I am so glad that we went back to the conference!
After the wonderful time that we had on day one, we figured that we had better head on back for another day of education and information.Much like the previous day, we had a wonderful time meeting others with similar goals and lifestyles and sharing information and ideas with one another. Here is a brief overview of some of what we heard and saw.
PRESENTATIONS
The presentations were very insightful once again. I think that learned at least a few things at every one of them. Many at least provided some good information for things that we are already working on or planning on doing. Here's some of the presentations that we attended.
Using Homestead Tools
Small Farm Livestock
DIY Hoop Houses
Canning Techniques
Needle Craft.
Some of the ones that we missed out on included that following:
Beekeeping Basics
Herbal Preparations
Making Money From the Homestead
@Mama-pepper gleaned some more excellent information about canning and preserving our harvest and the and I met a neighbor who shared about small farm livestock.
He has meat goats and even some Dexter cattle, which is a great shorter cow variety which may be perfect for us if we choose to have a cow one day. We will have to see, but he even gave us an invitation to visit his homestead soon, which would be excellent.
VENDORS
We purchased some great items to take home and to enjoy at the conference.
"GET YA SOME BBQ" was serving lunch once again, so we purchased some delicious sandwiches and tacos. It was pretty reasonable to feed us all for under $20 USD too, so that made it even more enjoyable.
The children ate their plates up well, and did not get that many leftovers to take care of.
Though we missed the Bee Keeping presentation, we still got to check out their booth. Not only is honey an amazing food with a lot of great health benefits, it is so cool to see in the honeycomb and to even be able to purchase some.
Many more herbs were also for sale again, so we picked up a few more... again. There are just so many with such great uses that they can be hard to resist if the price is right.
The dried herbs for seasoning butters and such and for use in teas were also very interesting. @Papa-pepper loves him some tea and free samples are right up my alley!
DEMONSTRATIONS
I've got to hand it to "Pa Mac" from the https://farmhandscompanion.com website and YouTube channel. He is one skilled man full of a wealth of practical information and know-how and it is amazing just to see him work.
The Using Homestead Tools session and demonstration was my favorite part of the day. It looks like I'll have to make myself a setup like this for making my own wooden shingles.
It is an interesting process with an amazing-looking final result. Whether it is just for a shed or chicken coop or if we actually shingle our house this way, it's some great knowledge to have no matter what.
I can't wait to put more of this information to use as we continue living out our dream.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This was another incredible day of learning more about a lifestyle that has been left behind by many in the "modern world." Homesteading and providing for more of our own needs is just one piece of the puzzle of our life, but we are fitting into it quite well so far.
A special thanks to all of you for your encouragement and support as we continue to progress towards our goals. Your kind words mean a lot to us! Thanks for that!
As always, I'm
and here's the proof:
proof-of-arkansas-homesteading-conference-again
Until next time…
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