Basic Facts About Raising Angora Goats   When I was a girl, I was fascinated with the process of spinning yarn. I’m not exactly sure where the notion came to me. I faintly remember watching a children’s program that showed the process, maybe Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood?   I remember taking the dog’s 2 slicker combs […]

 Get your homestead hero the perfect gift with this helpful gift guide! Great Reads: Epic Eggs: The Poultry Enthusiast’s Complete and Essential Guide to the Most Perfect Food – By Jennifer Sartell Retails for $16.89 Creating Your Off-Grid Homestead eBook – By Teri Page Are you ready to go off-grid? Creating Your Off-Grid Homestead is […]

Instagram is unique among social networks because of the way it engages its users. Engagement is the way that users interact with the posts on a social media network — the more likes, shares, and comments a post has, the more engaging it is. In this guide, we’re diving into how to create content for […]

We are coming into our third harvest season in a couple of months. Hard to believe. I am sitting outside in one of my spots, watching the leaves fall around me. It’s one of those days where I can close my eyes and hear them falling onto the forest floor. It is unseasonably warm today. As […]

Laws are made to protect people. I feel strongly that abiding by laws is important for the peace of society and overall well-being of the community. However, as a homesteader it’s easy to find yourself bogged down by bureaucracy.   As farmers, homesteaders and do-it-yourselfers, we are faced with unique challenges in the nature of […]

If you’re trying to break into the world of homesteading, you’re probably weighing options for getting land. This is especially true for young or novice homesteaders who don’t have much familiarity with all of the available options. But it’s not so confusing as one might think. You just have to cut through the jargon and […]

Why Julia Chooses Quickbooks Excerpted from The Farmer’s Office by Julia Shanks QuickBooks (QB) is the industry-standard accounting software for small businesses, including farms. At a minimum, it’s a jacked-up checkbook register. At its best, it is a powerful business tool that provides the information you need to make important decisions about your business. If you have a basic […]

Setting Up Quickbooks Excerpted from The Farmer’s Office by Julia Shanks The Initial Setup When you first open up QuickBooks, you will want to Create a New Company and select Advanced Setup. QB will guide you through an interview process. Following are the questions QB asks, with my suggestions on how to answer (and set your preferences). You may […]

Over the past 15 years, my husband and I have shifted from working entirely outside the home to creating and building homestead-based businesses that allow us to balance work, family time, and homestead life. My husband Brian is an artist blacksmith who makes items of function and beauty to sell both locally and virtually on […]

In the last two blog posts, you hopefully had fun brainstorming product ideas and clarifying your dream direction. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and bring your business idea to life. First it’s important to answer these two questions: What types of eco-friendly product(s) do you want to offer? [Example: organic chocolates, natural […]