homestead/smallholding weekends

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Homestead/Smallholding Questionnaire

I am posting this on all of the forums that I read so I apologize to those of you who read the same ones of me. I am doing this to get the most responses I can, not to annoy everyone.

I have a small farm with 6 holiday Bed and Breakfast rooms, offering a farmhouse holiday experience. This is limited to the summer time and I am thinking about offering some homestead/smallholding courses to people who may be interested. We have noticed there are a lot of people who want to get beyond the city limit but do not know haw to. Our idea is to point people in the general direction and give them a taster of what farm life can be like. A weekend visit or two may be enough to put them off all together of it may fire them up to take the plunge without hopefully making too many mistakes. Lots of families would like to get out of the fast lane, but do not know how big a pig is, let alone what they smell like, but love to eat bacon.

Please could you answer the following, based on the location being in the area you wanted to live (location not being the prohibitive factor, rather the type of information and experience received)

1. If you are a wannabe, or when you were first looking for your place in the country do you think a weekend activity holiday would be useful to you? 2. This could include help with the best estate agents/realtors in the area, things to look out for in a property, septic tanks, solar, living off the mains/grid etc. What other practical things would need to be covered? 3. Animals play a huge role in the self-sufficient lifestyle. Basic animal handling with a diverse selection of animals. Nothing in great detail. Taylor make the weekend to the peoples needs and wants that are attending. Would this be of use? 4. Preserving the harvest. A demonstration of some preservation techniques. I guess not too many families do this. Which forms of preservation should be covered? 5. Basic vegetable gardening techniques. SFG, raised beds, lasagne gardening, how to utilize a greenhouse, rotating the vegetable crop. Would a taster of these be of use? 6. Some practical experience of dairying; making cheese, butter yoghurt, milking; other self sufficient crafts; soap making, candles etc Would these be better as a hands on experience or just as a demonstration? 7. Are there any other things people can think of?

Obviously I am at the beginning phase of this project but I felt that if we have to have people staying here they might as well be people who we may have something in common with.

Thanks for your time and responses.

Alison

-- Alison Homa (alisonhoma@hotmail.com), January 07, 2002


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