By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture
ASHDOWN, Ark. — The Little River County Extension Office will host its first Well Rooted Homesteading Conference, with workshops in everything from chickens to cheesemaking, designed to help folks learn to live sustainably and self-reliantly.
Homesteading -- The Little River County Extension Office will host the Well Rooted Homesteading Conference on Feb. 18, 2023. Graphic/UADA
The daylong event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Feb. 18 at Cossatot Community College in Ashdown. Attendees are required to register in advance by Feb. 14 at bit.ly/Well-Rooted-Homesteading. The cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. Registration will not be available at the door.
“The Well Rooted Homesteading Conference is the first of its kind in our area of the state,” said Jennifer Sansom, agricultural agent with the Little River County Extension Office, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The conference will offer educational information that’s practical and interesting.”
Homesteading experts will offer workshops in backyard poultry, water safety and storage, soil health, long-term food preservation, gardening and growing techniques and food demonstrations. There will also be a charcuterie tasting of local homemade breads, jams, jellies, honey, homemade butter and cheese, and a question-and-answer session.
While homesteading has long been of interest to many Arkansans, Sansom said interest spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Extension agents throughout the state have responded by offering their resources and expertise.
“Since COVID began, I began to notice that probably four out of every five of my producers/clients said they have concerns about rising costs and want to be more self-sufficient,” Sansom said.
Bethany Barney, the family and consumer science agent in Little River County, hears similar concerns from her clients in the form of requests for more canning classes and long-term food storage options.
“Bethany and I began to work together on more and more garden-to-table programming. From that, Well Rooted Homesteading was born,” Sansom said.
Schedule
9-10:30 a.m.
Hugelkutur Gardening Techniques and Water Safety and Storage
Backyard Poultry and Soil Health
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Hugelkutur Gardening Techniques and Water Safety and Storage
Backyard Poultry and Soil Health
12:15-1:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15-2:15 p.m.: Longterm Food Storage: Freeze Drying, Canning and Dehydrating, and Successful Sour Dough Starter
2:30-3:30 p.m. Charcuterie Tasting, Expert Panel Q & A
For more information, contact the Little River County Extension office at 870-898-7224 or email littleriver-ashdown@uada.edu.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture publications, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension.