The confidence to start.

Our family started homesteading in the Fall of 2019. We got about seven or so egg-laying hens in November off of craigslist, we didn’t know what we were doing, but it felt right. A few days later we were eating bright orange eggs from our homestead. We were excited. The following Spring and Summer we added ducks, broilers (chickens for meat, not eggs) and pigs, as well as digging out a large garden with lots of squash, potatoes, broccoli, bok choy and scallions.

One of the great challenges of raising animals (especially for newbies) on a homestead is butchering the animals. Luckily, in the filming of Leave It Better’s second documentary Farmers for America I met Brandon Sheard and his wife Lauren. They have a company called Farmstead Meatsmith and they are among the foremost experts in America on how to process animals on a homestead. Through filming with Brandon, I picked up enough confidence to believe that I could process a chicken on my own. I began to believe that I, who knew almost nothing, could process a pig and even make my own bacon.

We signed up for their annual membership which basically gave us the confidence to know that when we had questions, Brandon or Lauren would get back in touch with us with an answer. If we wanted to watch a step-by-step on how to slaughter a pig, we could do that. I have a tendency to be a bit of a germ-a-phobe so if I got scared about if my bacon was safe to eat, I could email Brandon photos or video and get an immediate answer. I got over my fear and made the bacon from our pigs. It was the best bacon any of us have ever eaten.

For millenia, families have known the skills of raising food and preserving meats. In the past seventy years or so, millions of Americans, have lost this knowledge. So it can be intimidating to learn something new, because it feels like no one is there who you can call when there’s trouble. YouTube is there of course, for which we are grateful- but there’s a difference between a recording and someone who can look at your particular case.

Anyhoos, I just wanted to take this opportunity to give a full-throated endorsement of Farmstead Meatsmith and recommend them to anyone who is looking for inspiration or help with homesteading. I want to make sure that on this national day of excessive consumerism on lots of cheap unnecessary crap, that I do my part to connect folks with a very healthy— and vital company that is supporting hundreds of thousands of homesteaders through real-time education.

best thoughts,

Graham