Plans and Provisions Homestead

Latest Episodes:

027: Reclaiming Their Legacy with Austin and Rebekah Lebahn Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

As my family’s first year on our homestead comes to a close, we’ve begun to look into the next year or two and envision what reasonable growth and development on our property might look like. As we reflect on the challenges and successes of our ‘rookie year’ of homesteading, we’re filled with excitement and gratitude to realize just how much of a foundation we’ve laid for the years to come. Despite feeling sometimes like we haven’t done enough, we’ve come to understand the time it takes to build something like this and why homesteading is often referred to as a journey.

On today’s episode, I welcome Austin and Rebekah Lebahn as they share their story of how they left the city and completely changed their family’s lives. They started their homesteading journey as a totally citified couple who, when the opportunity arrived, were among the least likely candidates to buy the family farm. Four years later, these unlikely travelers on the homestead path are, not only homesteading on their 330 acre farm, but they’re selling pasture raised poultry and beef direct to consumers in their local market.

In this episode, Austin and Rebekah share:

* How they were a “totally citified” couple who were unlikely candidates to buy the family farm

* The fear of leaving the familiarity of a conventional life into a new rural culture

* Leaving the established rhythm of suburban life into the new rhythm of farming and homesteading

* How they had to learn to set priorities and boundaries to establish a functional rhythm

* The early struggles of trying to monetize the farm and how moving too fast cost them momentum

* Their transition to direct to consumer marketing and how that put some wind in their sails

* The challenges of learning to do things the natural way as they transitioned their farm from chemical dependence

* The importance of community in getting them through the tough times

* How their children soared to the occasion of this radical change of lifestyle

* Their transition from public school to homeschooling

* How they learned humility through struggles in raising livestock and how that helped them drive through the hard times

* Their drive to provide the experience and opportunity for their children to embrace the farming lifestyle as adults

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN AND REBEKAH ON FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/lebahnfarm

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN AND REBEKAH BY EMAIL:

Lebahnfarm@gmail.com

https://www.plansandprovisions.com

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026: Carving Out a New Way of Life with Greg Sweeton Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Many of us in the homesteading movement are making major life changes as we work toward a simpler, but not necessarily easier, way of life. It takes great courage to step away from the security and familiarity of convention into a world that is, for many of us, unfamiliar. The promise of a better life drives us into that new world and the challenges we face are met with the determination to truly live the dream we have for ourselves and our families.

My guest today is someone who, three years ago, took that leap with his family into the world of homesteading. Leaving behind a mainstream, suburban life and a couple of corporate careers, Greg Sweeton and his wife Laura stepped out to carve out a new way of living for their family. They faced the new challenges of homestead living head on and, in just a few short years have developed systems of abundance for their family and the community that they live in.

Topics of discussion:

* How Greg raises New Zealand White rabbits, Dexter Cattle, hogs in silvopasture as well as utilizes multi-species rotational grazing with Cornish Cross chickens and Katahdin-Dorper Cross sheep.

* How health issues drove Greg and his wife toward a Keto diet and, ultimately buying a small farm/homestead.

* How the movie “Food, Inc.” was a major inspiration and the influence that Joel Salatin has had on their decision to homestead.

* His experience using a Chickshaw and Meatshaw, both designs by Justin Rhodes.

* Perfectionism and its hindrance to progress.

* Learning to adapt to your own homestead context through constant problem solving

* The joys of raising children on a homestead and homeschooling

* The challenges of leaving corporate life and consumer culture to become more independent and truly productive

* How they developed side hustles and eventually started Shepherd’s Crook Coffee.

* The philosophy of planning your homestead production around a seasonal diet.

BUY SHEPHERD’S CROOK COFFEE:

https://www.shepherdscrookcoffee.com/

FOLLOW SHEPHERD’S CROOK ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/shepherdscrookcoffee/

FOLLOW TRUNORTH FARM ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/trunorthfarm/

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https://www.plansandprovisions.com/landing-page/

VOICEOVER INTRO/OUTRO PROVIDED BY:

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025: October Farm Update Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

It's the first Friday of October so that means it's a time for an update on what's been going on around our homestead.

In this episode, I share:

* How we're processing our abundance of tomatoes and the race to get them inside as ripe as possible before the first frost

* Our success with winter squash like Musque De Provence and North Georgia Candyroaster

* Our hopes for a fall potato harvest

* Our plans for cover crops over winter

* Lessons learned from our first season of gardening on our homestead and our plans for using weed mat and drip irrigation next year

* The abundance of black walnuts that we’re currently harvesting and how we’re getting them out of the husk and ready for cracking

* The health of our flock of meat birds and the success of the recently built chicken tractor

* The experience of processing our first chickens on the homestead

* Our failed first attempt at breeding our New Zealand rabbits and how we’re trying again

* The very noticeable gains of our bottle calves after the blessing of rain in August

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INTRO VOICE OVER PROVIDED BY:

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024: Homesteading in the Suburbs with Harold Thornbro Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

We are blessed to live in a time where we have access to more information and communication opportunities than ever before. Those opportunities are nowhere any more apparent than in the homesteading movement, where we enjoy an abundance of forums, YouTube channels, online communities, live events and podcasts—to name a few. These resources are critical in that they not only provide practical knowledge and skills, but also bring people together and help build community.

In todays episode, I welcome Harold Thornbro—the founder and co-host of the Modern Homesteading Podcast. He lives in a suburban neighborhood where he pushes the limits of what can be done on a small property, all while maintaining a neighbor friendly appearance. In addition to his fantastic podcast, he blogs regularly at redemptionpermaculture.com, as well as hosts an Facebook community called the homestead front porch.

In this episode, we discuss:

* Harold’s bout with an aggressive form of cancer and how that drove him to a Keto diet

* How he began growing his own food and how that led him to begin to learn to cook

* What challenges he faced as he developed his suburban homestead

* How he developed perennial food forest systems on his property

* The idea of ‘edible landscaping’ and how that concept has helped him maintain a good relationship with his neighbors

* The benefits of raising qual for eggs and meat

* Using cover crops in the garden

* The idea that we should all get started where we are on our homesteading journey

CHECK OUT THE MODERN HOMESTEADING PODCAST:

https://redemptionpermaculture.com/category/podcast/

JOIN THE HOMESTEAD FRONT PORCH FACEBOOK GROUP:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HomesteadFrontPorch

VISIT HAROLD'S BLOG:

https://redemptionpermaculture.com/

SUPPORT THIS PODCAST:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/plansnprov

INTRO VOICE OVER PROVIDED BY:

https://www.sweetteafilms.com/

023: Beekeeping on the Homestead with Bobby Jimenez Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

#023 - In a time where inflation and supply chain issues are everyday topics, it’s easy to fixate on cost and scarcity concerns when it comes to managing our resources. Many of us have, undoubtedly, taken on a new project out of one concern or another and then found ourselves enjoying other benefits well outside of our original motivations. After realizing the massive price increase of honey this summer, I started questioning whether or not adding bees to my homestead was a realistic goal, and whether doing so would provide more than just free honey.
In today’s episode, I welcome back Bobby Jimenez of the Rabbitry Center to share his passion for beekeeping which actually started from his desire to improve pollination on his homestead. 7 years after his initial dive into the craft, he manages a number of hives on several properties as well as hosts a YouTube channel where he shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for keeping bees.
Bobby shares how he jumped into beekeeping head first and without much initial knowledge and how, through consistent observation and determination, he has reaped rewards well beyond his initial expectations. We discuss different management options available to new beekeepers as well as different strategies to making money from your bees. We also talk about the seasonal tasks required to be successful and Bobby shares the next steps for anyone interested in getting started.

Key discussion points: All natural beekeeping vs. treatments, raising bees for honey vs. raising bees to sell nucs, finding community through local beekeeping groups, biggest challenges every beekeeper will face, unexpected benefits of raising bees, pollination.
VISIT BOBBY'S WEBSITE:
https://bobbysbeez.com
VISIT BOBBY'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUDI6Nm5cd4ENkT_qK7HBg
VISIT MY RESOURCES PAGE:
https://www.plansandprovisions.com/resources/
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INTRO VOICE OVER PROVIDED BY:

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022: Grow Where You're Planted with Rachel Jamison Sep 06, 2022

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#022 - We all have different reasons for wanting to homestead and even different definitions of what exactly the word homesteading means. We’re all drawn to different aspects of the homestead way of life and the possibilities are endless when it comes to the combinations of different plants, animals and practices you can find at the individual homestead level. We also all have different skill sets and blessings, but also varying limitations such as climate, property size and local regulations.
Well today’s guest was drawn to homesteading from a personal desire for a better way of life, but then was driven forward by the will to survive. Her name is Rachel Jamison and early in her adult life she found herself facing multiple severe health issues that made producing her own nutrient dense food not only a desire, but an absolute necessity. Many years later she now, not only lives a life of abundant health, but also inspires others through her example and by co-hosting the wonderful “Modern Homesteading Podcast”.
We get to hear about her early journey in homesteading and how she was able to restore her, and her family’s health by taking control of their food. We talk about homesteading as a matter of the heart and how important it is to ‘grow where you’re planted’, rather than wait for the perfect set of circumstances. She shares some of the ways that she has built community over the years and even gets into some of the details of what she has done to build healthy soil on her property.
CHECK OUT THE MODERN HOMESTEADING PODCAST:
https://redemptionpermaculture.com/category/podcast/
CONNECT WITH RACHEL ON INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=91tw5kwiipn9&utm_content=qsh427
SOIL TEST AMENDMENT GUIDE:
https://growabundant.com/organic-amendments-users-guide/
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021: September Farm Update Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

#021 - It's time for an update of everything that's been going on around the homestead over the past month. Still learning some tough lessons in the garden, but bringing in baskets of produce as well.

Having some breakthroughs in our rabbitry and the steer calves are putting on weight.

Celebrating 6 months of the podcast with some new arrivals on the homestead.
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https://www.plansandprovisions.com/resources/
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020: The Renaissance of the Community Grain Mill with Justin Metcalf Aug 23, 2022

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#020 - I’ve heard it said that, over the past few years, we’ve seen a back to the land movement on a level never before seen in this nation. As the monolith of centralized and industrialized food production continues it’s decline, more and more people are taking a step or two back and learning how to do things in ways that have mostly been lost over the past few generations. Many of us are eager to learn but at a real deficit in direct learning as a result of the cultural shift toward convenience over the past several decades.
My guest today has a different story than most of us as his family has occupied the same piece of land for about 200 years, living in ways that many of us are trying to learn today. His name is Justin Metcalf and he is not only an 8th generation homesteader but he is also what is known as a traditional millwright. His Youtube channel “Metcalf Mills” is a fantastic resource for those interested in learning traditional skills, as well as those with a curiosity about Appalachian history.
In our conversation, Justin shares the history of his grandfather’s grain mill and how, after several decades of neglect and disrepair, he was able to bring new life into that old milling equipment. I ask him some specifics about homestead level grain production and he describes how he does things on his farm to keep his family fed. We discuss the decline of the community grain mill and he shares some exciting news of his plans to bring them back to life.
VISIT JUSTIN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfL5xkT20SehAuS6TSKIRrw
VISIT MY RESOURCES PAGE:
https://www.plansandprovisions.com/resources/
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019: A Conversation with Cheryl Franklin of The Ozarks Homesteading Expo Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

#019 - As the homesteading movement gains momentum and more people are taking matters into their own hands regarding food and other resources, the demand for learning new skills grows as well. While we are certainly blessed to live in a time with an abundance of digital and print resources, there is simply no replacement for hands on experience and networking opportunities that come with in-person learning.
My guest today certainly understands that as she has worked tirelessly to develop what is quickly becoming one of the top homesteading gatherings in the nation. After a long career in the print newspaper industry, Cheryl Franklin has started a new life as the organizer of the upcoming Ozarks Homesteading Expo which takes place on August 26th and 27th of this year.
In our talk, we get to hear her perspective of what it was like to get started as a young homesteader, fresh from the city and newly transplanted in SW Missouri. We talk about the importance of community and the challenges of balancing a full time career, family responsibilities and a growing homestead. She tells the story of how she found herself running a successful homesteading event and gives some details on what folks can expect who attend this year.
Check out Cheryl's site for more information on the upcoming Ozarks Homesteading Expo:
https://ozarkshomesteading.com/
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018: August Farm Update Aug 05, 2022

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#018 - It's the first Friday of August and time for an update on what's going on around the hoemstead. It's gardening season and we're learning a bunch of tough lessons that will pay off in the future. A few successes with the livestock and some new problems we're dealing with as well.
I make some announcements about the podcast as well and share some encouragement.
Check out the website:
https://www.plansandprovisions.com/
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