment on his taxes (which gets a check plus from Accountant Mike!). However; is Dan truly making a profit? You may be (not) surprised to learn that...technically, no, not really. However, the value added to the experiences of Dan and his family in participating and contributing to all his homestead endeavors- goat breeding, chickens, gardening- are worth it to Dan. Dan isn't planning on giving up his day job; as he puts it, "This lifestyle is about what makes you happy." We have a new partner! Aust is so pleased to partner with as they premier their collection of tents designed by and for "Outdoorsy Dads." Watch a great video of Aust, Kendra and the kids enjoying their tent . Enter coupon code Homesteady at check-out for a discount! , and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, , Dave from , Alexia The Suburban Escapee. Our podcast guests will also be in the forums! If you are looking for more information about Kiko goats, we have an extended version of our interview with Garrick available in the Pioneer Library. Not a Pioneer? Instantly download twenty bonus episodes when you become a Homesteady Pioneer. Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- . The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A and a NEW podcast every two weeks. to make sure you don't miss part four of our Homestead Business Series.
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How To Make $10,000 From Your Homestead This Year
02/05/2018
How To Make $10,000 From Your Homestead This Year
On this episode of Homesteady, we meet Elaine Vandiver of . Elaine's journey to her purpose began on 9/11. A college student at the time, She felt the right thing for her to do was the join the army and serve her country. Now, she's an alpaca farmer. Wait, what? Let's back up. We met Elaine in the Homesteady Launchpad business course hosted by Aust and Accountant Mike. Elaine is currently finding success in - giving tourists an "on-farm" experience that is projected to net $11,000 this year. Elaine isn't from Walla Walla Washington. Originally from Indiana, Elaine completed a successful military career and followed her then boyfriend (now husband) to Washington State. Falling in love with the beautiful landscape, they put down their roots. Elaine credits her time in the military for giving her invaluable perspective, and assisting her success in homesteading. Elaine felt that the time she spent as a solider helped her become a stronger person and put hardship in perspective. It was after her military experience however, that Elaine met what was to be a true test of her strength: her desire to have a family and her journey through infertility. After seven years of exhaustive medical intervention and ongoing mental stress and disappointment, Elaine and her husband found themselves choosing the end their journey to become pregnant and take a different path. This led them to selling their family-ready home and moving to the country. "Undervalued" was the word Elaine and her husband had in mind when searching for their property- looking for a "country fabulous" property they could bring to its full potential. They found their "gem" of a fixer upper, and the work the property needed was the perfect project to distract the Vandivers from their previous seven years of heartbreak. The property also came with a few surprises- in-tact perimeter fencing, a history of a previous homestead, 3 pastures- and two llamas, Leroy and Loretta. If Elaine was going to have her country home, she was going to have to take in the llamas. Googling the care of , Elaine took her new (pets? livestock?) day by day. In her research, she came upon . They were softer! Cuter! Nicer! When spring came, Elaine purchased a couple to take care of the pastures full of grass on her property. When a connection with a local alpaca farmer was made, the alpacas increased from 2 to 41. In exchange for taking care of the alpaca heard she had acquired, she could keep their product. Through happenstance, Elaine became an alpaca farmer, and began her unplanned, unexpected journey to being a homestead business owner. Things began to fall together so nicely; Elaine wasn't going to stand in the way. Cementing her path was a manila envelope with the original paperwork detailing her property's history as a parcel from the Deciding to go all-in, Elaine went step by step to become a legitimate business, following the appropriate protocol to ensure the growth and success of her alpaca farm. It is important to note, however, that the alpaca farm is Elaine's side hustle- she is a "cubicle dwelling bureaucrat" by day. She credits her job with working one side of her brain, and her farm working the entire other side- creativity, problem solving, and passion. However -what about the alpaca fiber- is this really a valuable product? How do we make it that way? Turns out, it is a type product, requiring many steps to become useful and beautiful. Two years, actually, from start to finish. Elaine realized that with such a long turn around time, she needed to re-think how to utilize the value in her property. Turns out, the BEAUTY of the farm could be capitalized on. to see the gorgeous vistas of her farm. If you find a photo of Elaine and an alpaca on the back of a Volkswagon bus, follow her feed, leave a comment identifying yourself as a Homesteady listener, and Aust will give you a FREE month of a Homesteady Pioneer Membership! Elaine started giving tours and opened a little gift shop. More on-farm events have followed: alpaca yoga, a farm to needle workshop series on alpaca fiber, (c) and then: . For her Airbnb, the guest received a port-a-potty and land to put up a tent or camper. For $50 per night, Elaine's farm was extremely popular. Would Elaine's business come out as profitable according to Accountant Mike's standards? No, not yet. But in terms of the added value of happiness- Elaine puts it best: There is a difference between making money, and making a life. Is the juice worth the squeeze? Hells yeah, because I had a BLAST doing it. We have a new partner! Aust is so pleased to partner with as they premier their collection of tents designed by and for "Outdoorsy Dads." Watch a great video of Aust, Kendra and the kids enjoying their tent . Enter coupon code Homesteady at check-out for a discount! , and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, , Dave from , Alexia The Suburban Escapee, and Allyson, our producer. Our podcast guests will also be in the forums! Ask Elaine any questions you may have in our forum. Not a Pioneer? Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- www.amsteady.com. The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A and a NEW podcast every two weeks. We will also to make sure you don't miss part three of our Homestead Business Series, as we once again tackle...GOATS.
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Using a Homestead Business to Design the Life You Want
01/15/2018
Using a Homestead Business to Design the Life You Want
Sometimes the most obvious way of solving a problem is not the best way. On this episode of Homesteady, we explore our most valuable non-renewable resource: time. Beginning with the story of the Village on the Hill, we see that looking outside the box for a different solution may be the best way for us to achieve our goals. In part two of our ten part Homestead Business Series (miss part one? ) we head to North Idaho to meet on his grassfed homestead. How did this police-officer-turned-stay-at-home-dad-and-farmer do it? On the surface, we see a couple and a child living on a homestead raising lamb and pastured poultry. Dan's spouse still works a traditional job in the software industry, and they gross approximately $2,250 from their meaty side hustle. Like so many of us, the arrival of his first child inspired Dan and his wife to escape their HOA-ruled suburb for something different. Dan decided he needed to take a lot more responsibility for his resources-namely, food, and increasing food security and self-sufficiency. (An aside-food security is an incredibly weighty and important topic. ) Dan's explorations led him to the concept of permaculture. Designing sustainable systems using the natural resources that are available led him to "The primary goal of permaculture is to provide a permanence of culture on the earth for people and all living things." -Geoff Lawton So, what is permaculture, anyway? It is an amalgamation of social and agricultural systems that, like most things, is . Dan experienced a paradigm shift in watching and taking his online permaculture course. Dan realized that like so many of us, he had designed his life according to the socially accepted success formula- good grades+ good college= good job, good money, good life. The permaculture model not only shifted Dan's thinking about sustainable agriculture, but showed him that he could apply these same principles to design a lifestyle that deviated from the acceptable success formula. Why? There has been a growing awareness though that firstly, there is the need to pay more attention to the peoplecare ethic, as it is often the dynamics of people that can interfere with projects, and secondly that the principles of permaculture can be used as effectively to create vibrant, healthy and productive people and communities as they have been in landscapes. (Wikipedia 2018) When Dan's son ran into health problems that were directly related to his diet, that was the final push he needed to start figuring out how to provide what he needed for his family himself. They were able to make a big change, and leave their home in suburban Atlanta when his wife got a big promotion at work where she received a large pay raise and could work remotely. Leaving the police force was a difficult transition for Dan. It was his entire career: he had worked his way through the ranks for many years. This was a meaningful job for Dan, with real value in serving his community, and he knew that he had continued career growth with his department. However, North Idaho was calling, with the land and lifestyle that Dan and his wife wanted for their family. After a two year search for the right property was finally completed, Dan started developing his homestead right away. Sheep were delivered less than 48 hours after move-in day, and they were off! Currently, they are in their second season of raising animals, with a focus on grassfed lamb. How is Dan growing his business? Start small and with with people you know. Dan raised four lambs his first season. Sending strategic emails that resulted in a friend buying a half a lamb, Dan networked his way into selling two lambs, which left two for his family to eat. Make a marketing plan based upon on-the-ground feedback from your possible customer base. When Dan was marketing his lamb, everyone asked, "But how do you cook lamb?" With a series of he answered this question for his consumers. He developed these videos over the winter to share at a local food advocacy group event. In alignment with , Dan showed his consumer where their food came from and what to do with it. Have reasonable growth expectations. Through word of mouth, Dan has sold six lambs and cut off sales. He has since been turning people away. "I can't meet the demand-yet," says Dan. Also- is the business profitable? Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? () Aust invokes the spirit of Accountant Mike to get down to the nitty gritty dollars-and-cents with Dan. Through a value system that incorporates money as only ONE part of the value of an enterprise, however: is Dan's homestead profitable? Through a permaculture lens, yes. Despite challenges, Dan has built many different forms of capital into the value of his endeavor. Namely? Control over his life- specifically, his TIME. He values being able to schedule his work around his son. As parents, the truth of the matter is that we have to spend time on commutes, on working out of the home- time doing what I call "The Things" that take us away from our children. However, you ARE able to build your OWN system to optimize your opportunities for fulfillment. Shout out to for inspiring the story of the village on the hill. : grow food anywhere with the help of the Leafy Green Machine. Thanks for continuing to sponsor the podcast! Go to for access to a FREE Business planning guide! , and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, , Dave from , Alexia The Suburban Escapee, and Allyson, our producer. Our podcast guests will also be in the forums! Ask Dan any questions you may have in our forum. Not a Pioneer? Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- www.amsteady.com. The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A and a NEW podcast every two weeks. to make sure you don't miss part three of our Homestead Business Series, as we once again tackle...GOATS.
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3 Reasons Why Your Homestead Business Will Fail
01/01/2018
3 Reasons Why Your Homestead Business Will Fail
On this episode of Homesteady, Aust further explores the dream vs. the reality of homesteading, by explaining the harshest reality of them all: why your homestead business WILL fail. Through video, Aust's brother-in-law parodies the overt optimism that brings us into the homesteading world in the first place: the beauty of vegetables, the imagined ease of "working at home" now that you have a farm. REALITY CHECK: It is RARE to make more money than you spend on your homestead. But does that mean you have to give up the dream? Based on our Homesteady poll, (thanks for your responses!) THREE OUT OF FOUR of you have the dream that someday, you will be able to exit your current careers due to the successful pursuit of a full-time homesteading business. Through a new series, Aust is going to share his six years of experience with all of you. Full-time podcaster Aust (one dream, now more of a reality!) is going to make ten episodes about making your homestead profitable. Along with interviews to exploring others' journeys and sharing knowledge, we hope to help you, the burgeoning homestead businessperson, to get off to a positive start. It should be no surprise that Accountant Mike has a lot to say on the topic of failed businesses. This episode on failing businesses EXCLUSIVELY features Accountant Mike. () On this first episode about Homestead Businesses, we are going to talk about The Side Hustle. To qualify as a side hustle, the homesteader in question has to fit the following criteria: the homesteader, or one half of a homesteading couple, has to have a full-time job outside the homestead. Secondly, the homestead based business had to have grossed $1,000 or more. The Side Hustle common theme: lots of people aren't anywhere near profitable. Aust takes us back to his first failed business: selling custom slammers made out of . Developing his business acumen through his youth via Pokemon cards and spare lunch burritos, Aust has learned throughout his lifetime as a "" the basics of a profitable business. Now, as a homesteader, Aust shares with us that the farm is a side-hustle. Even six years in, he is not relying on his farm to be profitable or the main source of support for his family. There are three main areas where a business side hustle can fail: Failure to Plan: This results in wasting time, effort, and money. However, don't get stuck in analysis paralysis! A concrete goal is the best way to move forward. Starting without Sufficient Capital: Do you ACTUALLY know how much your business venture costs? Take note of all of your data: infrastructure, supplies, and repairs. Not Planning Ahead with your Time: Time is Money! Pay specific attention to the of your enterprise. The number one way to stay safe? GROW SLOW. Make a plan, stick to it, and stay small. Remember that the business skills you learn along the way are infinitely applicable. : grow food anywhere with the help of the Leafy Green Machine. Thanks for continuing to sponsor the podcast! Go to for access to a FREE Business planning guide! , and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, , Dave from , Alexia The Suburban Escapee, and Allyson, our producer. Not a Pioneer? Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- www.amsteady.com. The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A and a NEW podcast every two weeks. We are looking forward to even more Homesteady in 2018!
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We Were Going to Quit Homesteading... Then This Happened...
12/12/2017
We Were Going to Quit Homesteading... Then This Happened...
On this episode of Homesteady, Aunt, Kendra, and the family update us on the changes on the farm throughout 2017. A year ago, Aust and Kendra were going to sell the farm and go on a road trip. Instead, they have had the most productive year on the homestead yet! They updated with major infrastructure improvements and even got a cow (check out our - you may be convinced to get one a well.) What happened? With small children who don't travel well, and a re-discovered appreciation for their home in Connecticut, Aust and Kendra decided staying at their current homestead was the best choice. Kendra set a goal for the homestead to be NEAT and ORDERLY. 2017 was the year of form and function. Every change, every innovation, had a purpose. Improving the infrastructure on the farm was the number one priority. Our shows the giant machine that made a road to the barn in just one day! An improved, more accessible barn opens many possibilities for Aust and Kendra, and increased efficiency for all barn related tasks. Have a new barn? How about getting pigs earlier, as they can be easily cared for and sheltered in the new barn? Aust and Kendra were able to buy their pigs in April, a whole month earlier than they usually do. The combination of an early start, mild weather, and led to pigs that were 100 pounds heavier than their previous heaviest batch of pigs. Heavier pigs allowed Aust and Kendra to create more flavors of bacon and sausages with their pigs. Who doesn't like sausages? This year, the farm raised 50 and 25 , plus seventeen new egg layers. This was the first year of raising two different types of chickens, and Just was very impressed with the rangers. Pro Tip from Kendra: Keep the two breeds separate, as the rangers were found to be aggressive towards the Cornish Cross! Raising turkeys seemed like an excellent idea for the oldest Martin child to expand his existing egg selling farm business. However, a shipment of turkeys arrived in very poor health. The two surviving turkeys imprinted on the family as their own flock. With some adventures in turkey behavior notwithstanding, the turkeys have survived the holiday season (so far). Stay tuned... Raising ducks is something that However, during the at-home butchering process, a few things went awry... SHOUT OUT TO NATHAN: In 2016, Nathan let us know that he had an allergy to duck eggs. Aust does too, and was able to recognize the symptoms thanks to his letter. Between the egg allergy and not wanting to butcher ducks on the homestead, ducks are going to be a "decoration animal" on the farm from this point forward. The biggest adventure? Dairy Cows! Kendra shares her journey exploring which cow is best, taking care of a cow, and birthing her first calf. Spoiler Alert: A cow is EASIER than goats. Throughout this episode, we refer to many of our past podcasts and YouTube videos. You can find all of our past episodes , and search through all of our so you don't miss any updates. The Biggest Update of all: Aust is going to be doing Homesteady FULL TIME. This means more of everything: videos, classes, and bonus podcasts. Plus: We will be opening a new Homesteady Pioneers Forum. Want a sneak peak? Email us at [email protected] if you'd like to be a tester. Wait, are you not yet a Pioneer? You get bonus episodes of the podcast through the Pioneer Library, plus access to our new "one click" feature that will allow you to download 20 episodes of Homesteady WITH JUST ONE CLICK. Thank you to for sponsoring this episode. Their innovative hydroponics systems allow you to grow farm fresh food year-round. Check them out on our episode. Do you want to support the podcast? Are you doing some online shopping? Use our Amazon affiliate link and a portion of your spending supports the show. 2018 promises to be an exciting year. Stay Tuned!
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The BIGGEST HOMESTEADY ANNOUNCEMENT EVER
11/27/2017
The BIGGEST HOMESTEADY ANNOUNCEMENT EVER
It was WAY BACK! May 16, 2014.... The very first episode of the Homesteady Podcast was released.... Since then we have released 55 episodes of the 286 ! I didn't start this thinking I would ever go full time with it. I didn't think content creation could be a career... But the world has changed! Back in Feb, 2015 we launched the Pioneer Program... It consisted of It sells everyday for $5 a month. (https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/) Slowly we built this podcast, then youtube channel, and turned it to a better and better business. NOW ITS TIME TO LEAP! Learn our big news in todays LIVESTREAM! Or... If you don't feel like watching that .... Here it goes... I AM GOING TO DO HOMESTEADY FULL TIME!!! For the last few years we have been building our show to the point where I could do this full time. Now, my life has had some changes that allow me to focus on Homesteady, and we are going to try for the next 3 months to do this full time! We could only do this with the help from our Homesteady Pioneers! Their support has been huge. If you would like to become a Homesteady Pioneer, get access to all our Classes, Bonus Podcasts and Videos, and Pioneer Discounts, we are going to have a special BLACK FRIDAY - CYBER MONDAY Sale! to become a Pioneer for the whole year, for just $33! It is the cheapest sale we have ever done. It will go away on Tuesday. SO WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM HOMESTEADY? In the next month we will be ramping things up over here. Starting in 2018, expect to see 2 Podcast episodes a month! About 45 min long, released every other week. On the YouTube side, we will be releasing 1 or 2 vids weekly, as well as a livestream... FARM FRIDAYS - ABOUT TO CHANGE BIG TIME TOO... In addition to our emails every Friday, we will be hosting a livestream on Fridays! The farm Friday livestream will be a recap of our week, share our latest content, and answer a weekly question! Email us or comment on a video with a Question and you could be featured in that piece. Thats it! Thanks for helping us get here... We couldn't do it without you! -Aust PS - if you want to help us produce this show, but can't do the pioneer program, no worries! You can do your cyber Monday shopping at amazon through our link, spend nothing extra, but we get a little affiliate bonus!
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I was an ANTI HUNTER - What changed me?
11/06/2017
I was an ANTI HUNTER - What changed me?
On this episode of Homesteady, we explore the lifestyle of the modern hunter. We will be examining both the facts and the feelings that come into play when decided whether hunting is an ethical option for feeding one's family. With scenes from resonating within the formative memories of Aust's childhood, we are going to re-examine the discussion on hunting: Is it wrong? With such easy access to food, do we need to head into the woods with a gun? This episode is for those of you who are not currently hunters. We ask that you listen to this episode with an open mind as we present the facts and feelings on hunting from multiple perspectives.We know that Aust is a hunter now- but we learn that he wasn't always this way. After learning about , Aust and Kendra wanted a healthier option for their growing family. Once figuring out that hunting was the most affordable option for his family, Aust became a self-taught hunter, and soon after harvested his first deer. "At a base level, every single one of us is a hunter." , our first hunting interviewee, takes an historical perspective on hunting that he is aware can be polarizing amongst mixed company. Growing up in Texas, he grew up with hunting as a typical part of his culture. Once he moved to California to college, and disclosed his experience filming hunts to his peers in his photography and film classes, he was made aware that many regarded his experiences with gross disdain. As friends close to him expressed they found hunting appalling, Tyler was pushed to search within himself why hunting was an ethical choice. Spending several years in Tanzania filming safaris post-college, Tyler filmed and photographed the hunting safaris for an established outfitter on a game reserve. Living in the region for several years, Tyler had the opportunity to learn outdoor skills from those in the region- and come face to face with a lion. The takeaway? To be a good hunter, you have to be a good outdoorsman, and be comfortable spending a lot of time there. Also- hunters love animals. Surprised? It was after his encounters with animals that Tyler decided that hunting was actually the best thing one can do to take care of wildlife. After three years living in the bush and hunting in Africa, Tyler shares these facts about hunting that support his perspective: Fact #1: There is a difference between hunters and . Fact #2: Despite the fact that it is unfashionable to be a hunter, Tyler argues that hunting can be an ethical lifestyle choice. Since childhood, Brad has seen a different side of what a modern hunter could be. "Hunting was essentially a medium to pull together some father-son bonding time. To be honest, we'd rarely pull a trigger, because we got lost in conversation more than anything else." Brad does, however, have an issue with mainstream general media, and mainstream hunting media, in its portrayal of hunters. He feels that the image portrayed has been homogenized to one stereotype in most American media. Instead, hunters need to be portrayed in all the diversity they represent- traditional tribal hunters in Tanzania, master trackers, fathers and sons in Texas, husbands and wives learning together to hunt in adulthood. The media celebrates those who are in it for shooting, as opposed to those who use and respect all parts of the animals they harvest. BUT HEY- Did you know you can purchase meat at the supermarket? So why hunt? The emotions you experience while hunting, , are not the same as those you experience when finding ground beef for 99 cents a pound in your grocer's meat case. "My anticipation had my heart pounding – whatever was in front of him was close. I hold back every urge in my body to get closer and peek over his shoulder like a curious child – the suspense was killing me." portrays this alternative view of hunters. In finding and sharing stories about hunting that sit with the hunter's remorse of taking a life, and their gratefulness for the harvest of the animal, and the details of their acquired skills, Brad shows that many hunters are thoughtful, respectful, and keepers of tradition. The alternative narrative he presents is a stark counterpoint to mainstream media's homogenous bloodthirsty portrayal of the hunter. Food for thought, to be sure. Thank you to Brad and Tyler at the Modern Huntsman Huntsman for sharing their stories, perspective, and their mission. To make Modern Huntsman a reality, visit their Kickstarter campaign to support the first issue. $5 off an edition of Modern Huntsman for Homesteady backers! Are you homesteady? Help us find YOU on social media with the hashtag #iamhomesteady. Thanks for your patience with our current slow production schedule! Stay tuned for our plans for 2018 in our December podcast! Also, have you supported us by becoming a Pioneer? If not, for tons of free classes, videos, bonus podcasts, and discount codes for some of our favorite vendors.
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Grow Farm Fresh Food All Year Long with Hydroponic Gardening!
08/28/2017
Grow Farm Fresh Food All Year Long with Hydroponic Gardening!
Hydroponic Gardening. Some people have no clue what it is at all. Others (My Wife) may picture a creepy basement filled with bright white LED lighting, plants growing from tubes... When a hydroponicist... (is that even a real word?) thinks of hydroponics, they think of gardening with no bugs, in a controlled environment, year round, with perfect yields in half the time as a conventional garden. Sounds pretty good... right? Learn all about Hydroponics, and how you can grow farm fresh veggies in half the time as you usually do... year round, in this episode of Homesteady, all about Hydroponic Gardening. In this month's episode you will learn about the history of hydroponics, from back in the to the to our modern day. Today we can find awesome companies like Freight Farms using hydroponics to grow farm fresh food in the cities. But hydroponics has become a great tool for homesteaders as well! Jonathan Russo shares his family's homestead hydroponic system, and accountant mike gets inspired to give it a shot! Special Thanks to Jonathan Russo from Fairfield County Hydroponics for sharing his hydroponic system with us! Check out to learn more about his services. This episode of Homesteady is brought to you by Freight Farms, the creators of the Leafy Green Machine. Checkout their Farm Business Plan Guide and learn all about Freight Farming And by a dinner delivery service that gets meals to you in an easy, pre-portioned kit. Use promocode Homesteady30 to get $30 off your first meal delivery. Are you huge fan of the show? Join the Homesteady Pioneers by and for only five dollars a month, you get bonus podcasts, free online webinars, discount codes (, or y), and more! Dave from will also give you a Pioneer discount on planning your orchard. We love hearing from you! Have you ? You will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Tractor Supply Co. Want to hear more about what’s coming up next? for up to the minute updates on our YouTube Channel and podcast.
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Foraging - A great way to feed your family... Or a easy way to kill yourself?
06/30/2017
Foraging - A great way to feed your family... Or a easy way to kill yourself?
On this episode of Homesteady, we are exploring the delights and dangers of , or looking for and gathering wild foods. , Aust shares with us information on ******* Disclaimer: this blog and podcast are NOT a source for identifying wild plants************************************ Our guest, Jared White, is an extreme foraging enthusiast and hobbyist of on Instagram and is our guest on the show, to give us education and guidance on learning to forage. As a stay at home dad, Jared has dived into homesteading, with foraging emerging as his prominent interest. An avid photographer, his research into the flora he was photographing led him to the knowledge that lots of the plants he was photographing were edible! With his trusty and the help of Google, Jared began to learn more and more about identifying wild edibles. But-how do we determine what is edible? And to NOT panic when we take a bite? Jared recommends starting with the onions. The , or , in particular, are great for the beginning forager. With their distinctive aroma and taste, the beginner can feel secure that they are eating the wild onion they think they are eating. Mushrooms, however, are trickier. can confuse a forager looking for the safely eaten variety. Using scientific names for all foraged plants helps ensure that no one finds an unwelcome variety on their dinner plate, and allows foodie enthusiasts to savor their without fear. What other kinds of wild edibles are out there? Depending upon your region, the edible plants available vary. The best way to find them? Just keep looking. And looking. And looking. After your search, how do you decide whether to take a bite? What protocols do you follow to determine whether dinner is deadly? Jared, who had his own scare after thinking he ate a when he meant to eat a , shares these safety tips: If it looks like food, take a picture or a plant home, and research it thoroughly. Learn to identify poisonous plants, so you don't take an accidental nibble! Use three sources to confirm what you found. Start with the . Immediately go to your local ER and call Poison Control if you fear you have made a mistake. shows you can never be too careful. Does Accountant Mike think foraging is worth the risks? Could he possibly be anti FREE FOOD? Or does the math add up in a surprising way? Listen to find out if gathering gourmet food pays off not only for your curiosity, but your wallet. Thank you to our sponsors! When your schedule prevents you from foraging your dinner, let deliver dinner to you in an easy, pre-portioned kit. Use promocode Homesteady30 to get $30 off your first meal delivery. Are you huge fan of the show? Join the Homesteady Pioneers by and for only five dollars a month, you get bonus podcasts, free online webinars, discount codes (, or y), and more! Dave from will also give you a Pioneer discount on planning your orchard. We love hearing from you! Have you ? You will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Tractor Supply Co. Want to hear more about what's coming up next? for up to the minute updates on our YouTube Channel and podcast. Want still more Homesteady? Follow us on Instagram! You can follow Aust (see the morels for yourself) and Alexia, The Suburban Escapee, (I have finally grown something as opposed to killing it!).
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How To Run Profitable Farm Workshops
05/30/2017
How To Run Profitable Farm Workshops
Take the On the farm this week we successfully planted an entire orchard in just a few hours! How did we get so much work done in so little time? With an on-farm workshop! On-farm workshops are a great way to help a farmer get a lot of work done in a timely manner, and a great way for farm dreamers and homesteady types looking to spend some time living the farm life get some real hands on experience. But workshops can be tricky… How do you make sure they give both parties, the farmer, and the visitors, the experience they need? We have been running workshops on the farm for years, most of them have been great. Over this time we have learned a lot about how to do a successful on-farm workshop. Here are some of the lessons we have learned… Make sure you prepared for non farmers on the farm… People who come to workshops are not farmers, and not familiar with the risks, dangers, and responsibilities of a farmer. They may want to bring children, go places they don't belong, hurt themselves… If you're going to do workshops protect yourself legally and inform your guests. The visitors are not the same as hired help… When you host a workshop you are getting additional hands on the farm. And this can be incredibly helpful for a small farm to get a big project accomplished…. BUT these are not hired workers. You will need to make sure your students enjoy the workshop, learn a lot (because that is why they are there) and feel like they enjoyed their day on the farm. Sometimes you will get more done than you normally could. SOMETIMES… Less… It is OK to charge money, but consider what your getting from your workers…. Some workshops that you may plan give more to the students than to you. We used to do a chicken butcher workshop, this was only to teach others, it didn't do anything for us as far as production goes, so this we charged a lot for. Our Orchard workshop, however, was very cheap, as we were paid in work done on the farm. The little bit of money from tickets was given to the instructor. Sometimes you as the farmer get paid in work, sometimes in money… Everyone can get something from a good workshop… If you plan ahead, treat your guests well, you can get a lot of work done and enjoy time with your local community!
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Spring on the Homestead
05/04/2017
Spring on the Homestead
Today we catch up with you all! It has been a busy spring on our homestead. Usually, winter leaves us all sitting inside our homes, by a fire, dreaming of all the new things we want to try on our homesteads in the following spring. We always spend that time talking together about big plans for the season. This year was no different! And in no time we had a few big ideas. Early in February, the weather got nice, and so we decided to jump start our season! It began with a serious upgrade to our existing barn. The barn was built on a gravel pad. The gravel drained well but made it very difficult to clean the barn. So it was time to pour a concrete floor. This has been on of the best improvements on the homestead! The next big project we began working on was our pasture improvement. Over the last few years, our biggest problem with livestock was a lack of enough pasture and good pasture at that. Lots of our property that we were not using was heavily sloped, and not good for pasture. So we cut a road to our barn, (to get the concrete truck in) and used that to fill our sloped area. Now we have some serious pasture area! Finally, we began prepping for our new orchard. This year we realized, (as we talked about in a previous show) the importance of growing fruit and other perennials on our homestead. The beauty of fruit is that it takes less and less work each year while yielding more and more fruit! So preparations began to install an orchard of many different fruit and nut trees! This Saturday we have an Event at the farm, where we will be installing the orchard! Join us for that event: It has been a busy spring! We’re excited to tell you all about it! Join us for the chat, and Q and A session afterward. Visit Homesteady… See all we do at Watch our Daily Videos at the Want to follow all of Homesteady’s Podcasts, Videos, and Classes? Sign up to our Email list Get access to the Pioneers Only library by becoming a Homesteady Pioneer
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Why You Should Be Planting Fruit Trees and Bushes On Your Homestead
04/25/2017
Why You Should Be Planting Fruit Trees and Bushes On Your Homestead
Trees are a generational gift. Trees have signified wealth throughout history. Having your own tree meant prosperity. On this episode of Homesteady, we are focusing on fruit trees. In focusing on fruit trees, and planting fruits, we are expanding upon the idea of "bearing fruit" to a discussion of assets and liabilities. Assets put money in your pocket; liabilities take money out of your pocket. Making connections between wealth, a homesteading lifestyle, and the practical steps you can take to leave the rat race, and the hands-on work of raising animals, planting plants, and building infrastructure is part of the Homesteady culture. To this end, we'd like to bring you a quote from the book . Aust learns the following important lesson: You must know the difference between an asset and a liability. But what does this have to do with fruit trees? It's like planting a tree. You water it for years; then one day it doesn't need you anymore. It's roots are planted deep enough. The tree provides shade for your enjoyment."- Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad As homesteaders, we want even more than shade. We want the work we do each year to result in greater and greater yields. Our guest tonight, , shares how his passion for fruit trees and feeding his family better led to planting fruit trees, then to a homestead-based fruit tree business. Learn everything you need to know about how to choose plants, where and when to plant them, and the timeline from planting to having a harvest. Learn everything you need to know about how to choose plants, where and when to plant them, and the timeline from planting to having a harvest. Want more specifics? See Dave's visit to Aust's farm . We would love it if you'd come see the Homesteady Farm! We will be hosting Dave from Northeast Edibles May 6th for a live orchard workshop. If you'd like to come, for some more information. If you can't make it, we will be posting the entire thing on our Pioneer page. For just $5/ mo, becoming a Homesteady Pioneer gives you access to members-only video, discount codes, how-tos, and exclusive podcasts. For regular updates on what we are doing here at Homesteady, . Just for joining, you'll get our free "21 Steps to self-sufficiency" and access to our "Go Homestead" video course. Getting new orchard equipment? Or are you already an Amazon shopper? We would love if you'd support the podcast through our Amazon affiliate link: . Buy whatever you normally buy, and with your purchase, you'll be supporting the podcast with no additional cost to you. Thanks! Join us this upcoming Tuesday on our or at at 9 PM EST to be a part of our live taping of our next Homesteady episode on foraging. There will be a Pioneers-only discussion following the taping at 10 PM EST.
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Escape The Rat Race
04/17/2017
Escape The Rat Race
What do you think about when you hear, "The Rat Race?" On this episode of Homesteady, we will explore the idea of the "rat race." What is it? And, most importantly, how do you escape it? We will explore these ideas, and give you some steps on how to escape it and live your idea of your ideal life. The term "the rat race" finds its origins in a where rats, motivated first by hunger, and then by avoiding pain ( for you fellow psychology enthusiasts out there) develop patterns of repetitive behavior based upon the ease or difficulty of attaining the goal set up by the experiment. When we say, "I want to escape the rat race, buy a homestead, and move out to the country," how do we do it? In order to escape the rat race, we need to understand it. Using the aforementioned experiment as a guide, there are essentially four elements to the rat race: The rat The race The stress The reward Let's break down each piece. The Rat. There is scientific proof that humans and rats, despite our obvious physical difference, have a lot in common. (Did you know rats laugh when tickled? .) Rats have empathy, a sense of humor and fun, and they are able to think about thinking. If we go directly back to our rats in the experiment, these are rats that did not self-select to be lab rats, who were motivated by their stressors to find a solution that relieves their stressors. Sound relatable? We often find ourselves, as humans, in lifestyles we did not choose, being motivated by our own stressors of feeding our families or escaping a painful situation. Unlike the rat, however, we are able to make a plan to change our lives. The Race. What is this race, and how did we enter? What were your dreams when you were in middle school? How about high school? Are you on a path of following your dreams as they have evolved, or have you found yourself placed in a lifestyle that feels like an unnatural fit? What about each part of your lifestyle: does your commute, how you spend your workday, and how your breakdown of hours, work for you? Lastly, are you working to achieve your own goals, or are you advancing someone else's plan? Often, people work long hard hours at jobs they hate, to earn money to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't like. — Nigel Marsh The Stress. What do we do if we find ourselves acting like a stressed out rat? We often begin our journey by wanting to take care of our families and fulfill our basic needs. Humans do need to eat, and as adults, we often find ourselves with older or younger family members to take care of. However, as we satisfy our basic needs, we often find our need for "more" growing. We stop feeling satisfied by fulfilling our needs for food and shelter and begin to accumulate more materialistic needs for "more." Also, how, like the rats, are we motivated to learn behaviors to avoid pain? Often the pain we want to avoid is psychological as opposed to physical. When we have the "right" jobs and possessions, we do not need to feel the pain of others showing skepticism or disappointment in our choices. Feeling like a "success" is a strong motivator for keeping up with others. We are also often motivated by debt. We go into debt to buy the things we don't need, and are motivated by keeping up with payments to avoid the pain of falling behind financially. The Reward. What is the reward? How do we know when we have found the reward in our own lives? In the rat race, we often find a ladder of career promotions that come with greater efforts and earnings. With more success in a traditional corporate career path, we see individuals with beautiful cars, bigger homes, and more social influence. However, there is always a "next" on this path to happiness. Whatever level of achievement we reach, there will always be a nicer car, a bigger house, or more money. But what if we are just trying to stay away from the "shocks" of life? We live paycheck to paycheck, just getting by, staying ahead, paying our debts. Why did we even sign up for this? , all of our lives. We learned to work for rewards, to do what others told us to do, and the feel the "shocks" of grades. Don't despair! You CAN get out of the rat race. Unlike rats, we can make a difference in our own lives. TODAY: Tell yourself, "I will NOT be a lab rat. I have control over my OWN life." Regardless of your work and life circumstances today, you are able to take steps to develop your own path in life. RECOGNIZE Your own Rat Race. Once you realize what your own "rat race" is, evaluate what works, what doesn't work, and what needs to change. Write down what needs to change, and hold yourself accountable to finding an exit strategy. Maybe will help? Avoid Stress. The most common stressor we all share? Debt. Avoid debt if at all possible. book can assist you in evaluating your financial choices. If we avoid debt and save money, we will feel more satiated. Redefine the Reward. Is the reward buying things? If you are stuck in a cycle of buying things in order to satiate your appetite, try to decide what would satiate it instead. More free time? More social time? What about more time with your family? Know that this takes time, and start to develop an exit strategy. Make a like Alexia the Suburban Escapee, who is an (and who is writing this now because she has DROPPED OUT of the rat race), uses to keep her eye on her reward. Are you enjoying the podcast coming out weekly? Thinking of dropping out of the rat race, but need to gain more skills? For only $5/month you get access to extended podcasts, exclusive videos, online live chats, how-to courses, discount codes, and more. Already an Amazon Shopper? If you go to Amazon through , you support the show by doing your regular shopping and spending ZERO extra dollars. Amazon gives the show a "referral bonus," and you get what you were shopping for without spending an extra dime. Join us for our live episode with Dave of , as well as some other homesteader who have left the rat race, and learn about fruit trees and orchards this Tuesday at 9 PM on our . We will have a Pioneers Only Q&A at 10. Excited about planting orchards? We have an exciting on-farm opportunity for you to join us! Learn more .
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How To ACTUALLY Catch Fish
04/10/2017
How To ACTUALLY Catch Fish
On this episode of Homesteady, Aust will reveal the secrets to actually catch fish when you go fishing. As fishing is something best done with your buddies, Aust has his fishing buddies, Uncle Bourbon, who is a fly fishing guide (), and James, or "Pickles," as his guests on this show to share tips, tricks, and strategy. While there are many types of fish, this episode focuses on fresh water , specifically and . ***The Suburban Escapee here: New to fishing? Haven't fished since you were a scout? will help when you are listening to this episode!*** Truth: "Fishing" is synonymous with "disappointed." Aust shares a story of his childhood fishing with Uncle John. On a bucolic day, planned for fishing under a waterfall, Aust arrives at this special spot to find that the waterfall is completely dried up. However, a couple of things can really change your luck. A little bit of know-how goes a long way. When should you fish? Where should you fish? And what should you use? This episode will cover this, and so much more, so that next time you go fishing, you will actually catch fish. The season, month, and weather greatly affect how many fish you will catch. In the Northeast, Aust and his buddies believe that May is the best fishing month. Particularly for , the "" is best in May. The spring is the best time to catch the fish, because the fish start and they are where even the most novice fisher can catch a fish while standing on the shore. A nice, overcast day will be the most comfortable, and fishing early in the morning or at nightfall are the best times of day for catching fish. Remember this rhyme: If the barometer is risin' on their beds they'll be lyin' If the barometer is droppin' in your boat they'll be hopin' Where do you find the fish? It's often said 80% of the fish can be found in 20% of the water. Where to find the fish is dependent upon what type of fish one is trying to catch, the time of year, and what body of water is being fished. Fish like rocks, docks, shallow points, and downed trees. Fish eat insects, so anywhere insects lay eggs and hatch is a great place to cast your lure. The right fishing gear can greatly improve your chances of catching fish. You need the right size pole, hook, and line to attract your desired fish. Different water conditions, different fish species, and different bodies of water require different gear. Ready to start fishing? Do you have more questions about fishing? Email Aust at [email protected]. Show us your fishing gear and the fish you catch by tagging your social media posts #iamhomesteady. As we are now recording the podcast LIVE on and Tuesday evenings at 9, (join the email list to get the link) we were able to take phone calls from our listeners (and a very special guest!). Our listeners shared their best fish stories and asked advice on how to keep and prepare fish you catch properly for eating, fishing around heavy weeds, and how to best take kids fishing. Did you know we do a Pioneer Only live discussion on the week's topic Tuesday at 10? today to receive the Pioneer Only link. For five dollars a month, you get access to exclusive podcast episodes, how-to classes and videos, discount codes, our weekly live Pioneer Discussion, and so much more. Thank you to our sponsors! Support the show without spending an extra dime. Shop Amazon by clicking on to do your Amazon shopping, and we receive a referral bonus since Amazon knows we sent you. Use your next bulk toilet paper order- or maybe now you're motivated to ?-to support our show. Special Event Alert! We are thrilled to host Dave Hunt of at the Homesteady Farm May 6, 2017 for an Orchard Planting Workshop. Interested in getting tickets? and be the first to know when tickets go on sale. Unable to attend but want all the knowledge? to get access to an exclusive how-to video from the event.
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Should You Raise Pastured Pigs On Your Homestead?
04/03/2017
Should You Raise Pastured Pigs On Your Homestead?
On this episode of Homesteady, we examine the question: Should you get pigs on your Homestead? Aust brings us through history, recounting the trials of in to keeping pigs from destroying the Dutch fort with their . Known as "mortgage lifters" for their dependable moneymaking attributes, Aust has been raising pigs on his homestead for five years, and sells them for his most profitable homestead business. We've discussed pigs many times before, on the blog and on the podcast (, , , , and to give you a few.) Now, with experience as a guide, Aust and Mike are able to give detailed information on the financial and practical applications of raising pigs. What is the right kind of homestead for pigs? How do you know if pigs would be a good fit for you? From grass to woods, pigs are versatile and able to flourish in diverse landscapes. However, there are several things to consider before deciding to buy pigs for your property: How far are the neighbors? Even well kept pigs smell like, well, pigs. What are the zoning laws in your town and state regarding pigs? Is your infrastructure appropriate for easily bringing food and water to your pigs? What kind of pigs should you get? How many pigs are a good start? And what should you expect for them to give back to you? (For Accountant Mike, who only needs companionship from a pig, maybe a ? Ok.. don't do a Tea Cup.. they are a scam ;) Stay away from rare, expensive breeds . Reach out to local farmers, and buy what is available in your area. (Aust prefers the .) Start with two and scale up based on your success. It's better to have more demand than supply. Rely on a larger pig farmer to maintain Buy . Purchase feed. Growing your own feed is not a cost savings unless you raise many pigs. , Aust's local source for his Yorkshire Landrace pigs, shares important information on raising pigs, and the care it takes to raise and maintain breeder pigs year round. Are pigs profitable? Listen to Accountant Mike do the cost breakdown to see if pigs are the "mortgage lifters" Aust wants them to be. On our next episode we are discussing fishing! Want to be part of next week's podcast? At 9:00 PM EST Tuesday on the and at the we are live! Not able to join us live but want to share your own fish story? Call 657-223-3276 to leave us a voicemail and you may hear your story on the air. get an exclusive after show where you are able to chat with Aust and Accountant Mike about your specific questions. Not a Pioneer? for exclusive access to discounts, podcasts, how-tos, and more. A special thanks to our new sound engineer, Allyson Holley, who has been mixing the Homesteady Podcast since we've gone weekly. We couldn't do it without you! Thank you to our sponsors! Try for fresh, delicious, perfectly portioned ingredients that even the most novice cook can turn into delicious meals. Enter promo Code "Homesteady30" for $30 off first week of delivery. I (the Suburban Escapee) love Hello Fresh. My family (including the kids!) still ask for the Mediterranean Meatballs on the regular. Their fresh, sustainably raised and sourced meats and produce are a delicious way to integrate healthy, easy meals into your week. Need to shop for some new products for your homestead? Or would it just be easier to have your toilet paper delivered? No matter what you buy, clicking on to make your Amazon purchases helps support the show through no cost to you.
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Practical Preparedness - Being ready for survival through the everyday emergencies that we are most likely to face.
03/27/2017
Practical Preparedness - Being ready for survival through the everyday emergencies that we are most likely to face.
Sometimes we find ourselves playing a game of “what if” in the world of homesteading and prepping. What if the grid went down? What if there was another world war? What if there was a pandemic? These games of what if can be a fun mental exercise. But the reality is that these disasters will probably not ever happen to us. BUT… That does not mean we will not experience disasters in our life. We absolutely will experience disasters. The disasters that will happen to us may not harm as many people as a WWIII or Global Pandemic. But they have the same ability to ruin our own life, and maybe those around us. What is the disaster that WILL happen to you? It could be… A loss of a Job A Health emergency (You or a loved one) A local natural disaster (depending on where you live) These disasters actually happen all the time, and to all of us. The truth is that someday you or a close loved one will absolutely experience one of these 3 disasters, if not all of them. Are you ready? Not for the Zombies or Plagues… But for the day your handed a pink slip? The day your child is rushed to the Emergency Room? The day you need to evacuate from an approaching hurricane? This week our family experienced an emergency. My 8 month old was rushed to the emergency room, and hours later to a second hospital for an emergency surgery. All this, at the same time a major blizzard was headed our way. We learned some very real lessons on Emergency Preparedness, and we want to share them with you. Join us for a discussion about prepping for the disasters that WILL happen to you, and learn all about Family Emergency Planning, Go Bags, and Basic Preparedness. We will tell our story, and then be joined by J.J. Johnson from the popular Youtube Channel Reality Survival https://www.youtube.com/user/RealitySurvival to discuss how to get the basic preparedness covered for the disaster that will happen to you. Go to Listen and Chat This Tuesday 9pm/Est. 6pm/Pt Visit Homesteady… See all we do at www.thisishomesteady.com Get access to the Pioneers Only library by becoming a Homesteady Pioneer HERE! https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/
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