WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR!

Shawn and Beth Dougherty have been farming together since the 1980’s, for the last twenty years in eastern Ohio, where they manage 90 acres, much of it designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’.  Using intensive grazing as the primary source of food energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of the food, feed and fertility for humans and animals, on the farm.  Concerned that farming is so often dependent upon multiple off-farm resources, from feed, fuel and fertilizer to water and electricity, their ongoing project is to identify and test the means by which farming was done for centuries with a minimum of off-farm inputs. Their research has led them to identify grass conversion, especially the daily conversion of grass into milk by dairy ruminants, as a key to whole-farm sustainability, combined with the integrated nutrient feed-backs that are possible with a community of diverse animal and plant species, domestic and native.    They are the authors of The Independent Farmstead, 

Bo Brown​ is the Owner of First Earth Wilderness School, and Author of Foraging the Ozarks. Bo has been teaching outdoor skills for nearly 30 years. He is a songbird field biologist and field research technician. He conducts programs for Stone Age wilderness survival skills, and Natural Education at his schools property along the Niangua River. He also leads weekly primitive skills and foraging demonstrations at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, a Johnny Morris Property. ​

Terry started his farming career on a .25 acre plot growing organic vegetables for stores and farmers market in 1978. He joined the organic farming movement in 1987, becoming active on the board of Ozark Organic Growers Association. He then co-founded Missouri Organic Association (renamed Mid-America Organic Association), holding the office of President several times. Terry grew food for Missouri’s second CSA, which served 90 families from 1989 to 1995. Terry became active in the Elderberry Improvement Project as a donator of germplasm. His elderberry plantation was among the first to use the recommended culture methods for varieties developed from wild Missouri elderberry plants.. Subsequently, he raised the largest elderberry acreage in the United States. Terry spends a great deal of time recruiting growers and teaching them how to grow and harvest elderberries and how to prepare their crop for market. He has developed two unique products using a proprietary process under the River Hills Harvest label. He travels across the U.S. sharing the economic opportunities presented by elderberries and sharing his knowledge about growing, harvesting and selling their crop to farmers. At home, he gives farm tours, tastings and sponsors Elderberry Mentoring Workshops, as well as performing custom planting and management work.

Cyndi is the founder/ CEO of the Ladies National Homestead Gathering. The NLHG provides a welcoming environment where women can share knowledge and celebrate victories. NLHG is not about acres of land but rather about doing homesteading activities wherever you live. We have urban, suburban, and rural chapters nationwide. We help women connect in their own areas to share knowledge, build communities, and grow friendships. All women are welcome to our Gatherings who have a dream or desire to be more self-reliant. Whether their homesteads are in the planning phase or already established, all women have something to contribute or gain from coming together. Cyndi will be talking about The Benefits of Authentic Community. She also will be sharing during lunch where ladies can get to know each other and find others in your community. 

www.nlhg.org

Kody is a wife of a veteran, mother of 6, homesteader, and homeschooler, that has devoted her life to agriculture and embracing rural living. She created and authored the Homestead Education series of homeschool curricula that includes homestead science. She is the host of The Homestead Education Podcast, which is rapidly growing in popularity where she chats candidly about homesteading, homeschooling, and personal growth. She enjoys teaching many topics as well as bringing in some of the greatest thinkers in her field to teach her audience as well. Her teaching topic will be Teaching Homesteading for Lifelong Self-Sufficiency

Dewayne is a national speaker on all things homesteading from wildcrafting to animal husbandry. He has studied microbiology and has a degree in agriculture. Dewayne is a Cherokee citizen and as a child he spent much of his time in the Dine and Navajo Indian reservations. Dewayne will be teaching on  Emergency Preparedness in the home and on the road and also will be doing a presentation on Raising Meat Goats for profit.  

Patrick Byers is Commercial Horticulture Field Specialist with University of Missouri

Extension, serving 9 counties in southwest Missouri. His educational background includes horticulture degrees from the Universities of Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Patrick’s 33-year career has touched all aspects of horticulture, and his current job

focuses on advisement to fruit and vegetable farmers with the goal of supporting sustainability and profitability. His passions include berries (especially elderberry),garlic, native fruits and nuts, hops and orchids. He will be speaking on Starting an Orchard in the Ozarks, including PawPaws and Figs.  

Samantha Crooks is a Livestock Guardian Dog Educator and is passionate about sharing how dogs are used to protect her farm. Her and her husband, Corey are raising their four children on their 500 acre family farm in Missouri with the goal of self sufficiency and they are doing things as naturally as possible.

To learn more about Livestock Guardian Dogs and all of the animals they protect head to @thecrooksfamilyfarm on Instagram!

Vincent Finelli, Nationally Syndicated Radio Broadcaster and Missouri Cattle Farmer, is the Original Survival Economist. Rule 1 - Start your own Preparedness Business. Rule 2 - Never have someone else prepare your taxes. Since 2012, he has taught over 6,200 one-hour Preparedness Classes and this course will teach you how you can easily save thousands of dollars per year, while preparing for what’s to come. It is the same thing that the rich do - The IRS publishes how to do it - and it costs you nothing. This class is absolutely free. If you can only attend one seminar this year, this might be it.

Mike Nocks has spent over 15 years gaining experience working in the seed industry.  Mike and his family utilized this experience to open White Harvest Seed Company located in the Ozarks of Missouri in 2010.The Nocks family have worked every aspect of the seed industry including: growing, maintaining, harvesting, seed storage, and packaging.
For Mike and his family, prepping is currently a lifelong journey. They reside on 40 acres and live the self-reliance lifestyle, using off grid solar power, water supplied by an Amish-made windmill (which they helped erect), and their gardens have expanded yearly to help supply their food needs. Raising animals for food is also a high priority of their self-sustaining lifestyle.

Maranda Weathermon and her husband Pietro "Monti" Monticelli have been working towards self sufficiency for over 15 years. They work a small Homestead in Southern Missouri filled with sheep, milk cows, milk goats chickens and gardens.  Despide loving it all they are most passionate about sheep.  Maranda and Monti lead their family shearing crew in shearing all over the Ozarks.  They love helping budding shepherds choose their  breed of sheep, improve  their husbandry, how to use the whole animal and care for these wonderful creatures.   They will be sharing their knowledge, giving tips on shearing as well has helping troubleshoot shearing equipment. 

Bill Wehlage and his wife Karen are passionate about the Registered Tamworth Pigs they raise at Bacon Acres Farm in Northeastern Oklahoma.   This pasture operation runs 16 sows and two different bloodline boars, which have allowed the farm to build and ship Tamworth breeding stock, feeder pigs, and complete turnkey herds to 37 states. Bill is known for carefully working with new growers, assisting them with the setup and the normal and unexpected stresses of swine husbandry. His philosophy is 1) do good prep work, 2) add great pigs, 3) follow thru with a consistent program, 4) stay as natural as possible, and 5) let the pigs do the rest. Learn more about Bill and the Tamworth Pigs at www.baconacresfarm.com.

David McDaris has been in the building and construction industry for over 25 years. For the past 6 years, that focus has been on wind and solar, designing small DIY systems to large setups for off-grid living.  David appears regularly on the Missouri Wind and Solar podcast and teaches the hands-on workshop.  With a lifetime experience working with cattle, he's a fantastic resource for the farmer or homesteader that needs power where it's otherwise hard to get.  He's got a true passion for pond aeration but has a wealth of knowledge in all things wind and solar.  David will be demonstrating the basics on how to size and install a small solar-powered system and explain the benefits of energy independence. Topics: Going Solar for Your Well
What it means to be off grid vs hybrid