As interest in ‘homesteading’ grows, so do questions about health, safety, and ‘hows’ . . .

By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter

There has been a recent resurgence in the Northern Kentucky area in interest for activities that foster a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Ever since the pandemic turned people’s lives upside down, some thoughts inevitably visited the unpleasant possibility of all the luxuries people have enjoyed suddenly going away, such as the ample food supply in this country. Before the pandemic, product scarcity was rare, and suddenly toilet paper was not to be found, followed by various foodstuffs.

“When the pandemic hit, people also noticed that meat became scarce, so they thought back and realized their grandparents and great grandparents produced their own food and didn’t have to depend on the grocery store as much,” said Dan Allen, Agricultural and Natural Resource Agent at the Kenton County Extension Office. “A lot of people tend to have a romantic view of the old family farm, but those farms were hundreds of acres, and with young people, particularly, they try to get 4 to 5 acres and wonder how much they can do with that.”

Each of the three county extension offices have noticed the uptick in interest and have offered some basic classes, but Allen said there is really a lot to know.

Homesteading is ‘a lifestyle of self-sufficiency that involves living frugally and producing more that you consume.’ It is characterized by agriculture that can feed a family for an undetermined length of time, and that includes home production and preservation of food, and possible production of textiles that could be used for clothes.

Modern homesteaders go as far as obtaining their own renewable energy, which includes solar and wind power just for themselves. If they have ten to twenty acres, they look toward growing their own vegetables, raising chickens and livestock, and being independent in their needs so they don’t have to depend on outside sources for much.

If they only have one to two acres, they at least want a large garden and chickens.

To that end, there will be a day-long conference on homesteading offered by the county extension offices through Kentucky State University, Purdue University, and Ohio State University, which all have land grants, and will be held at the Boone County Enrichment Center on October 26.

“Some of the topics will include mushrooms, maple syrup, butchering basics, knives and skills pertaining to butchering, animal husbandry, sheep and goats, and cattle and hogs,” explained Allen. “The classes will run concurrently, and when people sign up for the day, the $40 fee will cover lunch and refreshments, and they can decide which classes they want to take. We have some couples who come in and split up if there are two classes at the same time that they want to see.”

He said when people get a few acres of land, sometimes they have the intention of being more self-sufficient, and the extension offices want to get involved to make sure they are doing things in the safest way possible.

“One thing is butchering,” he said. “People think they can butcher chickens, hogs and cattle, and there is a lot of education that goes with it. The least of that education is the safe way to handle raw meat.”

Another thing is how many animals they can have, since they are considering smaller land pieces, so they need to know the ‘stocking rate,’ or how many animals per acre is the best and most efficient. He said there is a danger of overgrazing if there are too many animals.

The extension office also offers advice on what kind of animals that will do well in this area. He said that sometimes people want the more exotic animals, and they will steer them more towards Hereford cattle, or Angus, which they know do well in this area.

Chickens have been around even before the pandemic, but the ‘chicken fever’ really increased after the pandemic, with people knowing they can grow chickens and have their own eggs.

This led inevitably to cities needing to define their rules, because many citizens simply acquired chickens and asked permission afterwards.

The city of Erlanger firmed up their regulations, allowing up to six chickens for personal use, no roosters, and the chicken coop has to be 500 feet from neighbors. It is noted in the ordinance governing chickens that ten cities also updated their regulations on chickens.

The city of Florence has no outright ban on chickens, but if the property is zoned agricultural or rural suburban, it can engage in Household Agriculture activities, such as raising chickens for personal use, or bees.

“I have spent a great deal of time reviewing this issue, and it remains a very divided topic, especially regarding small residential lots,” said Florence CAO Joshua Hunt. “Introducing animals that are commonly found on farms, into a residential setting can lead to disputes among neighbors.”

Allen said he is aware that many cities have rules about chickens within city limits. Some say chickens are allowed but roosters are not, and other cities are adamant about not allowing farm animals of any kind on property in the city. Some cities are limiting the chickens to properties that are at least five acres.

“After the pandemic the interest grew to include chickens as meat sources,” said Allen. “So while some people were content with the addition of eggs, others have decided they can butcher some of the chickens and have meat. We want to make sure they are doing it correctly.”

So while the interest in homesteading is definitely increasing, city life is liable to stay unaffected for a little while longer.

“I don’t see a time in the future when all cities allow chickens without regulations, but you never know,” Allen commented. “When we see an interest in the community that we can help with, we like to provide educational classes. This is a growing interest, and we are offering this class in October to help encourage the interest, and help people do things the correct way.”

He added that canning vegetables will be a separate class that they want to offer next year. There are so many things about canning and preserving vegetables safely that he believes it will necessitate a full day of classes like this homesteading class. The interest is definitely there, and again, they would like to educate people about the subject.

“Most people want to be able to can the food they grow, but they are afraid of botulism, and that is a real fear,” he said. “They can blanche some vegetables and freeze them, which is less scary, but with education, they can learn how to put up their vegetables, like their grandparents used to do.”

Boone County ANR agent Michelle Simon was in charge of a Homesteading series of classes recently offered in the county and she was pleased with the response. She said that some of the topics in her series included nutrition, breeding, facility design, and economic considerations. Most of the people in these classes were pleased and satisfied that they have the tools necessary to raise their own food economically and live more sustainably off the land.

People can sign up for the class by calling any of the extension offices, or there is more information on the Good to Grow electronic newsletter at kenton.ca.uky.edu .

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