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Live better... on less! You can have pure foods, clean water, lower bills - and the good life that you (and those you love) deserve. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more.
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About Ashley & Ben:
My name is Ashley, and my Husband, Ben, and I are the owners of Sacred Roots Maple. We have a passion for living life to the fullest here in the North Country. We keep maple traditions alive with our wood fired evaporator, while blending the newest technology to optimize productivity and health of our maple trees. We’re surrounded by 66 acres of beautiful maple trees that generously provide for us year after year. If you’re ever in Northern New York, we hope you’ll stop by. Otherwise, follow the journey that we call our crazy adventure through social media and our website.
About Carrie:
I grew up in a small rural town in Northwest Pennsylvania, married my high school sweetheart and had two amazing children. My career in writing and farming began after a 10-year sabbatical of living in the city while my husband, Scott, acquired his college degree and pursued his career. The family moved back to the country in 2013, where instantly my country roots were allowed to spread once again. I spent my time raising chickens and Oberhasli dairy goats. I enjoy raises vegetable gardens, fruits, and berry patches while never using herbicides, pesticides, or chemicals of any kind. I spend a lot of time preserving the bounties through canning and freezing methods. She recently began selling her goat milk soap and lotion. Writing and blogging is an accidental career: One day, I sat down and wrote about my life on the farm and sent it off to a magazine for a reader's article. The article was picked up and published a few months later. Shortly thereafter, I was added to Community Chickens, Grit Magazine, and Mother Earth News' blogging teams; followed by freelancing for various magazine publications.
About Chloe:
Chloe Bennet is a blogger and proofreader at State Of Writing and Essay Services portals. She writes about nature, climate change and enjoys gardening. Also, Chloe is a tech editor at Student Writing Services website.
About Debbie:
Debbie Bosworth writes from a yellow Cape Cod cottage in rural suburbia near Cape Cod Bay. Soon after moving in, she nicknamed her home Dandelion House because of the prolific crop of dandelions that take over her front yard every spring and summer. Rather than wage war on the little devils she started a blog called Dandelion House ~ the HAPPY homestead where she shares creative seeds on backyard chicken keeping, gardening, cooking from scratch, homeschooling, and painting cottage furniture. She created the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop as a way to help others connect with fellow farmgirl bloggers. After discovering MaryJanesFarm magazine in a local book store she was inspired to put the pen to paper and submitted two short stories which were later published in MaryJanesFarm magazine. A writer was born! It wasn't long before she she took up "virtual residence" as the MJF Beach Farmgirl blogger. Her column is aptly named, Shorelines. Debbie shares Dandelion House with her handsome Yankee, two talented teens, their beloved corgi Max and a flock of 8 chickens lovingly referred to as The Cottage Hens. The "girls" can talk her into just about anything! When she's not playing chauffeur, chasing chickens or tending the garden you can find her relaxing on the beach.
About Deborah:
In a previous life, Deborah was a lactation consultant and childbirth educator, as well as a newspaper reporter. Today she teaches sustainable agriculture online for the University of Massachusetts, and she also creates online classes via the Thrifty Homesteader Academy. She is the author of four books, including Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living, Ecothrifty: Cheaper, Greener Choices for a Happier, Healthier Life, and Raising Goats Naturally: A Complete Guide to Milk, Meat, and More.
About Emily:
I'm Emily Stevenson, and I live and work full-time at Pleasant Valley Farm, a 50-acre farm in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. My husband Dan and I run a diversified family farm, raising organically grown produce & herbs as well as a variety of livestock & poultry, and offer the fruits of our labor for sale to the public from our roadside farm stand. We also have an online Etsy store where we showcase our artisan talents- Dan is a blacksmith and I create herbal salves, sewing projects, handmade jewelry, and more. We have no employees and no tractor, as we farm with draft horses. As someone who did not grow up farming or gardening, I completed a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in the field of family literacy and adult education before transitioning to full-time farmer, working the very land where Dan grew up. At times, it felt like a steep learning curve but I feel fortunate to have found a way to earn a living that is not only a job but also a calling. I'm passionate about connecting folks to where and how their food was raised, and to helping preserve part of America's agricultural heritage by stewarding a historic farm with buildings dating to the 1800's, raising endangered breeds of livestock & rare varieties of produce, herbs and flowers, and maintaining the knowledge of how to use draft horse power and antique equipment. I've gone from novice to part-time to full-time farmer over the past decade and have learned a lot along the way, and am excited to share it with you here!
Frances Tacy
Farmer, Forester, Business Woman, Teacher & Homestead Hustler
Franny's Farm in Leicester, NC
Visit Frances's Website
About Frances:
Frances Tacy, Owner Operator, Farmer, Teacher I was raised in Nashville, TN. My moma was a big-time corporate business woman and my daddy was a cattle farmer. They divorced when I was 4 so, I got to live in both of these amazing realities of business and farming. I went to Forestry school in Flagstaff, AZ. I have a graduate degree in Education and taught school for 6 years. I worked in Pharmaceuticals for over a decade. My nickname was the “hippie in high heels.” My career path has been Pharm to Farm. Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to live on a farm. I’ve been gardening since I was 8 and my granny used to say I had 10 green thumbs. Our family was a grand example of city farmers with chickens, bees and a garden. I’ve attended, participated in and taught at Organic Growers School for years among many other farming conventions. We are living the dream! We lost all our investments and our construction business in the economic strife of 2008 and started over on Franny’s Farm! We bought land overgrown with brambles and have turned into a paradise we call “the bowl of heaven”! Favorite Quotes: “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” –Gandhi “Music is too loud for just one station, love is too large for just one nation life is too short to make just one decision and god is too big for just one religion.” ― Michael Franti “You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” – John Lennon “In the end, only kindness matters.” – Jewel Perspectives: We all inherently know what is right and good so, just do it. We all make a difference and doing good makes everything better. Random Info: It’s family first for me. I’m a Leo and loyal to the end, unless I have to eat you for lunch. Favorite things to do besides farming are cooking, trail running, seeing live music, dancing with my son & hanging out with my hubby. I have a degree in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. It was so close to the Grand Canyon, I hiked it 9 times. I have a masters in Education from Tennessee State University & taught special education for 6 years. Was one of the first women fire-fighters for the US Forest Service in Idaho. That was the early 90’s. It took 3 tries to get to the top of Mt Rainer. Due to severe storms, we got pulled off the first two attempts. Climbed Mt Shasta too. Oh! And I canoed the Rio Grande with a buddy and 2 dogs. That was before the internet and easy access to information that would have told me how dangerous and deadly it was.
About Holly:
Holly Welles is a home & garden writer with an interest in sustainable trends. You can find more of her work on her blog, The Estate Update.
Jana Macnab
Permaculture Designer & Blogger
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Visit Jana's Website
About Jana:
I am a professional garden designer and have been creating edible landscapes, school gardens and homestead designs for amazing people for over 7 years and have worked all over the BC interior. Now, I share my knowledge and experience on my blog The Hip Homestead where I aim to educate, inspire and entertain my readers with garden and lifestyle articles. I hope to see you there :)
About Jennifer:
Jennifer Sartell is the primary care taker of all animals on her and her husband’s farm in Fenton, MI. With a passion for living a simple life, Jennifer enjoys creating art, taking in nature, raising animals and has developed a deep appreciation for homesteading. Jennifer and her husband, Zach, currently raise goats and poultry. Her vast amount of experience on the farm includes, but is not limited to: milking, shearing, hoof trimming, vaccine administration, assisting in animal births, dehorning, egg collecting, chick and turkey hatching, feeding, watering, etc. She can also cook a mean farm-to-table meal and when the day is done has documented and photographed their day on the farm.
About Kaylee:
I believe that small homesteads can be mighty! We live on a 0.8 acre homestead, nestled among suburban communities, but that doesn't stop us from achieving our homestead goals! We raise goats and chickens and have over 1,000+ square feet of raised garden beds. I love to test the limits of what can be managed and produced on a small scale property while sharing what I learn along the way!
About Krislee:
After deciding life was entirely too short my husband and I literally bought the farm. We wanted to live a life doing things we always said we'd do one day. For me, it was having large gardens and raising chickens. For him, it was space to finally work on restoring a truck. As is the case with most goals, ours have been constantly evolving. Along with becoming more self-sufficient we hope to eventually create income by doing what we love.
About Matt:
Hello. My name is Matt Stephens and I was born and raised in central Texas on a 65 acre hobby farm. I learned from parents, grandparents and extended family about rural life and mother nature. This is also where I developed a love for all things that live and come from an Ag lifestyle. After graduating I moved around the state for various reasons and I wound up back on the family farm. In 2014 my wife and three daughters built a house and moved onto the family property. In that same year I completed my PDC with Geoff Lawton. I have worked in many industries and jobs but teaching public education from elementary school to commercial college has given me the greatest satisfaction. I have expanded my family’s farm to full time career/adventure. This endeavor has included over 300 acres of owned and leased properties with market gardens, peach and pecan orchards, hay fields, range lands, cedar breaks, wildlife areas, including sheep, cattle, donkeys, ducks, guineas, chickens and quail. All this is to raise a family like when I grew up and to teach others from my experiences. Remember to never exceed your skill level. The stories I tell and lessons I share are from my experiences and should be a guide. Always seek qualified mentors to advise your individual situation. Always follow your own local laws, rules and regulations.
About Megan:
Hey, I'm Megan! I grew up as a member of a third-generation farming family located in Pennsylvania. While my family is busy taking care of our farm, I write about ways that homesteaders and farmers alike can keep the American dream alive. Follow me for tips on increasing your farm's profit and usually a puppy picture or two. :)
About Sarah:
All told I have been a homesteader for 14 years. I grew up on a small farm where we raised goats, chickens, and a sizeable garden. Starting in my childhood and through my adulthood, I learned to preserve food through canning and fermentation, to grow a wide variety of produce and fruit, how to maintain soil health, and how to raise healthy animals. I worked on numerous farms before running my own. I raised and slaughtered cattle and pigs and I kept 200 hens for my egg-laying business. I left that farm many moons ago and today, we have about 60 chickens and hatch out about 20 chicks each spring from our own hens’ eggs. On our 3-acre homestead, we raise these chickens, sell the eggs, make money from rentals, and raise quite a bit of our own food in our gardens, fruit trees, and berry bushes.
About Stephanie:
Stephanie Pankau is co-owner, with her husband Greg, of Farm2Fork Ranch in Rock Port, Missouri. Along with her husband and 3 children, they raise a menagerie of animals in the midwest on their small, sustainable farm.
About Susi:
My journey into beekeeping began in 2013 with a beehive as a birthday present. From the moment I installed my first package, I was in love. The hum, the smell, and their beauty sucked me right in. Then, the more I read, the greater my fascination and wonderment. It didn’t take long to discover all the wonderful products the bees provide, beside the honey, and so my business was launched. Soozeezbeez is now at 31 hives, and I’m still exploring new gifts from the hive. I love my bee girls!
About Tracey:
Botanical Harmony Farm is a family affair! We are striving to be community-minded and with great purpose in all we do. Tracey Burks, Ashleigh Newnes and both of their families work extremely hard together to make a home, farm and business run! We make organic goat milk soap and wild crafted herbal skin care and remedies and other diversified farm products through sustainable, organic methods from our animals, fields, and woodlands. We refuse to have to play a game with marketing, packaging, branding because we are farmers and sell at local farmer’s markets and events, using minimal and recyclable packaging. We believe it is more important to invest in the product itself rather than the box it comes in and that is why our soap stays naked. This passes on savings to our incredible customers! We love being able to pay bills through money flowing locally! We, in turn, purchase or barter for things like hops, beer for soap, industrially grown hemp for soaps and skincare, locally roasted coffee and herbs that we didn’t grow or had a crop failure! Local supporting local! Ashleigh and I manage a local farmer’s market where producers/makers are all within 50 miles because we believe it is important for everyone to support local. Our lifestyle is challenging yet grounding and humbling; we live extremely simply on purpose. So, while we are a minority, on many levels, we know we are on a right, peaceful, passionate, full of soul path for us, always willing to grow, eager to learn and change when needed. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow” Melody Beattie
Valerie Boese
Self-Employed Chicken Keeper, Photographer, and Writer
Dixon, NE
Visit Valerie's Website
About Valerie:
My inspirations come from growing up in South Dakota, where I learned to grow vegetables and fruits on my dad’s truck farm, and I adapted my mothers love for growing flowers, shrubs and perennials. Also, we always had lots of ordinary white chickens, and I always longed to own rare and heritage chicken breeds. My husband and I moved to Tar Box Hollow in the 90s, where we bought our current acreage. Here, we raised our children and created a business, TarBox Hollow Poultry. We sell fertilized hatching eggs, chicks, and adult birds of rare and heritage breeds of chickens. I enjoy writing, cooking and photography and I created a food blog sliceoftaste.com With my writing, photography and TarBox Hollow Poultry, I hope to inspire people to grow and cook their own foods, eat healthier, and if they have space, raise a few chickens too. I am fortunate to be able to enjoy my life, through writing, photography, gardening, chicken keeping, and cooking. For more information see my websites: http://sliceoftaste.com/ and http://tarboxhollowpoultry.com/
About Victoria:
Victoria is a writer and marketer living in the Northwest with her two pet roommates and a very cute cat. She enjoys visiting her local farmers market every Saturday, strong coffee, and trail running.
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