Join us for the Rooted & Resilient Homesteading Conference, where you'll dig deep into the practical skills and knowledge needed to build a thriving, self-sufficient homestead.
REGISTER HERE - September 10 to November 6
REGISTER HERE2025 Rooted & Resilient Homesteading Conference
Community Learning Center
401 E Diamond Street
Kendallville, IN 46755
Join us at the Rooted & Resilient Homestead Conference, where you'll dig deep into the practical skills and knowledge needed to build a thriving, self-sufficient homestead. This hands-on event brings together local experts and passionate homesteaders to share their expertise on everything from sustainable farming and food preservation to livestock management and business management techniques. Whether you're a seasoned homesteader or just starting out, you'll gain valuable insights, learn time-tested techniques, and connect with a community of like-minded individuals. Come prepared to get your hands dirty and leave with the confidence and tools to cultivate a resilient and self-reliant lifestyle.
Join us for a powerful keynote on staying safe where it matters most — on the farm and homestead! Excited to offer Farm Safety Program packets to the first 100 to register.
We are so excited to have Graham Towerton join us; Graham is a Permaculture Consultant and COO of Permaculture Canada. A retired 34-year veteran in Chemical Engineering, he is now embarking on a longer career in permaculture. He has a 7-acre farm in Michigan and provides design, consulting and landscape installation services.
REGISTER HERE - September 10 to November 6
REGISTER HEREREGISTRATION OPEN SEPTEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 6
Early Registration:
September 10-30
1-day Friday or Saturday - $75
Both Days - $105
Regular Price:
October 1-18
1-day Friday or Saturday - $90
Both Days - $120
Late Registration:
October 18-November 6
1-day Friday or Saturday - $100
Both Days - $150
Youth
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025 SCHEDULE
1A: Nourish to Flourish: The Sustainability Shift
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Crystal Ruisard, Parkview Registered Dietitian, as she reveiws some of the common methods to flourish with our homegrown nourishment!
1B: Herb Your Enthusiasm: Growing Herbs from the Ground Up
Join Belinda Ireland, Wabash County Master Gardener, as she walks us through growing our own herbs to use!
1C: Grass, Gates, & Good Stock-Intro to Cattle Care
Join Dr. Ron Lemenager, Purdue Beef Specialist, as he shares the foundation to a great beef cattle management program!
1D: Lathered Up: A Beginner’s Guide to Soap Crafting
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Janel Franks, as she walks through the creation of soaps from start to finish!
2A: Creepy, Crawly, Controlled: Managing Insects in the Home
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Bill Horan, as he shares how to manage a variety of insects around our homesteads!
2B: Backyard Berries & Grapes: Small Fruits, Big Rewards
Join Purdue Extension Specialist in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Miranda Purcell, as she shares secrets to growing beautiful, healthy fruits in our backyards
2C: Controlling Invasive Plants: Practical Strategies
HELD OUTSIDE AT BIXLER LAKE
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Geoff Schortgen, and Northeast Regional Specialist of the Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management, Dugan Julian, as they help identify and educate on methods to control invasive plants on our properties.
3A: Safe to Serve: Best Practices for Produce Safety
Join Purdue Extension Food Safety Educator, Scott Monroe, as he shares best practices to help keep our produce safe for consumption, especially if selling to the public!
3B: Weather or Not: How the Sky Shapes Your Farm
Join Purdue Agronomy's Service & Outreach Climatologist, Austin Pearson, as he shares how understanding weather can help shape our farming choices!
3C: Biosecurity Essentials for Livestock Owners
Join Indiana Board of Animal Health District 3 Field Veterinarian, Dr. Shelly Chavis, as she shares methods to help keep your livestock safe from biosecurity issues!
4A: Rooted Beginnings: Mastering Plant Starts at Home
Join Purdue Consumer Horticulture Specialist, Karen Mitchell, as she shares secrets to growing robust plants starts at home!
4B: The Underground Pantry: Root Cellar Magic
Join Purdue Associate Professor of Produce Food Safety, Amanda Deering, as she shares how to create root cellars to safely store our gardening bounties!
4C: Splash Into Saving: Rain Barrel Building Basics
Join DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation personnel, Nellie Peffley and Julie Knudson, as they walk through how to create rain barrels to help conserve rain water around our homesteads!
4D: Pig Out: Hog Processing 101
HELD AT NOBLE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS-580 Fair St, Kendallville, IN
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Swine Specialist, Dr. Brian Richert, as he walks through safe handling practices of processing swine!
5A: Get Your Culture On: Fermentation Basics
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Extension Educators, Molly Hoag and Abigail Creigh, as they share how to safely ferment foods!
5B: Worm Power: Turning Waste into Gold
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Michelle Jones, as she shares how to set up a vermiculture system and keep our wiggly friends healthy and happy!
5C: NEI Local Food Network
Join members of the Northeast Indiana Food Network as they share about the great networking and partnership opportunities that this collaboration brings to Northeast Indiana producers!
6A: Rot & Roll: The Composting Party
Join Purdue Organic Agriculture Specialist, Ashley Adair, as she walks through the process of establishing a successful Composting system!
6B: Farm Waste Solutions: Manure and Mortality Management
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Swine Specialist, Dr. Brian Richert, as he shares about manure and mortality management that comes with raising livestock!
6C: Power Up: Small Engine Care and Repair
HELD AT NOBLE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS-580 Fair St, Kendallville, IN
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Matt Dice, as he walks through a hands on process of caring for and diagnosing issues in our homestead small engines!
7A: Purple Power: Turning Lavender Into Treasures
Join Promise Keeper Farms as they share their methods for turning lavender in to wonderful troves around our homes!
7B: Branching Out: Tips for Vibrant Fruit Trees
Join Permaculture Specialist, Graham Towerton, as he shares methods to grow and care for our homestead fruit trees!
7C: Sweet Success: Getting Started with Bees
Join Allen County Master Gardener and Beekeeper, Glenn Hile, as he shares techniques to raise a successful beehive!
Twilight Tour of Orchard Hill Farms
11061 E 415 N, Kendallville, IN 46755
TRANSPORTATION ON YOUR OWN OUT TO THE ORCHARD
Join us as Orchard Hill Owner, Rick Meyer, gives us a tour of his family's 54 year old commercial orchard and what it takes to maintain an orchard operation!
https://www.orchardhillfarms.com/
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2025 SCHEDULE
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Extension Educators, Molly Hoag, Abigail Creigh, and Janel Franks, as they share how to properly Freeze Dry our garden bounty to lock in the freshness!
Join Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College Farm Manager, Christy Nicki, as she imparts her experience of using cover crops in her gardens to help improve soil health!
Join Three Pines Farm Co-Owner, Kristin Mains, as she details her farm's experience raising wheat and processing it for their baked goods!
Join Allen County Master Gardener, Pam Snyder, as she explains how to preserve your herbs to maintain the best flavor!
9A: Taming the Wild: Effective Garden Weed Control
Join Purdue Extension Educators, Geoff Schortgen and Ann Kline, as they explore methods to control pesky weeds in our garden scene.
9B: Calculating Your Worth: Learning how to Price Your Items
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Elysia Rodgers, and local farmers, as they review how they price their commercial items being produced on their farms. This will be an interactive class, so bring at least expense items for 1 item you would like to price for your farm!
9C: From Field to Feed: Managing Forages, Hay & Pastures
THIS IS A 2 HOUR CLASS
Join Purdue Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center Superintendent, Jason Tower, as he delves in to the proper techniques to manage forages for your livestock!
10A: Tomato Talk: Growing & Selling at Farmers Markets
Join Noble County Master Gardener and Tomato Guru, Dennis Parr, as he dives into his experience of growing and selling tomatoes at local farmers markets!
11A: Hoops & Covers: Stretching Your Garden Season
Join Tony Fleming to explore how to extend your growing season utilizing hoophouses, row covers, and more!
11B: Wild Neighbors: Groundhog & Pest Control Tips
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Jeff Burbrink, as he discusses methods to help control and prevent pesky animals from taking over our homesteads!
11C: Baa-rilliant & Goat-tastic: Small Ruminant Care
Join Purdue Extension Educator, Elysia Rodgers, as she shares experiences in caring for sheep and goats on the homestead!
12A: Grain to Gourmet: Craft of Milling and Pasta Making
Join Three Pines Farm Co-Owner, Kristin Mains, as she explores the basics of grains to use for milling, sources for recipes, and simple pastas.
12B: Nature’s Treasure Hunt: Wild Foods & Fungi
Join Indiana Master Naturalist, Julie Diehm, as she walks through safe methods to forage for foods in the wilds of our own backyards!
12C: Fowl Play: Tips for Thriving Backyard Birds
Join Purdue University Poultry Specialist, Dr. Darrin Karcher, as he discusses methods to raise thriving poultry for our homesteads!
12D: Blossom & Bloom: Your Guide to Cut Flowers
Join Avian Gardens Owner, Angie Jiminez, as she shares about her experiences growing and marketing cut flowers from their Avilla, IN farm!
Seed to Sprout-Creating Grow Cards with the Noble County Master Gardeners
Fish Tales-Learning to Safely Fish our Local Water Bodies with 4-H/Youth Development Educator Matt Dice
The Sky's the Limit-Beginner Drone Fun with 4-H/Youth Development Educator Amy Rumschlag
Lather Up-Fun with Homemade Soap with Extension Educator Janel Franks
Hotel Accommodations
This year, we have partnered with Best Western of Kendallville and have a block of rooms reserved for conference attendees!Best Western of Kendallville
621 Professional Way
Kendallville, Indiana 46755
and ask for the Homesteading Conference rate of $99 per room.
REGISTER HERE - September 10 to November 6
REGISTER HEREContact Information
Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University.
If you are in need of accommodations or an interpreter or translator to attend this program, or if there are special dietary needs, please contact Elysia or Cora by November 1, 2025.
Elysia Rodgers, Purdue Extension--DeKalb County, eberry@purdue.edu, 260-925-2562
Cora Hill, Purdue Extension--Allen County, hill272@purdue.edu, 260-481-6826