Homesteading and Community with Dawn and Troy

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Troy and Dawn to talk about the Homesteading-ish Conference, now in its second year. They tell me the “ish” stands for In Search of Help and the goal is to give people tools to take more responsibility for their food and learn skills like gardening, raising animals, beekeeping, and food preservation. Troy explains that the idea started with his farm and the Capital Conservation District working together to offer a wide range of presenters in one place. He says modern homesteading is about self-reliance, not the old Homestead Act, and that interest has grown in recent years, especially after the pandemic showed how fragile supply systems can be. Dawn shares that participants want clean food, sustainable practices, and a community to support their journey, and many have already returned for a second year to build on what they learned. They both see the future of the event as keeping it intimate so people can connect directly and continue learning together. I leave feeling like this gathering is less about farming alone and more about creating lasting community around food and self-reliance.