The Speakers

Kevin Andersen
Native Plants of SE Iowa

My name is Kevin W. Andersen, and I am the Iowa DNR Private Lands Wildlife biologist for greater SE Iowa. I have worked in SE Iowa for the DNR for 24 years covering a 24-county area. My job duties include servicing 24 USDA/NRCS/FSA Field Offices, helping train their staff members on sound wildlife management practices. I also meet with individual farmers/landowners in the field, on their farms, gleaning information from them in order to write wildlife management plans. I work with several cost share programs, like CRP/CSP/EQIP/REAP and others in order to help landowners find avenues to help fund their projects.

I grew up in west central Iowa near the small town of Coon Rapids Iowa on a small working farm owned by my maternal grandparents. The Middle Raccoon River ran through this farm, which was a magnet for a young budding wildlife biologist, along with timber, row crop, and pastures, and a large two-acre garden.

Randall Cass
Beginning Beekeeping

Randall joined Iowa State University in 2017, becoming the institution's first Bee Extension Specialist in over 70 years.  In his role, he coordinates bee research, manages the university's honey apiary, lectures and provides outreach to beekeepers. farmers, and landowners.  Randall holds a Master of Science from the University of California, Davis and a B.A. from Willamette University.


Laura Coniglio
Homeschooling

Laura and her husband, Doug, live in Oskaloosa and have 8 children.  She started homeschooling when they lived in Florida.  Through situations beyond their control their family was struggling.  This was when a kind person helped them relocate to Iowa and helped them to turn things around.  

Laura founded the Christian Homeschool Assistance Program (CHAP) in Oskaloosa. "This is now our 3rd year in existence and this past year it has really come alive! There are about 15 families involved...and the Lord provided a 4,000 square foot building right on the town square!"

This organization provides assistance to homeschooling moms to free up time for them to get other things done or to just spend some time for themselves.  Come and listen to her story, why she is doing this, and how she put it together.  

Dawn Crist
Sheep, Wool, Knitting, Midwife

Mom, Midwife & Shepherd

I am a Certified Professional Midwife, I have a BA in Speech and Hearing Science, with a history minor, from the University of Iowa. 

I have 4 children, the first was born in hospital with and obstetrician, as a result of my first lukewarm birth experience, the following three were born at home with midwives. It became a life changing moment.  Experiencing birth at home empowered me as a woman and started me on the path to becoming a midwife.  


My life outside of midwifery includes a working sheep farm, gardening, spinning wool, knitting, all forms of homesteading, and long distance running. 

Learning to knit in my 20’s led to spinning in my 30’s and shepherding on my own hobby farm with 20 Shetland sheep (a few are Shetland/BFL crosses) in my 40’s.  Having the farm has fostered a slower lifestyle, one that forces us to really pay attention to the seasons and the earth.  

You can find me on Instagram under Midwife Dawn, Birthmoon Midwifery and Maleficus Fiber Farm.

John Ewing
DIY Solar,
Homesteading Wherever You Are

John's passion is to help people to get prepared for the roadblocks life throws at us.  He is the self-reliant specialist for his Church.

He is former Army Military Police (E4 Mafia), having served in two war zones.  

One of his hobbies is operating Ham Radios, having a general license.

John is a DIY solar consultant and supplier.   He installed Harrison county's first grid tied solar system  and Harrison county's first off grid solar home.  

He designed and developed two complete homesteads.  He is Iowa's earliest registered Idaho Pasture pig breeder.

John wrote an article for Backwoods Home magazine, as a paid writer.

He has been raising honeybees foundationless for 10 years.  This is a way to keep the honey and comb as pure as possible.

Dr, Rich Fetcho, DC
Improving Health thru Nutrition & Chiropractic

Dr. Rich Fetcho is originally from Dunlap, IL.  He received his B.S. in Biology from St. Ambrose University and went on to receive his Doctor of Chiropactic at Palmer College of Chiropractic. For the last 20 years, he has provided Chiropractic &  Nutrition Care for all ages. He specializes in the Gonstead Chiropractic technique and Nutrition Response Testing. 

Maintaining your own health should be viewed as an essential skill you need to succeed on your homestead.

In Dr. Rich's free time he enjoys playing soccer, traveling, going to seminars, running around with his kids, reading & spending time with friends & family. 

Andy Forrest
Raising Chickens

Andy lives on a 14 acre farm where she practices beekeeping, gardening, food preservation, composting, hunting, trapping and self-sufficiency with keeping chickens being her primary focus.

Andy's knowledge ranges from hatching chicks, building vs. buying coops, free range vs. runs, laying hens, raising meat birds, processing meat, troubleshooting chicken ailments, problematic roosters and much, much more. Having chickens for over 10 years now has given her the opportunity to get to know like-minded people and work with a variety of birds such as chickens, geese, ducks, guineas, emu, and turkeys.

Her strong inclination to build a sustainable homestead is being passed down to her daughters who are gaining the knowledge and skills to utilize the potential opportunities that her property has to offer while establishing the mindset of caring for the land because it's taking care of us.

David Gingerich
Wood & Coal Stoves

David grew up in the Davis County Amish community.   He and his dad started selling stoves in 2001 at Gingerich Stoves and Plumbing on the edge of Drakesville.

He heats his store with one of his stoves through the winter, so he has first hand knowledge of how they perform.  

When David is not in class, you can stop by his vendor booth to ask questions.

FarmerJohn Gustafson
Networking, Bartering, Real Money

John is a multifunctional person, from a reenactor to a farmer/homesteader, to a financial planner.  He owns BearGrains where he grows organic wheat and sells it on his website.  

Teri Hanna
First Aid on the Homestead

Teri is a paramedic and the EMS manager of Davis County Hospital.  She has been EMS manager for 19 years and a paramedic for 25. She has seen her share of trauma.

Teri will be covering things you need to know to survive on your own with topics that include: Self-Adminstered First Aid, How to get help to you when you are off the grid,  Self-administered aids, Allergic reactions, and What to do when your holistic methods are not enough.

Teri grew up on an Iowa hobby farm with horses, cows, goats, chickens, and rabbits.  She enjoys outdoor activities, animals, camping, hunting, and gardening. 

Teri is passing on what she has learned by being active in the local 4-H chapter.

Sarah Holton
Selling at Farmers Markets

Hey, I'm Sara! My husband and I accidently started our homestead, Holton Homestead, back in 2015. Over the years we have tried a lot of different things- raising poultry, pasture pigs, managing an apple orchard, growing a market garden, canning, sourdough bread, and so much more.

Though we have tried all kinds of different things, we have learned we are most passionate about beekeeping. Tyler and I are now solely self employed and make our living with the bees. 

This will be our 9th year selling at farmers markets and other local vendor markets in our area. I have a degree in marketing and it is truly something that I enjoy. 

I can't wait to share with you how to market your products, where you can sell, how to start selling, and so many other tips and tricks. Ask me anything!

Sherelyn Hornick
Baking Yummies

Sherelyn is wife to Jim, a mom of 4, Grammie to 4(so far), and a retired nurse.  I have been taking care of people for years, and food is one way of doing that.  I’ve loved baking since I was a young girl, when my mother would let me stand in a chair and create my “masterpieces “ out of leftover pie dough.  I did Farmer’s Markets in the Quad Cities for a few years.  We moved back from the Quad Cities in late 2006-2007, after our son passed away.  We wanted to be nearer family.  My husband is retired from John Deere Davenport Works.  We live on his family farm, north of Ottumwa.  I started my bakery about 3 years ago, I have a licensed Home Food Processing Establishment bakery, The Flour Shoppe Bakery.  I enjoy trying new recipes, as well as having many favorites ones that I bake.  My goal is to have my food look amazing as well as taste great.

Pineapple Jameson
Candle Making

Pineapple and her partner have been reenacting the early American fur trade for decades. She has spent over fifteen years as a beeswax candle maker both manufacturing and teaching school kids alike. 

She sold the business side in 2022 but continues to teach candle-making.

She now sell candles made by Cole Stienman, a young man she taught and has developed his own candle business.

Her trade lodge is filled with arts and crafts and tools from the early 1800s.

You can find her with the outside vendors.  She will be demonstrating candle making periodically throughout the day, all three days.

Andrew Joseph
Beekeeping

Andy has served as State Apiarist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship since 2008.  Addithionally, he ad his family run Meadow Blazing Star Honey, a small bee & honey business.  They live in Des Moines.

Andy received his masters of science in entomology for the University of Kentucky, Lexinton.  While there, he was an active member of beekeeping organizations on local, state and multistate levels.

His research at the University of Kentucky focused on bees as pollinators in monoculture, looking at the role of nectar foraging in relation to overall foraging activity and, ultimately, plat pollination.  In addition to the research, Andy also cared for Kentucky State University and University of Kentucky's bees including managing the annual honey sales.

If you are interested in selling honeybees in Iowa,  Andy is the person to check with to see if you need an official inspection.

Tonya Kisling
Making Body Products

Tonya a mother of four children, living at Raising 4on 6 homestead in Birmingham Ia. The 6 acre property is where they grow herbs, gardens, chickens, rabbits, goats, cows, and bees. 

Escaping the toxins from commercially produced home and skin care products is one of the areas Tonya is passionate about. 

Foraging for local herbs to infuse in her skin products is one of her favorite spring activities. 

Tonya’s passion for clean products paired with her herbalism skills will make sure you too will be able to create your own products without the chemicals in no time!

Rachael Lames
Sourdough

Rachel Lames is the face and heart behind Harvest Moon Homestead & Bakery.  She is by trade, a nurse by day and a self-taught baker by night.  Rachel lives on 3 acres where she strives to make the most of every square foot, sharing her acreage with chickens, honeybees, dogs, cats, homegrown vegetables, and flower gardens.

Rachel has been baking cupcakes and special event cakes for over 10 year.  She became interested in mastering the art of bread-making and sourdough a few years ago when given a start of sourdough without a clue of where to start or how to care for it.  Since then, Rachel has immersed herself into the wonderful world of sourdough.

Having had her fair share of fails and success, she is excited to share what she has learned along the way to help make your sourdough journey successful, enjoyable, and delicious!

Dr Jon Logterman, DVM
Emergency Animal Care

Jon is a 2017 graduate of the UNL/ISU 2 & 2 veterinary program.  He grew up on a beef cattle seed-stock operation in South central South Dakota  , and currently resides in Bloomfield Iowa with his wife and two children.  He is the majority owner of Clearview Animal Hospital in Bloomfield and is a mixed animal practitioner with a specific interest in large animal production medicine.

David Mixdorf
Seed Starting

My name is David Mixdorf and I have been gardening for close to 60 years. Over the years I have gardened in four different states and two countries. I was a market gardener in the 70’s, My main interest is in organic and heirloom gardening and heritage breeds of livestock. We trade our baled hay for beef and pork. We enjoy canning and bread baking. My wife and I start around 4000 plants per year plus we propagate a variety of flowers and shrubs per year. We presently raise rabbits, chickens and bees on our property called Prairie Hilltop Farm. In my retirement I have been teaching garden classes for the last 10 years.

Patrick O'Malley
Fruit Trees & Brambles

Patrick has interests in all aspects of horticulture and has over 40 years of experience in the field.  He has always had a special affinity towards fruits and vegetables.  His formal training has been in the Midwest and Hawaii (B.S. in Horticulture from Iowa State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Horticulture from the University of Hawaii).  He has been able to work with both temperate and tropical plants.  For over 30 years Patrick has been the Commercial Horticulture Field Specialist with Iowa State University Extension & Outreach for the eastern third of Iowa.

The presentation will be primarily on possible tree fruits to grow in Iowa.  Time permitting may also delve into brambles.

Beckham Miller
Grafting Trees

I am a retired engineer from John Deere and a plant enthusiast / hobbyist. I’ve been growing trees in one form or another since the late 1970’s.  My wife and I had a small acreage in northern Indiana. We had many varieties of fruit. My main work with trees has been with bonsai. The Japanese art of miniature trees. The grafting on those was for the purpose of branch placement.  

At my current home in Ottumwa, I have several fruit trees. I have a couple volunteer pear trees I play with. I have grafted several varieties of pear onto them.

 As examples of grafts, I will have several small non-fruit trees with examples.

Matthew Ott
Flint Knapping

Matthew is the son of Shawn & Teresa Ott, camp managers.  He has grown up learning from nature and following in his parents' footsteps.  Most of his skills he picked up from books,  watching someone, or just plain figuring it out himself.  He and his brother Daniel are homeschooled, which allows plenty of flexibility to devote to his skills.

You will find him and his friends in a tent amongst  the outside vendors.

Shawn Ott
Foraging for Mushrooms
Predator Control on the Homestead

Shawn is a pastor.  He and his wife, Teresa, manage Forest Lake Camp, the location for our first 2 HOI Expos.  The camp is covered by registered Iowa Forest land.  This is where their family forages for mushrooms and do most of their trapping.

Shawn started trapping as a child and has continued throughout his life.  He has trapped anything and everything that is trappable in Iowa from muskrat to bobcats.  In recent years trapping has become a family affair.  Shawn is an ADC trapper and available to help you remove any unwanted critters.

The family is working towards becoming full time homesteaders by continuously learning new skills so that when the opportunity presents itself, they will be ready to go off-grid.  Shawn and Matthew are beekeepers.  The family shares responsibilities for their chickens and ducks.  They garden, canning or drying their produce.  They hunt, butchering and preserving the meat.  And they forage from God's grocery store, the great outdoors.

Aaron Prado
Tanning Furs

Aaron has been tanning hides for 14 years.  He started tanning for himself in 2010 because of low fur prices.  He made himself a hat.

When his friends saw what he could do, they started asking him to tan their hides as well.  When he did, the word started to spread.  He began receiving hides from people he didn't know from farther away.  To keep up with the influx, he opened Prados Trading Post in 2018, in a new shop behind his house.  How he keeps very, very busy tanning, making hats, blankets, pillows, and much more.  It went from one fox hat for himself to a business that is operating seven days a week.  Along with his children helping, he has hired a part time employee.

Faith Reeves
Composting

Faith is an experienced farmer and soil health consultant who has dedicated the last 13 years to learning about soil health, plant health, and the interrelationships between soil, microbes, and plants.

She has transitioned her farm from traditional methods to a regenerative, diverse polyculture system with tree fruits, nuts, vegetables, and herbs.

Faith uses her farm as a living laboratory to educate and research regenerative principles, nutrient cycling, and DIY fertility inputs.

She has studied with experts in various fields including biological farming, regenerative agriculture, Nutrition Farming, soil microbiology, permaculture, and Korean Natural Farming.

Faith is committed to supporting sustainable and harmonious farming practices by guiding and assisting growers in developing a mutually beneficial relationship with he land they manage.

Greg Rojas
Solar Systems On-Grid & Off-Grid

I install ON and OFF Grid Solar Systems with Generators and Batteries.

Linda Spears
Tools in the Kitchen

Linda and her husband, Randy live at Hedrick and own Spears Bee Farm where they raise bees and sell honey and bee supplies. 

She grew up on an Iowa farm and learned how to cook, bake, garden, preserve food, tend animals, bale hay, and a multitude of other life skills. 

If you are going to set out to do something, you need the right tool, so this year she will be sharing how she makes life a little easier with her collection of kitchen tools.

Sarah Sprouse
Preserve the Taste of Summer 101

This class has a $10 per person charge that goes to ISU for expenses.  Please register for the class by sending an email to homesteaders.iowa@gmail.com  You can pay the day of the class.

Sarah lives at Keosauqua and is the Human Sciences Specialist, Food and Health for Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington counties.

Her canning methods follow the USDA approved procedures to ensure health safety.

Sarah has to leave early, but she will take a half hour to pressure check your canner lids.  You do not need to be signed up for the class to get your canner lid checked.

Bob Swanson
Sac tribe Chief, Reenactor

Bob has studied the Native American Chief Wapello and will be impersonating him.  You will be able to ask him questions.  Speaking at 4pm in the Lodge Dining Hall

Becky Taylor
Food Preservation Through
Canning & Fermentation 

Becky is a retired registered nurse, having worked primarily in the operating room.  She received her bachelor's of Science degree in nursing from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1979.  Nursing instilled an interest in living a healthy lifestyle, including the foods we eat.

A long time gardener, she has years of experience in preserving fresh garden produce.  She remembers preparing her first batch of jelly from foraged blackberries with her grandmother.

Becky approaches food preservation techniques from a science based approach.  Methods include freezing, dehydration, canning and fermentation.

Dave Weber
Multisystem Gardening

Dave farmed all his life until a car accident sent him into an early retirement.  Leaving the farm did not stop his love for working the soil and growing crops, but rather turned him into an avid gardener.  He brought his knowledge from the farm and used it to turn his yard and a corner lot int vegetable garden as well as starting an orchard on another recently obtained lot.

Along with this, Dave plows and tills the ground for a community garden run by United Way of Wapello County where people are able to rent a plot and grow their own vegetables.  Having "rented" a plot in the garden, he is available to answer gardening questions of the other gardeners. If, in area chance, he does not know the answer, he will research it and come back with a solution.

Organic gardening, in an urban setting, was just a given for Dave when he was no longer farming.  He has been helping other urban people to develop their own gardens and has a lot of experience to share in this area.

Over the years of gardening, Dave has found several gardening tools that make his work easier.  Their functions range from keeping the weeds down, breaking up compacted soil, and harvesting the food crops.

Dan Whitmore
Horizontal Hives

Dan is a retired Systems Analyst who lives in rural Selma, Iowa with his wife Diana. He enjoys spending his time outdoors tending his garden and bees. He has converted from using the popular Langstroth beehive system to raising bees in low-maintenance, easy to build Layen horizontal hives. 

Dan has studied the natural beekeeping concepts of Dr. Leo Sharashkin and Fedor Lazutin where the beekeeper’s primary tasks are limited to providing bees with an ideal habitat and harvesting surplus honey once per year. Some of the highlights of this approach include providing bee-friendly horizontal hives with deep Layen frames, capturing local bee swarms and refraining from the treatment for disease and mites to strengthen the resilience of the bees.

Steven Yoder
Greenhouses

Steven grew up on an Amish farm in the Drakesville area.  He was in the house construction business until he hurt his knee.  Since he could no longer work in construction, he needed to find a way to support his family that wasn't as strenuous on his body.

Rolling Acres Produce Supplies became available in 2012 and Steven purchased it on January 1st, 2013.  This business had everything from pots, seeds, tools, and production machines to greenhouses.  He successfully worked the business as it was when he bought it, and then in 2022 decided to focus on the greenhouses without the produce supplies.

Steven is not new to greenhouses, having worked with them for over 10 years.  He is conscientious about the needs of people and strives to give each customer the best product available to fit both their needs and their pocketbook.

Steven will cover greenhouse basics and then go into a Q&A.  He believes this is the best way to teach to the needs of the group.