RISON - The Arkansas Homesteading Conference set a new single-day attendance record this past weekend with an estaimted crowd of more than 300 taking in the annual event held at this year at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Rison.
Britt Talent, publisher of the Herald and organizer of the Arkansas Homesteading Conference, said people from more than 35 counties attended the event that featured a variety of educational sessions on topics like gardening, herbal remedies, canning and more.
This was the ninth year for the conference to be held in Rison. While Talent has organized other events under the Arkansas Homesteading Conference banner at Mountain View, Harrison, North Little Rock and Mena, he said Rison has always served as the base location for the conference.
"This was the first time we have held it in Rison outside of the Pioneer Village," he said. "Those attending the conference seemed to like the new location since it offered a more compact area between the two session venues and the buildings are climate controlled." Since its inception, Talent said the focus of the conference has always been on education. He said homesteading encompasses a broad range of topics which are related to developing a more sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. He said that can include growing and raising food, food preservation, alternative energy, small farm livestock and more.
"I try to find speakers who are basically experts on a field related to homesteading," Talent said. His presenters have ranged from college professors to people simply growing things in their backyard.
Saturday's conference included sessions on revitalizing garden soil using worm castings, using worms to create compost, herbal folk remedies, raised bed gardening techniques, canning, turning goat milk into lotion, growing food with hydroponics, converting animal hides into pelts, and more. The speakers were from Hot Springs, Mayflower, Searcy,...
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