Homesteady - Stories of Living off the Land

“Seeing you don’t object, I’ve decided to go see the West.

Are there any homesteaders amongst us who haven’t found inspiration in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Series?

As you know from our last podcast, Aust and Kendra are packing up the four kids and taking them West. Like the Ingalls family, they are looking for greener pastures.

The desire to hit the road. What motivates this? Is homesteading so challenging that after awhile, everyone wants to quit?

We realized many listeners were forlorn after learning we were selling the homestead to travel- “First Justin Rhodes (and wife Rebecca) and Dirtpatch Heaven (Julianne and John), now you guys-doesn’t anybody just want to keep farming?”

Instead of ignoring this question, we figured we would attack it head on.

There seems to be a common thread amongst homestead families. They want to give their families the best, but they can’t afford to when just starting off. So, to save a little money, they decide to do a few things themselves. One thing leads to another. Once this journey, all these families grew their homesteads, meeting challenge after challenge. They have collected a wealth of knowledge.

Each of these families problem-solved their way down different paths. “Lifestyle Business” is a catchword these days, mostly invoking images of an individual earning money by producing content on the internet. After Lyme disease waylaid Justin Rhodes, he was forced to learn new ways to homestead and earn an income. His path led him to taking up permaculture, and making daily YouTube videos.

John and Julianne found themselves in a precarious financial situation. With necessity always being the mother of invention, Julianne decided to go onto YouTube and share the day to day of her homestead. The ads that ran on her videos brought in the extra income that was so desperately needed to change the family’s situation.

One thing that Justin and Rebecca, the folks at Dirtpatch Heaven, and Aust and Kendra at Homesteady all experienced is that once they developed internet content to support their homesteading business, they simultaneously began to do more on their homesteads than ever before.

As you grow your homestead, one thing in your life decreases- the ability to travel. With crops and livestock needing constant care and attention, traveling goes on the back burner.

For John and Julianne, a severe back injury for John changed the course of their homesteading journey. As his day job as a delivery driver became un-doable, a new opportunity presenting itself. As they looked at their finances, they decided that “van life”- or life on the road in a motor home- was the solution. With a generous gift of a motor home from a neighbor, they were on their way.

Justin and Rebecca didn’t have to make a drastic change in their life, but an opportunity arose. They decided it was time to go on an adventure.

So- are Justin and Rebecca, Julianne and John, and Aust…quitters?

Justin and his wife, Rebecca, and Julianne and John of Dirtpatch Heaven, and Aust and Kendra want to travel to share their love of homesteading, not to quit! Travel allows them to share all of the skills they have learned, and tell the stories of their experiences. They want to visit other homesteaders and learn new skills, all while seeing new places.

Is the personality of the homesteader to always strive to move forward and seek new challenges? For all you “Little House” fans out there, you know that Pa Ingalls moved the family multiple times, until Ma finally put an end to his insatiable wanderlust. The take-away? Homesteaders want to live free.

So what IS going to happen to Homesteady? Don’t worry, the podcast will continue. You can also follow our adventures on the Homesteady YouTube Channel.

What about the Pioneer Program? Are you a Pioneer? Do you want access to master classes by experts about orchards, food preservation, and so much more? We are having a sale- Pioneer membership is usually $5/mo, but for the month of December we are selling a year long membership for only $40. Thats only $3.30/mo! Click here to become a Pioneer today!

Thanks to our new sponsor, Audible.com. Go to Audible.com/trynow for a free 30 day trial of Audible, and support Homesteady while listening to a good book.

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After 5 years of farming, we're taking a short break to go on an adventure... Why?

brought to you by www.thisishomesteady.com

Want to buy our Farm? CLICK HERE to learn more!

For the last 2 and a half years we have been sharing our farm story through this podcast. And for the last 5 years we have been building a farm business from our homestead. 

Now we are taking a break... to visit Homesteads cross country! 

Why?

In this episode of Homesteady we talk about the changes in our life that are moving us to sell our farm.

 Why did we start farming?

This episode begins with our story and why we started farming. 6 years ago a baby boy came into our life. 

That changed our viewpoint on our life. Suddenly we thought a lot more about the quality of our life, our food, and our time together. 

And so to start feeding our family better food, and spend more time together, we decided to start farming. 

Fast forward a few years and now we are running a farm business, a marketing business, raising 4 children, and producing a podcast and youtube channel. 

This year it all became too much. With the birth of our 4th child, a baby boy, we decided we needed to simplify our life a bit. We both realized we have too many projects going on, and we need to re structure our life so as to be able to do what we set out to do a few years ago, spend more quality time with our family. 

And thats where the idea for our big adventure came. 

Kendra and I were both big travelers in our past. We still have that urge to travel, and now we would like to do that with our children. 

We decided that it was time to hit the pause button on our fast pace life.

And a 6 month road trip with the kids would be the perfect way to do it! 

My marketing business can be run from anywhere, so I can work from the road. And our kids are young enough to cram in a travel trailer, and go see the country! 

This trip would allow us to spend less time worrying about work, the house, the property, animals, and more time to be together. 

SO.... It meant we needed to downsize the farm. 

We didn't want to leave our animals in the care of a house sitter for 6 months. Nor did we want to worry about our home while we are away. The whole point of this trip is to spend more time together, focused on family, and not worries of life. So it meant we needed to cut some hard ties. 

We sold our goats. And sheep. 

The pigs went to the butcher. And now we just have our chickens, guineas and ducks. 

The fowl will go to our family to watch for the 6 months. 

And our home? Its now For Sale. You can learn more HERE.

Now the big question...

If we are selling the farm and hitting the road, what happens to Homesteady? Can we do a show about homesteading if we are not? 

And what is our future plans...? After the 6 months on the road? Are we done homesteading for good? Will we farm again?

You will find out the answer to those questions in the next episode of Homesteady. 

Goats can earn you an income on your homestead! Find out how in Part 2 of our Goat episode of the Homesteady podcast, brought to you by www.thisishomesteady.com .

In this episode we talk to Brittany Colebush, from BCB Shepherdess http://brittanycolebush.com/
Brittany shares with us how she has turned her love of being a shepherdess into a great business.

Then we enjoy listening to Accountant Mike break down the numbers and see whether or not he gives goat farming a "thumbs up".

Find out if he does in this episode of Homesteady.

Brought to you by the Homesteady Pioneers. Homesteady Pioneers gain access to the pioneer library, full of exclusive pioneers only podcasts and videos. Become a Pioneer HERE:
https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/

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Goats can be hard to resist. So much so that the buyer can choose not to see the warning signs of a possibly problematic goat.

Aust learned this lesson the hard way when he bought his first LaMancha goat, Hops. An escape artist extraordinaire, Hops taught Aust that goats bring with them inevitable stories of their shenanigans.

How do you find a goat with no name? Aust relays the story of how he lost his first goat, the day after he brought her home. Before he even had a chance to give her the name she now carries. Turns out Hops didn't want to be alone, and would travel wherever the scent of goat playmates would bring her.

Goats need playmates! With this in mind, Aust and Kendra bought Yo-Yo, an Angora Nigerian Dwarf Alpine mix. Regardless, Hops didn't work out. And Hops got posted on Craigslist.

Next up, Aust and Kendra bought Nigerian Dwarf goats from Marianne (remember Marianne? She's in the archives!)

But still, the goats weren't making enough milk. So next up: a Saanen. Which, allegedly, gives a gallon of milk per day!

So, besides trolling Craigslist for rejected animals, how do you buy a goat? Are goats even worth having? According to Aust, goats are the WORST. They run away, they destroy property. However, there are two sides to every story. Mike and Lauren have a fantastic YouTube Channel where they discuss their adventures in together- DIY Projects, Chickens, Goats, and Budgeting. Yup, you read it- GOATS. Subscribe to their YouTube Channel to see all of Mike and Lauren's diverse content.

Mike and Lauren are High School Sweethearts with "creative solutions to expensive problems." From newlyweds in New York City, to backpacking across Europe, and back to home in Florida, the two have made their own path pursuing their passions, with a goal to retire before Mike's 31st birthday by saving half a million dollars. When they found videos from Polyface farm, they were inspired to try backyard homesteading. Mike and Lauren got Nubian goats off Craigslist (Lesson: apparently Craigslist is THE place to get goats.)

Mike and Lauren are into finance. What does their 18 months of data show about the financial impact of goats? They made a video of the question we all ponder- Does Homesteading Save Money? About Goats! And they decided that backyard animals weren't worth it- see why here.

Become a Homesteady Pioneer and learn a secret- Mike and Lauren made Chickens Profitable! WHHAATTTTT?!? Plus, learn their tips and tricks for making the most out of buying and selling on Craigslist.

Speaking of Homesteady and Pioneers: podcasting takes time, did you know that? ONE episode of Homesteady takes approximately forty hours to produce. Recently, we lost a sponsor, which means that those 40 hours are more difficult to allocate, due to needing to also generate income.

But YOU can be a solution! For just $5 per month, you get all of the following:

• Exclusive Pioneer-only podcasts and videos
• Free Homesteading Courses about chickens, hunting, DIY, and so much more

Become a Pioneer today. You'll be glad you did.

In this quick episode we share some announcements with you! 

We have a tag sale coming up soon on the farm, come by and say hi! 

We also have a new project in the works, head on over to www.thisishomesteady.com to sign up to our email list and receive the news when our new project goes live!

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Imagine you are watching majestic lions hunting their prey on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in Zimbabwe. These beautiful animals roam in packs, looking for vulnerable prey. Traversing wide, open spaces, the predators and their prey keep each other in balance.

On this episode of Homesteady, Aust introduces us to the work of Allan Savory, of The Savory Institute. Allan grew up in Zimbabwe, and regularly saw lions, elephants, and many other species while assisting his father in surveying the Hwange Game Reserve.

"My father made it impossible not to love the bush. By the time I left high school I could not imagine spending my life anywhere else." Alan pursued a degree in ecology, and his life's work is preventing desertification. Alan takes us through history, highlighting the fact that preserving our natural resources is necessary not only for our survival, but for maintaining a peaceful coexistence between nations. Again and again, wars have ensued over resources; gold, spices, oil. Imagine if the world was in a race for water. Land that has succumbed to desertification can no longer hold water to support plant life. EVEN WHEN IT RAINS. Alan shares with us that as homesteaders, we can truly be part of the solution.

People blamed livestock and overgrazing. The thought was the the livestock ate all the plants, and the bare land then resulted in desertification. However, Alan noticed that within wild herd, such as zebra, wildebeest, elk, or bison, the animals rotated through the land naturally. Wild herd animals graze in large, tightly compacted groups. This led

"Slowly," says Alan, "The murky picture became clearer. The healthiest land I had seen was always associated with the largest herds." On the grasslands, large, tightly compacted groups of prey animals were naturally rotated by the predators who were consistently were a few steps behind, waiting for an animal to break from the herd for their next meal. As the predators closed in, the herd would move, staying a step or two ahead of danger. After the herd had moved on, the land, fed by urine and dung of the animals, and enriched by trampled vegetation, would spring back, fertilized by its encounter with the animals.

Rotational grazing, which seeks to mimics the natural movement of wild herds, is a solution to the prevention of desertification. "In the United States," Allan reports, "millions of cattle are fed grain in a fossil fuel based factory production system while so much of the land in the western half of the country is desertifying due to too few livestock." The majority of livestock is raised in feedlots, where animal waste, instead of fertilizing the ground, becomes toxic waste in need of disposal. Allan encouraged farmers in Africa to adopt rotational grazing, even making a bet with the Rhodesian Minister of Agriculture that his methods could produce healthy land and support twice the amount of livestock in the current amount of space. Learn the whole story in this book, The Grazing Revolution.

Rotational grazing is heavily managed. It requires a planning, investment in equipment, and consistent monitoring. There are many practical applications for rotational grazing for farmers. Farmers who plant crops on fields that are first heavily grazed by cattle have reported seeing 2-5 times previous yields. But does it get Accountant Mike's seal of approval? This debate actually originated on our episode To sheep or not to sheep, during which Aust pitches grazing sheep over buying a new lawnmower. Accountant Mike gives rotational grazing the thumbs up! For the first time, Aust took Accountant Mike's advice, bought sheep, and, after trying to take a few shortcuts, took the leap into electric moveable fencing with help from Stephanie from Premier1 Supplies.

Stephanie from Premier1 Supplies uses moveable electric fencing to practice rotational grazing. She and her husband returned to his family farm to make a go at raising livestock after her father-in-law passed. With she and her husband both working off-farm jobs to continue to support their dream, Stephanie and her husband are able to move 100 head of cattle every weekend. She explains the many benefits of moveable electric fencing to meet the changing needs of her herd. This product is an important part of the history of Premier1. The company evolved from a sheep farm to a farm equipment company based upon the founder's use of moveable electric fencing from England spreading in popularity amongst farmers in his area.

Intrigued by rotational grazing? Want to try it on your homestead? Plan carefully to accurately assess your needs! A solar powered energizer unit, electric netting, and a grounding rods complete a circuit that will give your livestock a little zing if they push their grazing boundaries. The amount and types of fencing, with different options available, runs between $230-$600 for a small homesteading herd. The time commitment per week for moving the fencing? Approximately 45-90 minutes. As homesteaders, this is one way we can positively affect the earth AND improve our bottom line.

Thank you to our partners for making this episode of Homesteady possible!

Is it time to start your fall seeds? Check out the GrowJourney Blog to find the right time for planting in your area.

Want a non-sales newsletter? Sign up for the Premier1 newsletter here.

Liked Stephanie from Premier1? Pioneers have access to this extended interview with Stephanie: How to install Electric Netting for Livestock.

Wait, do YOU want to be a Pioneer? Join here to access all the Pioneer content, including this month's live webinar: how to start a farm. Make sure to wave hi to Dorinda, our Homesteady Pioneer of the Month!

Dorinda, I am going to post a picture of my bolted (and now I think fully dried out) spinach on Instagram. See the pic and follow The Suburban Escapee here. Share pics of your gardening triumphs and fails with the hashtag #iamhomesteady.

FREE Learning Opportunity!

As mentioned on the top of the show, Aust is hosting a FREE online business webinar! The button to sign up is below. With the guidance of Aust and Accountant Mike from the first Homesteady Launchpad I have gone from working 40+ hours per week outside my home, for someone else, to opening my own business. I now work outside the home only 25 hours per week. I STRONGLY encourage the webinar.

Lastly, to ensure your get all of Aust's Jurassic Park References: Little Timmy from Jurassic Park.

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Are you thinking about making the leap into backyard chickens? Or maybe adding some new breeds to your current flock? 

Maybe you want to start a small farm business, selling meat, and want to know the right breeds to start with? 

In this episode of Homesteady we share with you a sneak peak of the Go Homestead! Course, letting you listen to the entire lesson on chickens. 

Learn about the Pros and Cons, equipment needed, best breeds, and more!

And visit www.thisishomesteady.com to sign up for the free video course. 

We also make a big announcement in this episode about a change to the Pioneer Program. Become a Pioneer at https://www.thisishomesteady.com/head-west-become-pioneer/

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How much land do I need to homestead?

What is the best breed of pig to raise?

When is a goat episode of Homesteady coming out? 

Are these the questions that keep you up at night? 

We hope not! But you can learn the answers to them. Check out the special Homesteady Live Episode! 

This was our first time ever Live Streaming an episode. We answered your questions, submitted before the show, and asked live on air!

Enjoy sitting with Accountant Mike, and Aust, and listening to the Q and A. 

This episode was brought to you by www.premier1supplies.com and www.growjourney.com

Join us for the next live recording by becoming a Homesteady Pioneer at www.thisishomesteady.com. 

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How do I

We have an answer for you....

On your mark...get set...GO!

What do these words actually mean? It means to find your lane,

What's your finish line? Are you on your mark? Can you see your

In this episode of Honesteady, we are focusing on the

What's stopping you? Whatever the roadblocks are,

We're also trying a new set-up with this write-up. In the past,

On your mark...

Our first guest, Mary Anne, is from Norway. Despite a 24/7

"It's in my blood," she tells

Mary Anne channeled her Viking stubbornness and sense of ethics

"There were parts of me I loved using that I couldn't

Mary Anne encourages us to fit our passions into our existing

What is holding you back? Identify your homesteading

Need help getting started? We are in the production stage of a

"There was only one four letter word in our family

Cody, or the Wranglerstar Youtube Channel, shares with us the

Cody encourages us to do our best work, even if no one

Cody introduces us to the concept of the "makers mark," where

Cody's own journey is full of risks. He became a firefighter,

One day, Cody came across a book written by a man who quit his

"We were rowing in the same direction,"Cody says, "And

The values Cody holds dear make him feel that even though his

"If the deep end isn't the right spot for you-that's

Cody shares that he started with a 4"x8" garden bed. His wife

So where are you right now? Are you feeling the motivation to

Get set....

Make the decision to walk against the wind.

Sit down with a pen and paper. List exactly what you want. What

And...Go!

Are you on our email list? Sign up

From the Suburban Escapee

This episode hit on so many important points. As a former runner

The stories of Mary Anne and Cody are so important to hear

I am a person who is passionate about her "day job," and have a

I'm in the middle of my own transition right now. I just took

What is your vision? How can we help? Let us know- and we'd love

Thank you to our Partners for supporting Homesteady!

Support your livestock with top-quality products from Premier 1. (I am about to go

Get your garden going this spring with a seed subscription from

Links and Topics from the Go Homestead! Podcast Episode:

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Have you ever brought a duck INSIDE your house to live?

Do you have ridiculously cutesy names for every one of your ducks?

Do you refer to yourself as a duck person?

Then you've been AB-DUCK-TED.

Ducks. How could anyone resist adding adorable, fuzzy, ducklings to their poultry flock? Whether for meat or for eggs, ducklings are pretty adorable.

But...ducks grow up. Into messy, smelly, adult ducks, who need water and an overall wet place to live. Aust's short experience at his homestead with ducks has prompted him to give ducks a firm thumbs down.

Or has it?

In this episode of Homesteady, we sit with Aust's friends Lauren and Joe or "Pac-man," and hear the story of Little Foot Farm, and their "Ab-duck-tion". Despite warnings to the contrary from Aust and Kendra...Lauren and Joe are Duck People. The are passionate about their ducks at Little Foot Farm, and have some sage advice to get the most enjoyment out of your ducks.

If you're deciding to get ducks, prepare. Things turn out much, much better. Don't just jump in! Lauren and Joe tell us how if you set up the appropriate housing and environment for the ducks, there are very good reasons to enjoy ducks and the value they add to your homestead.

Little Foot Farm is on Instagram. Are you a duck person? Share your picture with them, and hashtag it #schmuckswithducks

A big shout out to Square Globe Studios for their help with the segment with Lauren and Joe! Check them out here.

Sometimes this ab-duck-tion process begins with fair warning.

Other times this ab-duck-tion can happen suddenly... out of nowhere.

Roy Sharp is a ski bum, a professional chef, a Homesteady pioneer...and a duck person. The head "Ducklehead" of The Ducklehead Ranch, his duck farm, to be exact. He happened to live on a farm the day a duck was unexpectedly was left by the front door of his restaurant job. "Ruby" came home with Roy...and the ab-duck-tion was completed. Want to follow the current happenings on The Ducklehead Ranch? Visit them on Facebook!

Are these duck enthusiasts changing your mind about ducks yet? Not convinced? Are you concerned with having access to very high quality food?

Nutritionally, duck eggs are a more nutritious food than chicken eggs. Denise from Core Nutrition shared these compelling duck egg facts:

Learn more about Denise and hear approach to health eating at mycorenutrition.net, and receive bonus duck egg frittata recipe if you sign up for the email list!

Ab-duck-tion stories are not all the spontaneous love stories we've presented so far. Some people really do plan out their duck acquisition! Aaron and Susan von Frank from Grow Journey, one of our Homesteady partners, love their ducks. (See a picture of them with one of their feathered friends right here!) At Tyrant Farms, they researched ducks for six months before adding them to their livestock. After their research, they have found that ducks are both excellent producers and wonderful pets. They share their top four reasons to add ducks to your homestead:

At Tyrant Farms, they see a duck as "A Small dog that poops eggs." Who wouldn't want that?

Tyrant Farms has a fantastic blog with an entire duck archive, where you are able to benefit from their research and experience. Find the duck archive here!

Don't forget to check out the GrowJourney Tip of the Month!

But do the profits of ducks cover the "bills?" What does Accountant Mike have to say? Accountant Mike is unswayed by cuteness or mess. It's all about the profit. Are the profits there? Step out of the way, chickens, because Accountant Mike's money is with the ducks! This Tyrant Farms infographic lays out the facts for the Ducks vs. Chicken debate.

From the Suburban Escapee

Despite the fact that this episode could be called "Ducks: A Love Story," I am still resisting ab-duck-tion. I am slightly swayed by the nutritional and flavor accolades of the duck egg, but overall, I am not convinced.

I laughed out loud when Lauren admitted in her interview with Pac that she didn't like animals. I don't like animals, either, and having stinky, smelly ducks does not appeal to me. I have a current rule about animal acquisition and my family: nothing that needs its poop cleaned up can come live inside or our home or in our yard while I still have a child in diapers.

I have chickens, and cleaning up after the chickens is easy. The Country Boy wants ALL the animals, and has tried to sell me on ducks numerous times. This episode left out what is, to me, the major deterrent of ducks: the water. If you have to build a pond, this comes with major financial, maintenance, and drainage implications. Creating a body of water also requires you to check in with your homeowners insurance policy as well, as you will likely need to add coverage.

Do you have ducks? Did you love them or leave them? Share your experience in the comments.

Are you a duck person, and want to tell the world? Check out our "abduckted" t-shirt!

Win a T-shirt! Share this episode with the hashtag #abduckted to be entered to win.

COMING SOON: The LIVE Recording of Homesteady with YOUR Questions!

What burning homesteading questions do you have? Email them to [email protected]. The live event is an INVITE-ONLY web broadcast for Pioneers, with Aust and Accountant Mike. If you want to be invited, click to become a Pioneer today!

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