Join Us for Tribe Day: A Homestead Conference for DIY Farmers!
Dates: July 11 and 12, 2026
If you're ready to really elevate your homestead game, and to do it in the company of other serious homesteaders, you're in the right place.
Spend a weekend, or just the day, with like-minded homesteading folks to learn homesteading skills, talk around the campfire, and share good food. Participate in workshops designed to help you gain self-sufficiency and independence by learning about homesteading skills for the beginner through advanced homestead farmer.
Saturday Workshops for 2026!
Craig Schaaf is a well known soil expert and natural farming guru. He'll open your eyes to "Solar Progression and Observation." Attention to detail is the key to success. Despite all the well intentioned wisdom from the Farm Service agencies and universities, observing nature, attending to the details, will help you manage your homestead naturally in far better ways. Nature has her own calendar and methods, and observing carefully to work with that is essential for premium production with less effort. Craig's teachings always go deep and wide, so come with your notebook, an open mind, and all your questions on making your homestead naturally successful.
Travis DeWall will walk you through the process of blacksmithing and will be doing demonstrations. He'll also have a "blacksmith experience" where you can purchase a small project to blacksmith and try your own hand at the craft. Making functional and beautiful metal worked parts for your farm is very doable! Travis operates DeWall's Forge LLC in Stanwood, Michigan, specializing in handcrafted ironwork, tools, and art, including campfire cooking gear and functional metalwork. Established in 2017, the forge features traditional blacksmithing techniques, live demonstrations at Michigan events, and provides beginner blacksmithing lessons. He and his wife Abby run their own homestead. They will have their works of art available for you to take home, as well.
Kelly Brandt is an experienced sheep farmer and professional wool producer. You'll discover exactly how to raise sheep naturally and how they can benefit your homestead in so many ways, after all, every enterprise needs to pay it's way. One of the by products of sheep (and several other farm animals, including angora rabbits and dogs!) is WOOL. You'll get to experience the different kinds of wool, ways to make it useful and profitable, and many things you can easily make with wool. Kelly will have various kits you and your kids can purchase to play with how easy and fun it can be to make simple things from wool. She will have wool yarn and other products available for you to take home to continue the wooly experience for yourself. Learn more about Kelly, her farm, and her products at Team Effort Artisans.
Here is more about Kelly: Kelly Dubois Brandt began her wool craft odyssey in 1975 when four horned Dorset sheep came to her five acre farm "just to keep the pasture down". She soon fell in love with the lustrous fleece revealed by shearing and developed projects to use the fiber. Starting with wool filled comforters, Kelly soon expanded her skills to locker hooking and spinning. Then she discovered felting and is now known for her extraordinary felting skills having developed a wide variety of felted products.
Kelly's enthusiasm for sharing the fiber arts and the animals that produce the fiber has led her to teach felting to young and old alike throughout the mid-west. A guest instructor at Grand Rapids Children's Museum and featured in the Grand Rapids Press, she currently offers ongoing classes at her studio in Lake Odessa. Her fiber creations have been showcased at craft and art shows, many galleries and shops including "Art on the Hill" in Grand Rapids.
Children are welcome! There are activities planned for them, plus the fun of just hanging out with other farm kids and having fun.
Lunch will be potluck around a pig roast. We'll provide table service. Our on farm "cafe" will be open for meals other than Saturday lunch.
Sunday: Skill Share Day
This is where the magic happens! Sunday is all about sharing and learning from each other. Think of it as a collaborative space where you can exchange tips, tricks, and techniques with fellow homesteaders. The schedule is still being finalized, and you can sign up at the Gathering to share your knowledge and experience, so stay tuned for more details.
Limited rustic camping sites are available on the farm with a reservation.
Ready for some intense, varied, fun, and no holds barred conversation? Join us around the campfire Friday and Saturday evenings for some homestead farm fellowship.
The Cafe will be open to serve farm fresh food for meals other than the potluck on Saturday!
This conference is a unique chance to immerse yourself in the homesteading lifestyle, learn valuable skills, and form lasting connections with others who share your passion.
Don't Miss Out!
Join us for Tribe Day and be a part of a community that grows, learns, and thrives together!
"You won't regret it!" --Amy Stumpo
"On Saturday, my family attended Bakers' Green Acres Anyone Can Farm tribe event. There, my jaw dropped in the place of language. I finally met people who thought like me. Our family took classes on beekeeping, growing your own medicine, living off grid, and fermentation. It was awesome! Amongst most of my friends, I am definitely the odd-man-out for choosing to live an alternative lifestyle. It was refreshing to see a huge turnout and meet other like minded people who source good meat (which you can do from Bakers' Green Acres and their bacon is arguably the best in the land), drink real milk (which you can also get from Bakers' Green Acres...they have everything) and choose more natural methods to their health and their children's health. It truly is living the way God intended and that is beautiful to know that the lovely Baker family cares enough about teaching all of us their WEALTH of knowledge to share it with us and our families. Our family has been blessed time and time again by the Baker family and this event is totally worth it to anyone willing to learn alternative ways of living (from beginning level to experienced). " ---Kaitlin Sheridan
